6 Appeal: Mazda's Newly Turbocharged Midsize Reveals Its MPGs As Automaker Hopes Upscale Push Pays Off

This is the sixth model year for the third-generation Mazda 6 which, despite its age, remains arguably the best-looking midsize sedan on the market. Mazda belatedly answered long-standing cries for more power by offering a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four for 2018, giving the model the grunt it needs to back up its sporting pretentions.

We now know what drivers can expect at the pumps from this engine, borrowed from the CX-9 parts bin. However, can the emergence of a true Mazda 6 sports sedan rekindle waning interest in the model?

Mazda sure hopes it will. In keeping with its quest to be seen as a slightly more premium type of automaker, the 2018 Mazda 6 gains not just 227 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque from the available engine (up from 184 hp and 185 lb-ft in lesser models), but a new Signature trim that brings Nappa leather and real wood trim into the fold.

(There’s also some minor styling tweaks to go with the chassis and handling refinements, but given the model’s lithe, KOBO-penned exterior, the minor details are lost in the overall package. That’s not a bad thing.)

Moving up to the turbo mill arriving this spring doesn’t impact the car’s fuel economy rating all that much. The Environmental Protection Agency rates the higher-output engine at 23 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined. In mixed driving, this translates into a 3 mpg drop compared to an automatic-equipped base model, or a 1 mpg drop from the rare six-speed manual model. (Sadly, all turbocharged models arrive with six-speed automatics.)

The biggest difference in thirst comes on the highway, where the turbo model sees a 4 mpg drop compared to automatic-equipped lesser models. Still, 31 mpg is hardly a rating many buyers would fret over.

The midsize sedan segment, as well all know, isn’t doing too well these days. In 2017, midsize volume fell 13.1 percent compared to the previous year — a worse drop that that of the overall passenger car market, which declined 10.9 percent. Mazda 6 sales in the U.S. have fallen, year-over-year, for 11 consecutive months. Last year’s volume dropped 26.6 percent compared to 2016, and 42.3 percent compared to the model’s post-recession peak in 2015.

It’s possible 2018 will see a number of buyers figure “it’s now or never,” and finally grab up the 6 of their dreams. However, as much as Mazda would like to see the model soar, its U.S. sales hopes lie elsewhere.

An upcoming crossover expected to roll out of the company’s not-yet-built joint assembly plant in Alabama will be geared directly to U.S. buyers; depending on response, the automaker — thanks to its partnership with Toyota — will have room to build 150,000 of them a year.

[Image: Mazda USA]