Torquey and Thrifty: EPA Pegs 2018 Mazda 6’s Fuel Economy Figures [News]

2018 Mazda6
[Photo: Mazda]

The EPA released fuel economy figures for the Turbocharged 2018 Mazda 6

We covered the updated version of Mazda’s mid-size sedan at the LA Auto Show, which sports an all-new heart for 2018. With its new heart, you’ll get 250 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque when running on premium fuel. That’s great news for those who were left wanting for power with the naturally-aspirated version’s 184 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque. It’s also rumored that the 2018 Mazda 6 may offer an all-wheel drive option as well.

But how much does fitting a turbocharged engine sap the 2018 Mazda 6’s fuel economy? The naturally aspirated version delivered 26 city/35 highway/29 combined MPG. Now, according to the EPA, the turbocharged Mazda 6 puts out 23 city/31 highway/26 combined MPG.

That matches the 2.0-liter turbocharged Honda Accord in the city, but falls a bit short on the highway according to the EPA’s cycle. For reference, the Accord 2.0T makes 23 city/34 highway/27 combined MPG. The turbocharged Mazda 6 does beat the V-6 Camry in the city (22 city/33 highway/26 combined MPG), but doesn’t beat it on the highway. Going by EPA figures, the Mazda 6 comes close to the Chevrolet Malibu 2.0-liter turbo’s fuel economy of 22 city/32 highway/26 combined MPG.

The Mazda 6 does beat out both the Accord and the Camry on torque. The 2.0-liter turbo Accord makes 273 lb-ft, and the V-6 Camry pushes out 267. The turbocharged 6 puts out 310 lb-ft. It nearly matches the Accord (252 horsepower) for power, but falls short of the Camry (301 horsepower). The Malibu 2.0-liter turbo comes out the gate with 250 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque.

On the whole, a slight hit in fuel mileage may be worth the price to give the new Mazda 6 a competitive leg to stand on against its mainstream rivals. Check back to TFLcar.com for more updates! Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow on YouTube for the latest videos, including the upcoming turbocharged Mazda 6!

To see how the Mazda 6 compares to the competition, see the table below. In middles with multiple engine choices, we selected the option with similar power output to the 2.5-liter turbocharged Mazda 6.

2018 Mazda 6 power and fuel economy vs. the competition (EPA ratings):

Mazda
6
Chevrolet
Malibu
Ford
Fusion
Honda
Accord
Hyundai
Sonata
Nissan
Altima
Toyota
Camry
Volkswagen
Passat
Engine Size:  2.5L
turbo
2.0L
turbo
2.0L
turbo
2.0L
turbo
2.0L
turbo
3.5L
V-6
3.5L
V-6
3.5L
VR6
Horsepower: 250 250  245 252 245 270 301 280
Torque (lb-ft): 310  260 275 273 260 251 267 258
City MPG: 23 22 21 23 23 22 22 19
Highway MPG: 31 32 31 34 32 32 33 28
Combined MPG:  26 26 25 27 26 26 26 22