What Is It?
Mazda 6 MPS Concept
What's Special About It?
The Mazda 6 is the company's new midsize car for 2003. Though we have only been able to do a preliminary drive, our early impressions indicate that this car will be quite good and a worthy alternative to cars like the Honda Accord and Volkswagen Passat.
Lively handling and a sporty nature figure prominently in the 6's appeal. At the 2002 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile, Mazda showed off a concept car that demonstrated even further potential.
Underneath the hood is a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine with a direct gasoline injection system. It makes 280 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 263 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. It's connected to a six-speed manual transmission. The regular 6 sedan and wagon are front-drive, but the MPS uses an all-wheel-drive system sourced from the AWD version of the 6 wagon sold in Europe.
To keep the MPS tied to the road, Mazda has fitted a sport-tuned suspension and added additional body reinforcements. The lightweight 18-inch wheels are shod with 245/40ZR 18 tires.
Why Should You Care?
Though just a concept, seeing a production version of the MPS is a distinct possibility. To keep consumer interest up, automakers typically add high-performance models once a car has been on sale for a while. Mazda has demonstrated its willingness to do so with its MP3 and Mazdaspeed Protegé. The company further indicates that the MPS could be ULEV certified, meaning that the typically tricky task of making a turbocharged engine pass emissions tests has already been overcome. — Brent Romans
Mazda 6 MPS Concept
What's Special About It?
The Mazda 6 is the company's new midsize car for 2003. Though we have only been able to do a preliminary drive, our early impressions indicate that this car will be quite good and a worthy alternative to cars like the Honda Accord and Volkswagen Passat.
Lively handling and a sporty nature figure prominently in the 6's appeal. At the 2002 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile, Mazda showed off a concept car that demonstrated even further potential.
Underneath the hood is a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine with a direct gasoline injection system. It makes 280 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 263 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. It's connected to a six-speed manual transmission. The regular 6 sedan and wagon are front-drive, but the MPS uses an all-wheel-drive system sourced from the AWD version of the 6 wagon sold in Europe.
To keep the MPS tied to the road, Mazda has fitted a sport-tuned suspension and added additional body reinforcements. The lightweight 18-inch wheels are shod with 245/40ZR 18 tires.
Why Should You Care?
Though just a concept, seeing a production version of the MPS is a distinct possibility. To keep consumer interest up, automakers typically add high-performance models once a car has been on sale for a while. Mazda has demonstrated its willingness to do so with its MP3 and Mazdaspeed Protegé. The company further indicates that the MPS could be ULEV certified, meaning that the typically tricky task of making a turbocharged engine pass emissions tests has already been overcome. — Brent Romans
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