What's this then?
This is the new Mazda 6.
When you say new...
Yes, alright. This is the updated Mazda 6.
When you say updated...
Yes, alright. This is the updated Mazda 6... again. Not content, apparently, with the 2016 update, Mazda has tweaked the 6 again and revealed it at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Mazda has given it a set of slimline new headlights and the 3-D 'Floating' grille first seen on the second-generation CX-5 SUV that was launched earlier in 2017.
Any other changes?
A few. The cabin is essentially the same as before, but top-spec models will get the option of having "Sensu' wood trim, which is a material that's traditionally used in Japanese furniture and musical instruments. There's a new Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) system, too, which can now bring the car to a standing stop and take off again when the preceding vehicle pulls away. And finally, an updated 360-degree parking camera system has been added, but sadly no update for the aged infotainment system.
Anything new on the mechanical front?
Well, yes and no. The Mazda 6 is now available in the US with the impressive-sounding 2.5-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol SkyActiv-G engine from the CX-9 crossover, but this is unlikely to come to the UK.
When can I have one?
Not for a bit. Mazda has said that it will show a Euro-spec version of the 6 shortly, but it hasn't given any more details than that. Expect it to be on sale here by the end of spring 2018.
Shane O'Donoghue - 16 Nov 2017