The 2019 Mazda6 will no longer be available with a manual transmission, according to Cars Direct citing the automaker's dealer order guide. This leaves a six-speed automatic as the only choice. The decision to drop the gearbox is a reverse of course from the new generation of the sedan from the 2018 model year. The six-speed manual was previously available on the base Sport trim with the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 187 horsepower (139 kilowatts) and 186 pound-feet (252 Newton-meters).
The 2019 Mazda6 Sport will have a starting price of $24,720, which will be $1,875 more than the 2018 model, according to Cars Direct. For the extra money, buyers get more assistance features, including automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic headlights, adaptive cruise control, and rain-sensing wipers. These were all amenities previously part of the $625 I-Activesense Package.
The Grand Touring Reserve trim level gains power-folding mirrors.
In addition, all trims of the 2019 Mazda6 get the company's G-Vectoring Control Plus system. Where the previous version of the tech varies engine torque in response to steering inputs, the new Plus version adds a braking response when turning as a way to improve a vehicle's handling.
The 2019 Mazda6 is still available with the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder and turbocharged 2.5-liter with 250 hp (186 kW) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. There's no word yet whether the long-awaited diesel is finally joining the lineup. In Europe, the 2.2-liter mill offers 173 hp (129 kW) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. Spy photos from May 2018 showed the diesel model at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The suspicion was that it was there for federal approval, but Mazda hasn't yet added the model to the range.
