Mazda is tweaking exterior and interior of the Mazda6 for the 2017 model year.
Mazda is updating two of its most important passenger car models as the Mazda6 sedan and Mazda3 hatchback are getting relatively modest tweaks for the 2017 model-year.
The two models were updated, a few years back, to use the Japanese maker’s SkyActiv system, which helped improve fuel economy even while boosting performance. Perhaps the most significant update for 2017 is the addition of a torque vectoring system – Mazda calls it G-Vectoring Control – to improve cornering and handling.
Other updates include an improved Smart City Brake Support system, or SCBS, which now adds the ability to spot pedestrians in the vehicle’s path, while also working across a broader speed range. The Mazda6 gets several other new safety features, in keeping with trends in the hotly competitive midsize sedan segment.
While attention has been shifting from sedans, coupes and hatchbacks to SUVs, crossovers and other light trucks, the five-door Mazda3 and four-door Mazda6 remain two of the most important models for the Hiroshima-based automaker.
For the Mazda6, the biggest news for 2017 is the addition of a new paint color.
When they went through their last major makeovers, both models received significant styling revisions based on Mazda’s distinctive Kodo design language. The maker isn’t ready to make any big updates on the styling side this time around.
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For the Mazda6, the biggest news for 2017 s the addition of a new Machine Gray Metallic paint color. For the Mazda3, meanwhile, there are a few more tweaks, including a new grille surrounded by LED taillights up front, while in the rear, the hatchback gets LED taillamps and, on some grades, a new bumper.
The Mazda3 gets few tweaks, including a new grille surrounded by LED taillights up front.
Inside, the updates are again relative modest, and what motorists are most likely to discover is that Mazda has gone out of its way to lower cabin noise. The hatchback, again, gets the biggest tweaks, with a new electric parking brake, a new steering wheel lifted from the Mazda6, and some subtle revisions to the instrument panel.
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Changes to the electric power steering system and dampers will improve steering feel and handling on both models, Mazda claims, as will the addition of the new G-Vectoring Control, or GVC, system. It can automatically adjust engine output, accelerator response, steering and suspension settings to adjust where torque is delivered to help steer a vehicle more smoothly and precisely through turns.
In the rear, the Mazda3 hatchback gets LED taillamps and a new bumper
Safety has become a big selling point in the U.S. market, and the updated 2017 models add a number of features, including the aforementioned Smart City Brake Support. It will automatically apply the brakes if a potential collision is detected, either with a vehicle or, now, a pedestrian.
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Other new safety features for 2017 include traffic-sign recognition, lane-keep assist and advanced blind spot monitoring on the 2017 Mazda6 sedan.