MAZDA 6 SEDAN

Mazda is looking to do no less with the 2017 Mazda 6 than deliver a flagship offering a foundation for the perfect driver-car relationship.

It is a rather simple concept: The driverprovides input via controls like the steering wheel, pedals and gearshift. The vehicle, meanwhile, does what it's told and supplies feedback.

Mazda is continually striving to perfect the concept, because effective communication between man and machine not only makes driving safer, but also more satisfying, more rewarding and more fun. Mazda calls this relationship Jinba Ittai, and to continue enhancing the "oneness" of driving its flagship, the carmaker looked at things from the customer perspective.

The 2017 Mazda 6 is therefore the first model in Europe (along with the 2017 Mazda 3) to get the carmaker's world-unique G-Vectoring Control, which regulates engine output to improve both responsiveness and stability, particularly in curves. It's the first system in the brand-new SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS line-up, a product of Mazda's human-centric vehicle development approach that enables integrated Jinba Ittai-enhancing control over SKYACTIV engines, transmissions and platforms.

Mazda's newest flagship is also more refined than ever thanks among other things to innovations in diesel knock-suppression technology and turbocharger boost control now available for the Mazda 6's SKYACTIV-D 2.2. Safety, too, is being elevated with the addition of a new forward sensing camera. It expands the range and competence spectrum of several of the vehicle's i-ACTIVSENSE active safety systems, such as automatic braking, also adding pedestrian and traffic sign recognition functionality.

For occupants' well-being, the interior packages offer a level of sophistication, quality and comfort is indeed fitting for an upmarket flagship, and every bit up to the award-winning looks.

The carmaker has clearly achieved what it was aiming for with the 2017 Mazda 6, namely a degree of attractiveness and a personality that outclasses its class with a human-oriented approach to premium that is uniquely Mazda.

Jinba Ittai, which means "rider and horse as one body", is an expression that traces back to the Yabusame ritual, where a mounted archer shoots an arrow at a target while controlling the horse with his knees. Rider and horse need to perform in harmony if there is to be any chance of hitting the mark.

Smarter, Safer, SKYACTIVE

Mazda takes a human-centered approach to balancing the conflicting characteristics of agile handling and a refined ride, since they directly affect the Jinba-Ittai nature of all its products. Introducing SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS.

Mazda is out to make cars that adapt to the driver, not the other way round. The purpose is to continually enhance the Jinba-Ittai sensation, or the linear connection - and communication - between the driver and the vehicle. Enter SKYACTIV Technology: In combination with SKYACTIV powertrains, the SKYACTIV-Chassis and SKYACTIV-Body were designed to deliver the best possible combination of handling, comfort, stability, efficiency and safety.

Now Mazda has gone a step further with its human-centered philosophy. To gain a systematic understanding of what exactly gives people a satisfying and exhilarating experience behind the wheel, the company began testing and assessing how they respond. It determined, for example, that a relaxed posture makes a person more responsive and less prone to fatigue.

This is the foundation of the next big thing on the SKYACTIV road map: SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS is a new generation of vehicle control technology that, by delive-ring integrated control over the SKYACTIV engines, transmissions and platforms, should further differentiate Mazda from other brands.

THE SKYACTIV ADVANTAGE

Debuting in Europe as standard equipment on the 2017 Mazda 6 and 2017 Mazda 3, the first system in the new SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS line-up is G-Vectoring Control (GVC). GVC is a product of Mazda's pursuit of smooth transitions between the g-forces produced when accelerating, braking and turning. It's the only system of its kind that adjusts engine torque in response to steering wheel action to achieve smoother and more efficient vehicle behaviour, providing unified control over lateral and longitudinal forces to optimise the load on each wheel.

It works like this: As soon as the driver turns when, say, entering a curve, GVC uses engine torque to generate deceleration g-force. This shifts the load to the front wheels, increasing front tire grip to boost responsiveness. When the driver subsequently maintains a constant steering angle through the curve, GVC restores acceleration engine torque, which transfers the load back to the rear wheels. This supports vehicle stability.

Because the load transferring draws out added grip from the respective wheels, it furnishes a dynamic balance of stability and responsiveness, which in turn makes the 2017 Mazda 6's behaviour correspond more precisely to the driver's intentions. And GVC does its job regardless of the driver's skill level in a range of driving situations: At low or high speeds, on straightaways or winding roads, on rain, snow or ice, and even during emergency manoeuvres.

HARNESSING G-FORCES

The benefits are numerous. By optimising the vertical load on the tires to the given conditions, it keeps the vehicle on its intended path while significantly reducing the need for steering correction. The communication between driver and car is simply more efficient, which instils confidence and reduces driver fatigue. And safety, since a relaxed driver is also more alert. It also enhances comfort, since the smoother, "natural" transition of g-forces supresses occupants' head and body movement.

Developers looked closely at human perceptions to come up with a system that reacts so quickly as to be indiscernible. GVC therefore not only enables better control of the car than is possible for a person on their own, it's also extremely subtle about it. The aforementioned deceleration force normally amounts to a g-force on the 2017 Mazda 6 that is scarcely distinguishable to occupants.

How is this possible? For one, by the fact that SKYACTIV engines allow such precise torque control and the SKYACTIV-Chassis and SKYACTIV-Body such ideal vehicle be-haviour. This also means GVC is compatible with any SKYACTIV model. And because it's a software control system with no additional hardware, it doesn't add any weight to speak of, which is a good match for the Mazda's obsession with cutting every possible gram.