Yes, you can still get a Mazda6 with a manual transmission. The six-speed stick doesn’t come paired with the new 2.5-liter turbo engine, though. Insert Sad Panda here.
As Mazda’s media materials boast, however, at least it’s not a CVT: “In too many instances, turbocharged engines are mated to continuously variable automatic transmissions (CVT), operating in a narrow band of efficiency, sacrificing a connectedness between driver and car—a valued characteristic of all Mazda vehicles called Jinba Ittai. Mazda’s six-speed SKYACTIV-DRIVE automatic transmission, paired as standard to the SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine, keeps its torque converter locked through most of its operation, giving a more connected sense of controllability than many other automatic transmissions.”
That SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine is worth some chatter. It produces 250 horsepower along with 310 lb.-ft. of torque and is available on the Grand Touring model and above. The base engine, the one available with the manual box, is the SKYACTIV-G: 187 horsepower and 186 torque units.
The other big news for 2018: a freshening for Mazda’s four-door family sedan. The new nose matches the rest of the lineup, while LED headlamps come standard. The seats are new. So are the wheels.
Our test car was the Signature, the top-o-the-line model. That trim level is new for 2018 and adds some niceties like a leather-wrapped steering wheel, Nappa leather seats, and Japanese Sen wood and ultrasuade trim inserts. Where the Mazda6 lineup starts at $21,9501–that will buy you a Mazda6 Sport with the stick shift–this one checks in at $34,750.
