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Mazda6 Mps Review


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Have you ever wondered what 'boy racers' buy when they no longer fit the image associated with Impreza's and Evo's? Well, I can tell you what it should be - the Mazda6 MPS.

 

I have to admit that I couldn't get on with the car at first. After a series of hot hatches and city cars the Mazda felt very heavy. The steering is on the weighty side and the car seemed reluctant to overcome inertia, as if it were carrying a load of concrete in the boot.

Curious, thought I. Perhaps, I wasn't giving it a chance, so I read the tech-spec: 0-62 mph in just 6.6 seconds, 260PS at 5,500rpm and 380Nm of torque at 3,000rpm? It must be me. And, to a certain extent it was. The short urban runs I'd been making did not show the car in its true light. I tried again in earnest and was handsomely rewarded.

Purposeful acceleration showed just how willing the 2.3i, turbocharged petrol engine is. It seemed to delight in letting its hair down by making a brrrmm noise not unlike a child playing with a toy car. I later found out that this is specially tuned in.

The acceleration is more exhilarating than breathtaking and it doesn't seem to matter which of the six manual gears is selected, it gives the impression that there is always plenty left in the pots to surprise. What's more, in the higher gears, I couldn't find the point where it ran out of breath. I know there has to be such a point but at a speed well over the legal limit, besides it is unnecessary to rev the engine into submission, when it performs so well. The top speed is electronically limited to 149 mph and on many occasions I found myself having to rein it in. Okay, so now I'm impressed but there's more.

I am lucky in that I have discovered the perfect test route, which starts with the urban section, right outside my door. It then moves into a three-lane by-pass, which connects to a motorway. The best part for me is the country section featuring sharp bends, uneven surfaces, switchbacks and undulating, winding, tree-lined lanes. In short, it covers just about everything. I have taken many sports cars along this route and been disappointed by quite a few that didn't cope too well. The Mazda6 MPS, however, wins my top prize for performance, smoothness, agility and stability. The ride is very flat, it hugs the line on fast bends almost like a Scalextric and it gives the impression that no matter how badly you treated the car, it wouldn't lose its composure.

 

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There are several reasons for the inspired confidence. The MPS, which stands for Mazda Performance Series, is based on the standard saloon but with a few key differences. For a start, the bodyshell has been reinforced increasing the torsional stiffness by 50 per cent and the chassis has been ‘race-tuned’ for sportiness without the sacrifice of ride comfort.

 

In addition, the MPS features an Active Torque Split All-wheel-drive system, which uses sensors to monitor steering angle, lateral forces, yaw rate and engine status. Depending on the information received, the system can electronically control the torque distribution and has presets for Sport, Normal and Stability.

 

There is little point in producing a fast car unless you can also stop in a hurry. To this end the MPS has disc-brakes all round. Those at the front are ventilated and the rear discs are solid. They are larger in diameter than those on the standard car and are complimented by heftier brake calipers. The braking system is also backed up by ABS with EBD and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA). There is also Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control to help keep the car on the straight and narrow while the passive safety system includes six airbags as standard and a brake pedal that doesn’t intrude into the footwell in the event of a collision.

 

The idea behind using the 2.3i DISI (Direct Injection Spark Ignition) engine and turbocharger rather than a bigger engine is to get better low and mid-range torque while keeping the fuel consumption at a reasonable level. The official figures are 20.0mpg, 35.3mpg and 27.7mpg for the urban, extra-urban and combined respectively, while CO2 emissions are posted as 245g/km putting the MPS in VED band F.

 

The MPS differs visually from the standard Mazda6 in that it has a unique front grille, sports bumpers and side skirts, a discrete rear spoiler on the boot lid and dual exhaust pipes. Also, the bonnet has been raised by 40mm for a more aggressive appearance.

 

Inside, the differences reveal themselves in the sporty gear knob, leather-clad, almost bucket-type front seats, stainless steel scuff plates and aluminium pedals with rubber studs. In terms of layout the fascia is much the same as in the standard car except the MPS has chrome surrounds to the instrument dials and the centre console has a grey titanium look save for the piano-black face of the audio system. Altogether, it is a good combination of sportiness and comfort.

 

The driver’s seat is electronically adjustable and has three memory buttons, while both the multifunctional steering wheel and the front passenger seat are mechanically adjustable for rake and reach.

 

There’s room enough for three people in the rear, with plenty of legroom for all. The rear seats have a lightly contoured bench squab and the backs look as if they fold but don’t. As part of the strengthening process, a brace was introduced behind the rear seatback's forming a kind of bulkhead. This also means that the boot is slightly less capacious than in the standard car, offering 455-litres as opposed to 505-litres. Nonetheless, it is still very large and Mazda says that there is easily enough room for four golf bags.

 

There are no engine or trim options with the Mazda6 MPS and the only optional extra is a Satellite Navigation system with TMC and a 7-inch colour monitor, which adds £1,650 to the £23,950 price tag. Standard in-car-entertainment comes in the form of a BOSE 6 x CD in-dash autochanger with seven speakers.

 

Mazda says that the MPS is the fastest, best handling, best braking saloon, the company’s ever built and I’m inclined to agree.

 

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