Best new Mazdas coming soon

Mazda isn’t one of those car companies that pumps out a new model every other month. The Japanese brand seems to enjoy taking its time and doing things its own way, for better or for worse in some cases. Either way, the result is we’re particularly excited when we finally get to see the fruits of Mazda’s labours, and right now it’s working on or mulling over a wide variety of exciting new products. Here is what we’ve got to look forward to: 

Mazda 6e

The Mazda 6e is the Japanese brand’s rival to the Tesla Model 3, Volkswagen ID.7 and new BMW i3, and is the first product of its joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Changan to reach our shores.

The all-electric saloon is available now from less than £39,000, making it slightly more expensive than an entry-level Model 3, but its 348-mile range is greater. It also doesn’t skimp on features, because every version gets a glowing LED grille, 19-inch wheels, a 14.6-inch central touchscreen, a head-up display, 360-degree camera system and a panoramic roof.

We had the chance to drive the 6e on UK roads and were impressed by its refinement, general fit and finish, plus the space inside. However, it’s a real letdown to have everything controlled by the touchscreen and we found the driving experience, which is usually a highlight for Mazdas, to be rather disappointing. So it looks good on paper, but maybe not on the road.

We should also note that while the Mazda can trump the base version of certain rivals when it comes to range and charging speeds, there are other models that can go further still. For instance, the BMW i3 is supposedly good for up to 559 miles, and can be topped up twice as quickly as the 6e. 

Mazda CX-6e

Following hot on the heels of the 6e saloon will be the rather striking Mazda CX-6e SUV – the latest challenger to the smash-hit Tesla Model Y and Skoda Enyaq, and the zero-emissions alternative to the brand’s global best-seller, the CX-5.

It’s badged as the EZ-60 in China, where the sleek-looking mid-sized SUV is also available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. But only the EV version is coming to the UK. It will feature a 78kWh battery that Mazda says will offer up to 300 miles of range, which is a long way off most of its key rivals.

While the CX-6e might not have the edge over its competition on paper, Mazda says the car will deliver the type of dynamic driving experience customers expect from the company’s products. Meanwhile inside, every model will have a large head-up display instead of a traditional instrument cluster, while a 26-inch 5K display stretching across the dashboard acts as a centrepiece of the car. 

Given the 6e’s sub-£40,000 starting price, we’re expecting its more practical sister car to cost from somewhere around £45,000 when it comes to the UK, which is about the same as a mid-range Model Y, Enyaq or Smart #5. 

Mazda MX-5

The next-generation MX-5 ‘NE’ arriving later this decade is still going to feature good old-fashioned petrol power; in fact, it will reportedly feature a brand-new, slightly larger 2.5-litre Skyactiv-Z engine that’s not only engaging to interact with but also meets the latest Euro 7 emissions standards. Lightness is still going to be a key characteristic of the iconic roadster, too. 

However, and this may be hard to hear, the MX-5 might be going electric. The quintessential lightweight sports car, and the antithesis of all the big and bloated EVs on the roads these days, will be available without its signature naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine in the future. 

Mazda has filed patents showing a two-seater drop-top with batteries located in its transmission tunnel, rather than under the floor like a normal EV. This would help an electric MX-5 to retain the low-slung driving position, weight disruption and size that it’s been known for over the decades. 

We’re reluctant to say whether the Mazda MX-5 could be offered with a choice of petrol and electric versions due to the packaging requirements for both, but whatever happens we’re just pleased the beloved sports car is here to stay.

Mazda RX-7 successor

It’s been more than three years since the Mazda Iconic SP concept was unveiled at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon and made petrolheads around the world weak at the knees. It also gave us the impression that a successor to the brand’s legendary RX-7 was just around the corner, and while that dream hasn’t become reality just yet, it’s not dead either.

“If there's a feasible way to do that, then I'm sure if somebody will do it, it's Mazda, because here the enthusiasts still make things happen,” the brand’s product planning supervisor in Europe, Moritz Oswald, told Auto Express in an exclusive interview. 

“The amount of car enthusiasts in this company is insane,” he added. “Everybody loves cars, so of course there is a deep desire to keep on launching emotional products. So are we looking into that? Yes, of course.”

If the production car looks like the concept it will be a thing of beauty, while underneath the long and very low bonnet we hope to find a rotary-hybrid powertrain. The challenge Mazda faces is making a car like this affordable and attainable for its customers, not a £100,000 Porsche 911 rival. 

Mazda 2

SUVs might make up the majority of Mazda’s sales these days, but the Japanese brand hasn’t given up on the humble supermini. At last year’s Japan Mobility Show, it even gave us a glimpse of what could be the next-generation Mazda 2 in the form of the fabulous Vision X-Compact.

This little show-stopper, finished in Mazda’s classic Soul Red paint, featured rounder and more friendly styling than the current 2. The clean surfacing was a key element of the brand’s Kodo design language, while the subtly flared wheelarches gave the car its purposeful stance. 

The cabin was even more dramatic and suitably sporty, using the same bright red colour as the outside across the dashboard and doors, a simple three-spoke steering wheel, behind which was a big, enticing rev-counter with a red-line of 7,700rpm.

We’re not sure if the production version will rev that freely, but we are expecting it to feature either hybrid or pure-petrol engines, rather than being electric as with most of the new small cars on the horizon. Efficiency will be important, of course, but it’s sure to deliver an engaging driving experience as well, like a proper Mazda should. 

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