In keeping with its premium aspirations, Mazda is about to completely revamp its Mazda 6 mid-size sedan. We’ve long known the automaker is working on a new inline-six engine for a longitudinal, rear-drive car layout, and a new report from Car and Driver suggests the next Mazda 6 will be the first to get it. For those unfamiliar with the current 6, here’s why that’s such a big deal:
Since its introduction to the U.S. as a 2003 model, the Mazda 6 has always been a transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive sedan, as is typical for its segment, which also includes longtime front-drivers such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Nissan Altima. (We should point out the first-generation Mazdaspeed 6 that was modified to accept an all-wheel-drive system as the lone exception to the front-drive 6 rule.) To move to a longitudinal, rear-drive-based layout for the 6—a setup more common in the entry-luxury space that includes BMW‘s 3-series and Mercedes-Benz‘s C-Class, Mazda will be starting entirely from scratch.
This new “Large Architecture,” first confirmed in a Mazda public financial report last year, would presumably also be shared with the CX-9 three-row crossover, which is currently built on the same platform as the 6. The Mazda 6 is the older of the two products, so it makes sense that it would be the first to get the new architecture. Currently, the only other rear-drive product in Mazda’s U.S. portfolio is the tiny MX-5 Miata sports car.
According to that oddly revealing financial document, the new platform will be built around the aforementioned inline-six, which will get Mazda’s Skyactiv-X novel compression ignition tech. There will also be a diesel version of that engine, and the platform will support 48-volt mild hybrid and full-on plug-in hybrid tech. Rear-wheel drive was implied only by the fact that the engine would sit longitudinally in the engine bay, but the only option confirmed for the new platform is i-Activ all-wheel drive. Have there been longitudinal engine, front-drive vehicles in the past? Yes, but they’re rare.
A patent filing unearthed this year revealed a few more details about the new straight-six. Mazda’s new six-cylinder will apparently be relatively compact (the engine type tends to be substantial in length) and will also have the ability to vary the size of its exhaust ports. A patent for a longitudinal eight-speed automatic transmission was also found, which would mark an upgrade over Mazda’s current six-speeds-maximum transmission lineup.
Timing for the next-gen Mazda 6 is murky, especially with the current global health crisis slowing everything down, but the new rear-drive-based sedan could arrive by 2022. What is perhaps more exciting is what this platform means for a potential rear-drive coupe. The Mazda RX-Vision and Vision Coupe concepts from a few years ago strongly implied a RWD layout, and their long hoods would be well suited for covering a straight-six, possibly with twin-turbo or performance hybrid assistance.
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