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Sporting chance

Mazda has brought the station wagon up to speed with its Atenza Sport Wagon 23Z. William Bonds takes one for a spin.

The Atenza’s sleek exterior matches its no-nonsense, (bottom) bold dashboard

They don’t call them “estates” or even “station wagons” any more; they’re sport wagons. And that’s not counting SPVs, MPVs and the ubiquitous hatchback. There was a time when family cars were either saloons or estates (or sedans or station wagons, depending on where you’re from). Now there’s a whole range of permutations. But the estate/shooting brake/station wagon is still out there and actually selling more than you’d think. But do they get any respect? No. Do the trendy mags and TV shows make a big fuss about them? No.

The problem with estate cars is that they were never very glamorous. Now things are different. Style comes in all shapes and sizes. In fact, there’s hardly a model out there that doesn’t have a “sporty” version, at least in Europe and Japan. America is still stuck with the suburban mentality of “make it big” and there were few bigger estate cars than the Chevrolet Caprice Station Wagon. But that’s long gone and now it almost seems as if automakers don’t market their estates.

Looking good
But certain estates have broken through, most notably Subaru’s four-wheel-drive Legacy. In Japan, there are 12 versions of the Legacy Wagon on the market, primarily serving company salespeople and the young surfer/snowboarding types. Japan still produces its fair share of cheap, unglamorous estates for sales reps, but manufacturers can no longer afford to ignore the younger and trendier market. In fact, Mazda regards its Atenza Sport Wagon 23Z (Mazda6 Sport Wagon in the US) as the pride of its fleet (not counting the quirky RX8) and the boys down in Hiroshima have obviously done their homework: Mazda recently reported a 39 percent jump in profit, which they put down to the RX8 and the Atenza range.

The Atenza has helped to make Mazda the fastest-growing brand in Western Europe, and it has also picked up a whole stack of awards, including Car of the Year 2004 in China, Best Family Car on CNN Money and Car of the Year (estate category) in the influential What Car magazine in the UK. The Atenza is stylish, sporty and spacious—just the ticket for the snowboarding types. So why don’t they get an MPV/SUV/DVD?

It’s simple really: They aren’t cars. They are trucks. What an estate—and particularly a sporty estate—can provide you with is a real driving experience. The wheelbase and track for the Atenza Sport Wagon are the same as the regular Sport sedan/hatchback. The Sport Wagon is 20cm longer and 20kg heavier, but assuming you are not driving around with a stack of gold over the rear end, the balance is close enough.

In fact, you could argue that the Sport Wagon looks the trimmer of the bunch. The extra length, extra rear window, discreet roofline spoiler, the rising body line and slightly tapered rear end help to emphasize its sleek lines. Add low skirts all around, 18in alloy wheels, some dandy light clusters and tinted windows, and you have one very, very good-looking car.

Design details
Inside, the Sport Wagon also delivers. It was obviously designed by someone with a common-sense approach. The semi-leather front seats are snug but comfortable and the driving position is user-friendly. You are faced with two cool (and large) red-lit main dials in a simple dashboard, with the option of three centrally placed dials instead of the pop-up navigator.

The steering wheel and gear stick are bound in macho leather and there’s leg (and head) room aplenty (ditto drink holders—four for the front passengers alone). The interior is largely dark gray and black, nicely offset by red trimming. All the bits are where they should be although the gray-on-gray dials on the center console are hard to read (they are glow-bright red when the lights are on). The ventilation system has three maneuverable outlets center-stage, while the stereo system (with Bose speakers) is sensational. In fact, just about the only thing that detracts from the overt “manliness” of the design is Mazda’s rather effete “Jonathan Livingstone Seagull” badge, which dominates the radiator and mars the front end.

But where’s the beef, you say? Well, it’s in the 4-cylinder 2.3-liter DOHC number that produces 178 horsepower. It’s sharp without being overpowering, but if you get the revs over 4,000, it will start to move and you can take it to 7,000 without any feeling of strain on the engine. Despite falling a bit short of the US model’s 3-liter, 220hp, 6-cylinder engine, the 2.3-liter unit manages to be superbly balanced and very smooth to control. And you don’t actually need that much poke on Japanese roads. The car comes with a 5-speed manual box or the 4-speed automatic/semi-automatic option. While the automatic setting is a tad lame, you can certainly kick some butt when you slip over to “Activematic,” as Mazda calls it.

While Mazda has always trailed Nissan and Toyota on the domestic front, its sales overseas have been very strong. With the Atenza, the company is building up the brand and so far it’s working well. Now it’s hoping little brother Axela (3-series) will also produce. The competition is tough, but Mazda finally seems to be on the right track.

The Atenza Sport Wagon 23Z sells for ¥2.57 million. Visit www.atenza.mazda.co.jp/sport-wagon/ (Japanese) or www.mazdausa.com (English) for details.

Photos by William Bonds

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