When a photo of the 2014 Mazda 6 leaked on a Russian car-enthusiast website,
it raised a few eyebrows. Not because the car looked any different from what we
expected, but rather because it came from a Russian site. That all makes a
little more sense now, because Mazda has announced that the 6 will make its
debut at the Moscow auto show next month, rather than the Paris show this
September as had been expected. The company also filled in the gaps between the
teaser videos it has been releasing lately, which you can see in a new cut after
the jump.
In addition to moving up the 6's debut, Mazda also divulged some details
about its new mid-sizer. The 6 will debut with the Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter
four-cylinder that’s already featured in the Mazda 3 and CX-5. In its current
applications, the engine produces 155 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque while still
achieving an EPA-estimated 28-mpg city and 40 highway in the 3 and 26/35 in the
CX-5. The 6 also will get the Skyactiv-Drive six-speed automatic transmission
that’s available in the 3 and CX-5.
Along with that, we’ve learned that the 2014 6 will be the first Mazda to use
what the company calls i-ELOOP, for “intelligent energy loop,” which is a
brake-energy recovery system. When the vehicle is decelerating, a
variable-voltage alternator sends power to a supercapacitor. The electricity can
then be discharged when the engine stop-start system takes over, supplying juice
to the accessories when the vehicle is stopped with the engine off. It’s a take
on the clutched-alternator approach that is making its way into other
manufacturers’ vehicles.
The 2014 Mazda 6 making its debut in Moscow on
August 29 will be specific to the Russian market; since this is a global model,
we expect most of the details to carry over to the U.S.
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