2013 Mazda 6 unveiling at the Moscow motor show

The Moscow motor show has never been very popular with foreign journalists, but there was something big this year, with the world premiere of Mazda’s new 6 family sedan. It’s a world car, and that itself is new as there are two Mazda 6 today. One for America, and another one, slightly smaller for Europe and Japan. The 2013 Mazda 6 is about the same size as the 2012 American model, but clever tech should make it more fuel efficient. It’s more aerodynamic to begin with. With a .26 Cd, it will be one of the most slippery shape on the road. Then, it’s lighter by more than one hundred pounds, and that is compared to the 2012 small European model.

The best thing probably lies under the hood with Mazda’s new low compression (only 14 to 1) Skyactiv clean diesel. It’s a 150-hp 2.2-liter that is going through the type approval process right now, and Mazda at Moscow wasn’t sure about how well it will perform in the official tests but rumors put the 6 diesel ahead of its segment, with better fuel economy numbers than the Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion, and even the BMW 3-series EfficientDynamics, today’s most sober family car in Europe. Could that be real? We’ll have to wait for the Paris motor show to get the fulls specs, but many people were excited in Moscow.