Yank the emergency brake in the new Mazdaspeed6 at speed and the car's all-wheel-drive system automatically disengages drive to the rear wheels. The fact that this ham-fisted, ass-out, "Dukes of Hazzard" buffoonery was a design consideration is Mazda's way of saying it cares.
The "zoom-zoom" Mazda6, whose superb chassis and eager V6 have inspired positive reviews and solid sales, has nonetheless fought for parking spaces among the enthusiast population.
Mazda invited us to hammer on early prototypes of the new Mazdaspeed6 at the 1.7-mile TI Circuit in Okayama, Japan. Home to two F1 races in the mid-'90s and a favored JGTC track, TI Circuit offers flat-out sweepers and long straights with several hairpins. Its liquid-black pavement is smoother than R Kelly, but didn't offer the real-world driving conditions we need to wholly evaluate a proper all-wheel-drive sedan.
That's right, all-wheel drive. And that V6? It's gone too, in favor of a turbocharged version of Mazda/Ford's 2.3-liter inline four. The heart of the Mazdaspeed6 is the most powerful Mazda engine currently in production.
Mazda, which until recently suffered with relatively low-tech piston engines, revamped its entire line with an infusion of technology. The basic architecture of the Mazdaspeed6's 2.3-liter is shared with the inline, aluminum MZR four also used in the Mazda3, but features a host of Mazda's newest technologies.
Most notably, fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber with Mazda's Direct Injection Spark Ignition (DISI) system. Direct injection, which reaps performance, emissions and fuel economy benefits in normally aspirated engines, pays even bigger dividends when coupled with forced induction. Injecting gasoline directly into the combustion chamber cools the charge, increasing boost response, low and midrange torque production, and allowing for a high compression ratio and healthy boost due to better knock resistance.
The Mazdaspeed6 brings 15.6 psi to bear on 9.5:1 compression pistons, barely down from the 9.7:1 pistons found in the naturally aspirated engine. Mazda chose a Hitachi turbocharger using Borg Warner internals. This small unit contributes to the engine's excellent torque production and throttle response, and its small thermal mass shortens catalytic converter light-off time for improved cold-start emissions.
Although the engine redlines at 6700 rpm, it has little to give after 6000, where it feels like the little turbo simply runs out of headroom. It does, however, provide nearly 100 percent of its claimed 280 lb-ft of torque from just 2500 rpm, and remains flat until 5500 rpm, where the engine makes its peak horsepower figure of 274. Mazda claims a 0-to-60 sprint of 6.6 seconds, which is a bit pessimistic.