Luxury performance is a dish best served turbocharged.
First, the styling is very understated, not intended to get massive attention wherever it goes, but rather intended to be noticeable to a select, interested few. It isn't an over hyped and overgrown Hot Wheels toy. It wears no hood scoop, no park-bench spoiler in back--in fact the spoiler is smaller than that of the regular model! The hood has a new bulge, there are some upgrades to the body of the car, including bigger wheels and a new set of bumpers. There are a few other appreciable elements to the styling as well. One example is the angle of the grille and the angle of the spoiler forming parallel looking lines, and a look of completeness while tying the visual impact of both the front and rear of the car together when viewed from the side. The dual exhaust outlets protrude from the bumper--a rarity among most cars on this side of affordability. With 18-inch wheels and an intense fascia conveying a menacing presence, the MAZDASPEED6 doesn't drive down the roads, it prowls them. This car looks sneaky, like it's up to something. It is.
The performance is brisk and entertaining. Open the taps and wait for the turbo to kick up full boost around 3,000 rpm, and the four little cylinders go to work eagerly planting occupants into seatbacks with little delay. It's almost feline--prowling along coolly and calmly but able to claw into the ground with all fours and disappear in a flash should the need arise. The MAZDASPEED6 has massive torque right at 3,000 RPM. Its powercure is like a slingshot--a rubbery feel which reminds me of that slight pause as you pull back before the release of momentum. That's called turbo lag. It's a little waiting period before the action begins. It's generally a short wait, kind of like foreplay, or the previews before a good Tarentino movie. Stomp the long skinny pedal anywhere over 2,000 revs, wait a tick, and you're off in no time. It's a quiet engine, as
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