The 2017 Mazda6 is coming to the UK armed with a range of technological upgrades, including advanced torque vectoring and an improved diesel engine lineup.

The company’s G-Vectoring Control system (GVC) debuts with the new Mazda6 and is the first member of Mazda’s Skyactiv-Vehicle Dynamics technologies. The new GVC system has access to the engine management, transmission and chassis to vary the torque in order to optimize the load on each driven wheel.

Mazda claims that the GVC helps in improving driver confidence, passenger comfort and vehicle handling. The system monitors steering and throttle positions during cornering under power, momentarily reducing the amount of torque delivered to the front axle and thus transferring a fraction more weight up front to improve the turn-in response.

The system works even on a straight road, reducing driver fatigue and improving passenger comfort by taking away the perceived need for tiny corrections that some drivers make when driving straight.

The engine lineup remains at first glance unchanged, with Mazda offering two petrol and two diesel engines: a 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G petrol with 143hp (145PS) and 162hp (165PS) and a 2.2-litre Skyactiv-D diesel with 148hp (150PS) and 172hp (175PS). The company though is introducing two new technologies for the diesel units, designed to increase responsiveness and reduce engine noise.

The first one is called Transient Control and is said that it reduces turbo lag and improves the throttle response. The second one is the Natural Sound Smoother Technology (NSS) which is designed to reduce diesel knock noise during starting and low-speed acceleration.

NSS suppresses resonance from the piston and connecting rod by using a dynamic damper inside the piston pin with Mazda also upgrading the sound insulation with upgraded door seals, tighter tolerances between panels and sound deadening materials added to the underbody, rear console, headliner and doors and laminated front-side windows.

Pricing for the 2017 Mazda6 remains unchanged, starting from £19,795 to £28,895 OTR. The first cars will arrive in UK dealerships later this autumn.

PHOTO GALLERY