Could the 2022 Mazda 6 recapture the magic of the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon? | Opinion

A powerful six-cylinder engine. A dynamic rear-wheel drive chassis. A stylish and well-appointed cabin that can accommodate a family. 

Does that sound like a Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon to you?

Well, you’d be wrong because I’m actually describing what we expect from the all-new Mazda6 that’s due to arrive sometime in late 2022 or 2023. The ‘family sedan’ is an all-but-forgotten sector of the Australian car market thanks to the rise and rise of SUVs, but something about ‘big six’ is ingrained in our culture.

While Mazda hasn’t revealed the new 6 yet, we do know a lot about what to expect, including its shift from its current four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive architecture to an all-new rear- and all-wheel-drive platform powered by all-new inline six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines.

Even though sales of the Commodore and Falcon were in decline in their final years, as the rising used car prices demonstrate, there’s still a group of buyers that want this type of car.

Kia tried to cash in on this market and fill the void left by Holden and Ford, but for a variety of reasons that require an entirely separate story, Australia failed to fall in love with the Stinger.

But where the Stinger stumbled, the new Mazda6 is seemingly poised to succeed. 

For starters, with respect to Kia, Mazda is a stronger brand in the eyes of buyers. While Kia has enjoyed a well-earned rise up the sales ladder to currently sit in fourth place, when the Stinger arrived things were very different. 

Kia was only the ninth best-selling brand in the country, whereas Mazda was in second-place, the position it still occupies and appears unlikely to lose anytime soon.

Australians have embraced Mazda’s ‘semi-premium’ positioning, choosing to pay a bit more for the Japanese brand’s models, which manage to straddle the line between mainstream and prestige nicely.

Which brings me to my next point, the appeal of the new Mazda6 to customers that might otherwise consider a European sedan – either something like a BMW 3 Series or 5 Series. This is where Holden and Ford managed to attract a lot of buyers for the likes of the Calais and G6E luxury variants. 

Mazda’s ‘semi-premium’ brand identity means it will likely position the new 6 as a more affordable, but no less luxurious, alternative to what Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz offer. 

While pinching sales of the big German trio is always difficult, Mazda could have a good chance of poaching buyers from the likes of Lexus, Volvo and Genesis. Lexus in particular is a soft target for sedan buyers with the IS currently unavailable, while Genesis is yet to establish itself locally.

The third major factor that leads me to believe the Mazda6 has the potential to be Australia’s next (and possibly final) beloved ‘big six’ is that it’s not trying to be a performance hero like the Stinger. While Kia produced a fun and powerful sports sedan, it was perhaps too big a gap for the brand to jump across – luring buyers of Commodore SS and Falcon XRs.

From all reports the new Mazda6 will follow the brand’s tried and tested formula, being focused on luxury and style with a sprinkle of ‘zoom-zoom’, rather than pushing the boundaries of what we expect from the brand. The move to rear-wheel drive will naturally move it away from its traditional rivals – the Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, etc – and give Mazda some fresh appeal without being radically different.

Of course, the move to a rear- and all-wheel-drive platform does open the door to a more potent and dynamic version of the 6, but it’s unlikely Mazda will build anything resembling an MPS model to go hunting sports sedans.

While it’s obviously too early to gauge exactly what the potential for the new Mazda6 is, as it’s yet to be revealed, all indications are that it will make a promising new addition to the range - and potentially fill the Commodore and Falcon shaped hole in the hearts of many Australians.