There are very few cars I come across that I imagine more or less everyone would like. The 2014 Mazda 6 Grand Touring is one of those cars.
Stylish, comfortable and well-equipped. Quick, responsive and fuel efficient. Good looking and fun enough for the young. Sophisticated and economical enough for the slightly not so young. It’s a car that works to save you a little money while allowing you to enjoy driving.
The Mazda 6 sports sedan is essentially the company’s flagship car. Built to provide the automaker’s maximum amounts of space, comfort and in-car features, designers looked to build the new SKYACTIV Mazda 6 Grand Touring stands with the company’s Kodo design philosophy.
Showrooms have already seen the introduction of SKYACTIV versions of the Mazda 3 and CX-5, and the Mazda 6 continued that overall re-creation of the Hiroshima-based car builder’s line. For those just making it to the party, SKYACTIV was Mazda’s response to the automotive industry’s group march toward hybrids, plug-in electrics and other green, eco-cars.
Mazda’s SKYACTIV introduced a lighter and more high-tech product line – moving quicker with less fuel spent. Using a high compression engine and updated materials, the result should impress the average consumer squeezed by perennially high gas prices without the need of environment-killing batteries or long charging periods.
Mazda engineers refined and improved their metallurgy and other compounds to reduce overall weight in the suspension, chassis, drive train, etc. According to its engineers, the lighter ride improves performance in addition to saving gas. The Mazda 6 maintains the brand’s attitude of driving performance.
This reporter drove the car from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back to cover automotive news from CES. I scored an average of 31 mpg through the Mojave.
On the safety side, the 6 Grand Touring offers smart city brake support, radar cruise control, blind spot mirroring and a lane departure warning system.
The only complaints concerned the ineffective voice recondition system (essentially a comedic feature that never got close to what I was saying) and satellite radio reception that let the car down on occasion. But these, as they say, are quibbles.
You put that all together, and the driving experience is comfortable, let peppy enough to offer a little fun along the way. Now, it’s only a four seater, so a family with 206 kids might not pick it up. Still, I can’t think of too many other folks who wouldn’t enjoy this Grand Touring ride.
The 2014 Mazda 6 SKYACTIV Grand Touring sells for $29,495.
