Mazda's sweet hitch-hiker

The changes to the Mazda6 aren't immediately obvious but add up to an overall improvement in living. Photo / Supplied

The colour orange, say the reference books, is named after the fruit. It appeared via Sanskrit and Spanish in old English as "geoluread", or "yellow-red" in modern English. The first recorded use of orange as the name of a colour in English was in the 16th century.

Black has been around for ages. It is the colour of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission.

White shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.

Red is the colour of love. Red clothing makes the wearer appear heavier. It can also invoke anger - it is not to be worn in boardrooms. Red cars are popular targets for thieves.

Green symbolises nature. It is a calming, refreshing colour. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax.

Yellow is an attention-getter. People lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms. Babies cry more. It is the most difficult colour for the eye to take in.

Purple points to luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. It can appear artificial.

Brown is the colour of earth and can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favourite colours.

Blue is an old colour. Public servants wore blue in anicent Rome. The expression "true blue" was used by ancient mariners, who associated a blue sky with freedom from storms. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolises loyalty.

The colour "Clearwater Blue" is vague in origin. Clearwater itself is said to be a translation of the German "Klarwasser", a topographic name for someone who lived by a source of pure water.

The 1960s and 70s rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival earlier called themselves the Blue Velvets. The story goes that they borrowed Clearwater from a beer commercial, Creedence from a friend, and Revival from a renewed ambition.

"Clearwater Blue" is available in the facelifted Mazda6 range, launched around Rotorua on Wednesday. Mazda NZ marketing chief Glenn Harris calls it a "hero colour - you know you have made it in this company when you have a colour named named after you". Harris is joking, of course. Mazda NZ managing director Andrew Clearwater doesn't, as far as we know, live by a source of pure water. The colour is a coincidence.

But Clearwater himself could stretch things a bit and trade on the association. The CCR track Long as I Can See the Light would work for a man at the helm of a company that's doing very well, despite the recession. So would Looking for a Reason. But perhaps the most suitable CCR number would be Up Around the Bend - because Mazda's main man continues to look ahead after seven straight years of growth.

The next challenge is navigating through a cautious industry recovery. "Our tentative industry forecast for 2010 is for a new vehicle industry of about 75,000 units, up 7 per cent on 2009 but some way off the highs experienced in 2007," he says.

"We expect the greatest challenges for the car industry in this decade not to come from financial fallouts, but from the challenges with global warming and the need for the industry to meet very strict emission targets."

He said that while the "landscape of change" is dominated by electric, hybrid and hydrogen concepts, "they still remain expensive and could take another decade of development before becoming mainstream".

"The reality is that consumers are unlikely to pay a premium for this type of technology as global warming, at this point, has no personal relevance to the large majority.

"Until people see climate solutions benefit them personally, they won't change their behaviour. There is clear evidence of this in Japan and the US, where hybrid sales have gained traction but only as a result of generous subsidies from government.

"Mazda's position is that the most practical road to meeting emission targets over the next five years is improvements to conventional engines, a greater proliferation of diesels and consumers choosing smaller cars.

The carmaker believes that in 2020 the vast majority of vehicles will still be using internal combustion engines. Hence, it will next year introduce its range of new-generation Sky G direct-injection petrol and Sky D direct-injection diesel engines, part of its aim to reduce fuel consumption across its range by 30 per cent by 2015.

It will also have a new automatic gearbox, a Sky Drive six-speeder that Mazda claims has the dual-clutch characteristics of Volkswagen's DSG unit. But Clearwater drew on CCR's It Came Out of the Sky and wouldn't comment on what models would carry the new engines or when they would appear in New Zealand.

The smart money, however, is spread across three models: the current Mazda3 facelift, next-generation CX-7 sports utility vehicle, and new Mazda2. The Mazda3 is favourite because it accounts for more than 30 per cent of global Mazda sales.

The carmaker says the Sky G petrol engines will be around 15 per cent more fuel-efficient than the current line-up. The Sky D diesel will offer a 20 per cent improvement over the current 2.2-litre diesel (not available in NZ) and come with a CO2 exhaust emissions rating of 105g/km.

Meantime, the Mazda6 gets a mid-life makover 26 months after it first went on sale in January 2008. The changes aren't immediately obvious but add up to an overall improvement in living with the sedan, hatch, or wagon, priced between $40,295 and $49,995.

Interior touches like piano black add life. So does hands-free Bluetooth, standard across the range after new cellphone driving laws.

The 2-litre and 2.5-litre four-cylinder engines and remain pretty much the same, although Mazda claims marginal fuel improvements.

The 2.5-litre Sport hatch with its six-speed manual gearbox is still the driver's pick, the engine lively and willing. The 2-litre unit provides adequate oomph but is at its best in the smaller Mazda3 hatchback.

The surprise package is a front-drive version of the CX-7 Crossover, using a 2.5-litre unit reworked to deliver 120kW at 6000rpm and 205Nm at 2000rpm.

It weighs roughly 180kg less than the all-wheel-drive CX-7 and delivers its peak torque at 2000 fewer revs. In theory it should be more flexible, but the modest torque gets lost working with the five-speed automatic gearbox. Switching to manual mode improves things.

The front-drive CX-7 is not as settled as the AWD on broken surfaces and its back end under heavy braking doesn't feel as tied down.

But that's not what it's about. It's been introduced to compete as a town-and-around rival with the base model Mitsubishi Outlander, for example.

That's why Mazda has priced it at $38,995 - $8600 less than the all-wheel-drive CX-7. A Sweet Hitch-Hiker in CCR's world.