Japan is in luck as Mazda decided to release a redesigned Atenza into their shores. The new Atenza follows a design theme of “Bold & Exquisite” which combines a sporty yet sophisticated look. The Mazda Atenza comes in three designs: Sedan, Sport (5-door hatchback), and Sport Wagon.

The new Mazda Atenza is packed with a lot of features that make this baby stand out. One of these is the First Rear Vehicle Monitoring System, a safety feature installed by Mazda which alerts the driver of any vehicles approaching from behind while driving at 60 kilometers per hour by using a built-in radar. Another unique feature is the Cross Functional Network (CF-Net) which makes use of switches installed in the driver’s steering wheel. This gives the driver control of all systems including air conditioning and audio while keeping focused on the road and limiting any hand movement away from the wheel. The Atenza also has a Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Mazda’s Traction Control System (TCS) which provides support for safe and linear driving.

Aside from the new safety features, the Atenza is also equipped with a MZR 2.5 liter engine, an upgrade from the 2.3 liter engine of the previous model. The 25Z and 25S grades of the Atenza Sport and Sports Wagon come with an advanced six-speed manual transmission while its four-wheel drive models has an electronically-controlled Active Torque Split All-Wheel-Drive that enhances torque transfer for the front and rear axle. Its air conditioning unit is fully automatic and is equipped with a pollen filter. The temperature can be adjusted from either the driver’s seat or passenger seat. It also has a satellite navigation system which was tweaked to be user friendly and is equipped with a speech recognition feature.

The interior comes with different seat features depending on the grade of the car. The 25EX and 20EX grades have white leather seats, the 25EX grade has black leather seat, the 25S grade has a black fabric seat and he 25Z grade has a combination of black leather and fabric for the seats. Mazda made sure that the driver’s side has ample legroom allowing better movement and visibility. The exterior features an arched roof, headlights, a five-point grille, expanded lower air-intakes and fog lamps.

Other optional features include a Bose sound system with eight speakers (not available for the 20F and 25C models), an adaptive front lighting system with bi-xenon headlights which helps improve visibility during night driving and a parking sensor that detect objects, senses the distance, and emits beeps to assist in parking.

Sporty and chic is the name of the game and based on the features above, the Mazda Atenza has been able to live up to it and more.

Sources: Mazda

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 at 11:26 pm and is filed under Mazda news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.