2014 Mazda6 i Touring Ed Loh

摘要

Within the first 3500 miles of our Mazda6 loan, I managed to get it to the track more often than in the entire year I had the Nissan GT-R: once at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and again at the Streets of Willow. But while the Mazda6 is many things, it ain't no race car. It's a fine-handling road car, precisely because that's what it was tuned to be. But the track exposes two critical deficiencies: power and grip. The lack of power was not a surprise; even with a slick six-speed manual, one can only squeeze so much oomph out of a 184-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder tuned for 37 freeway mpg. The front straight and uphill sections of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Streets of Willow made this crystal clear. But what's good about limited power in a nice-handling car is that the combination forces you to pay attention and try to carry momentum throughout the entire track.