The Mazda 6 may soon be entering its teenage years in Australia, but its spiritual successor – the EZ-6 – is now on sale in China with a choice of electric and range-extender powertrains, bringing the brand’s flagship sedan into the modern age.
Revealed at the Beijing motor show in April, the EZ-6 is built by Changan Mazda in China for the local market, and is a departure from the current 6 thanks to the adoption of rear-wheel drive.
While it was first reported that the Mazda EZ-6 would be available both as a fully-electric vehicle (EV) and a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the latter hasn’t eventuated and a range-extender (EREV) powertrain takes its place instead.
Mazda Australia hasn’t yet shared whether the EZ-6 is a part of its local product plan.
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In the EZ-6, the range-extender features a 70kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that helps to top up a 18.9kWh or 28.4kWh battery pack, which in turn supplies energy to a 160kW electric motor driving the rear wheels.
Without the engine helping to charge the batteries on the go, the batteries deliver driving ranges of 130km to 200km, respectively, and Mazda also says they can be topped up from 30 to 80 per cent in as little as 20 minutes.
However, with the engine on and petrol tank filled up, the EZ-6 can drive for up to 1300km on a single charge while consuming just 3.6L/100km, at least according to China’s lenient CLTC test cycle.
Chinese prices for the EZ-6 range-extender start from 139,800 Yuan ($29,930) in its smallest battery guise, and rise to 169,800 Yuan ($36,230) for the top-spec model.
In electric-only versions of the EZ-6, the sedan features a 190kW motor and the choice of two LFP batteries: a 56.1kWh pack (with up to 480km of driving range) or a larger 68.8kWh pack (providing up to 600km of range).
The EZ-6 EV starts from 159,800 Yuan ($34,100) and tops out at 179,800 Yuan ($38,365). For context, the base BYD Seal sedan starts from 175,800 Yuan ($37,510) in China.
Measuring 4921mm long, 1890mm wide and 1485mm tall, the EZ-6 is 56mm longer, 50mm narrower, and 35mm taller than the current Mazda 6 sedan.
It features a rear spoiler that pops up at speeds higher than 90km/h, and its 19-inch wheels have been shaped to reduce drag.
Inside, there’s a 50-inch augmented-reality head-up display, a 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen running on a Snapdragon chipset, 14 Sony speakers and a panoramic sunroof.
Reports have suggested the EZ-6 is set to go on sale in Europe, where Mazda has trademarked the name ‘6e’, suggesting the sedan – at least in all-electric form – could be marketed as a direct successor to the 6.
Despite the current-generation petrol- and diesel-powered Mazda 6 nearing 12 years on sale in Australia, the brand is no closer to announcing its demise here, even going as far as keeping it in local showrooms after production for Japan ceased.
Multiple reports from Japan have also suggested the next-generation Mazda 6 would finally go rear-wheel drive and be based on the Large Product Group platform that underpins the new CX range of SUVs, however, this idea has been shot down multiple times by the company.
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