Russkies reveal the 2013 Mazda6 first

The 2013 Mazda6 is a sultry looker!

Moscow – Mazda has chosen the 2012 Moscow Auto Show as the location of the much anticipated unveiling of the 2013 Mazda6. This new model will replace the well received, but slow selling current Mazda6. Its odd that the Russkies are the first to give us a peek at the 2013 Mazda6.  As this is a Russian version of the Mazda6, some of the dimensions and mechanics may differ from the model soon to be sold in the United States.

Still, this is a pretty good sneak peek.

Full disclosure… I am a Mazda fan. It’s hard not to be when you’re in the auto trade. Mazda is an automaker that sells entertaining cars. All of them, every single automobile and crossover in their current fleet are rewarding to drive. I even bought my significant other  (She Who Must Be Obeyed) a Mazda.

They have had some lean, rough years. Money is tight and the tsunami took a nasty toll on their production. Mazda is one of the smallest car companies selling in the United States and somehow they are staying very competitive.

Things were looking rather bleak in the Mazda styling department before the ‘Kodo’ design intervened on the former, ridiculous, happy face design-motif. Sure, the happy grill design looks good on the bubbly Mazda2, but it lowered the curb appeal on the rest of the fleet. According to Mazda, Kodo means “Soul of motion.” I don’t care what it means… just keep the sexy design coming boys!

Rounding out the metrics, I’ve approximated the math into easier to digest measurements. We at The Fast Lane Car try to avoid using anything metric. Here are seven things you need to know about the all new Mazda6:

1. The 2.0-liter Skyactive puts out about 148 horsepower with about 155 lbs-feet of torque. The 2.5-liter (and the most likely engine to accompany the U.S. version) will put out about 190 hp and make around 190 lb-ft of torque. No word on any V6, but there are a ton of rumors about a super high-compression, Über efficient, diesel that may work its way over from the Mazda CX-5 parts-bin to the Mazda6. That would make Mazda the only Japanese automaker in the states to offer an oil-burner on a FWD vehicle.
2. The Russians get a six-speed manual on the base models with a six-speed automatic available on the rest of the Mazda6s. If it is like the last one, it should be slightly sportier than many competitors. Hopefully, Mazda keeps the same gear selection on this new 6’s automatic. It up-shifted down and down-shifted up, like a proper performance shifter should.
3. The 2013 Mazda6 should weigh just a bit over 3,000 lbs. That’s fairly light for a car that competes with Camrys and Accords which should weigh a couple hundred pounds more. Keep in mind, a ton and a half is still a great deal of heft to lug around for four-cylinders.
4. Mazda’s all new 6 will be about 191 inches long with a wheelbase of about 111 inches – which is an increase of about 5 inches to the wheelbase over the last model. That equates to a much larger passenger compartment, especially in the back seat area as that was where a majority of interior complaints came from.

   

5. Starting prices should run around $21,000 or 673039.50 Rubles.
6. The trunk space on the new Mazda6 is going to be about 17 cubic-feet, which is massive. In comparison, Toyota’s Camry has 15.4 cu-ft of cargo capacity and the Mercedes Benz S-series has 16.4 cu-ft.
7. None of the sheet-metal comes from the old Mazda6. This all new vehicle has an eye on extroverted style, grace and motion. It is one of the best looking production Mazdas yet. The U.S. version should look about the same, possibly with slightly different trim and color choices.

We’ll keep you in the loop the minute Mazda gives us updates on what we Yanks can expect. One thing I know for sure, a Mazdaspeed6 in not in the cards – for now. Mazda needs to focus on vehicles that fill large segments. Once the cash starts to flow again, who knows?

Check out this popular video of Roman and I putting the 2012 Mazda CX-5 through its paces on AND off road!