Electric car
Mazda is trying electric again: This is the Mazda 6e
With the MX-30, Mazda has an electric car. But this is not a box office hit. The Mazda 6e is supposed to do better. But again the Japanese make strange decisions.
Mazda fell on its face with the first electric car. After just a few years, the car was no longer available as a customizable new car, and sales of the car were extremely slow worldwide. However, this is hardly surprising. As beautiful as it is, the MX-30 has no chance against the competition. The battery measures a measly 35.5 kilowatt hours and, according to reports, only manages a range of 100 kilometers in winter with a lot of effort. With a list price of 35,000 euros, this is not an attractive offer.
The Mazda 6e is supposed to do better from summer – and can be seen as the first serious electric car. The 6e completely replaces its combustion engine predecessors and comes onto the market in two versions.
The Mazda 6e e-Skyactiv EV offers a 68.8 kilowatt-hour battery, 258 horsepower and a range of up to 479 kilometers. Much more important: The battery charges with up to 200 kilowatt hours and can go from 10 to 80 percent in around 20 minutes.
Mazda 6e Long Range loads very slowly
Then there is the Mazda 6e e-Skyactiv EV Long Range. Although this uses an 80 kilowatt-hour battery, which is supposed to offer a range of up to 552 kilometers, it has slightly less power at 244 hp and is unfortunately a pretty lame duck at the charging station. Mazda’s large battery only manages 95 kilowatts on the fast charger, which results in a waiting time of 45 minutes when charging from 10 to 80 percent. This is very little compared to other electric cars – even with our own, supposedly little brother.
Mazda justifies the two models with the different application profiles of customers. If you charge at home and would rather drive a few kilometers further, you can choose the Long Range. If you travel a lot and often stand at public pillars, you should take a look at the small battery. It remains to be seen whether the Long Range will find fans.
Other than the battery performance, the design is hard to fault. The Mazda 6e offers fresh lighting elements at the front, a beautiful profile and a sporty rear. Still, there is plenty of space. Four tall people can easily find space, the trunk is okay at 330 liters, and the front storage space under the hood is exemplary at 70 liters.
More expensive than the old combustion engines – but better equipped
The performance will still have to be proven; the first test drives are expected to start in the coming months. With a top speed of 170 kilometers per hour, the Mazda 6e is also ideally equipped for German motorways.
The price of the Mazda 6e should start at around 45,000 euros. This is quite expensive compared to its predecessor. As a petrol engine it started at 38,600 euros. However, the manufacturer points out that the two equipment lines Takumi and Takumi Plus should not be compared with the entry-level variants of the combustion engines because the standard equipment is more extensive.
Source: Stern
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
