2018 Mazda6 Remains a Secret Luxury Sedan
CARS.COM — After a period of awkward styling, Mazda bounced back soundly a few years ago and now has one of the most handsome lineups in the market. Clearly, the company knows it, because it didn’t mess too much with a good thing when it refreshed the Mazda6 mid-size sedan for 2018. The grille of the new Signature trim level displayed at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show has more intricate mesh, but its overall shape is essentially the same, even if the downsized headlight clusters and more prominent chrome trim give it a more dominant role.
Related: More 2017 L.A. Auto Show Coverage
Most of the changes are on the inside, where we weren’t allowed to sit, so unfortunately we can’t comment on the redesigned front seats and their effect on comfort, headroom or legroom — if any.
We got a good look at the new instrument panel, which replaces 2017’s conventional center speedometer with a 7-inch configurable digital display that blends brilliantly with the analog gauges that remain.
Look up from there and you’ll no longer see a small glass pane atop the dashboard; the head-up-display option remains, but now it’s the more common type that reflects off the windshield. (You see, there’s already some glass there, so…)
The Mazda Connect multimedia system, which is neither the best nor the worst of its type, returns for 2018 but with an 8-inch display, up from 7 inches previously. It functions as a touchscreen when the car is stationary.
As for the interior quality, the show car features sober dark Japanese Sen wood and deep-brown Nappa leather — hardly exciting, but definitely high quality, as we’ve come to expect from Mazda, secretly a luxury brand.
To that end, Mazda already added noise-control measures in 2017 and claims to have done even more for 2018. Sadly, we’ll have to reserve comment on that, the new engine and the rest of the changes until we drive the new Mazda6.
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