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What Is It?

Load-lugging version of Mazda's impressive new Mondeo-challenger. The estate is 30mm longer in the rear overhang than the saloon and hatch, giving the load bay more generous carrying capacity than the outgoing Mazda 6 estate.

With the seats-up it boasts 519 litres of luggage volume, an increase of 14 litres and with the seats down 1751 litres, an increase of 39 litres. All that extra carrying capacity comes from the longer loading bay, which can swallow objects 1...Read the full article

What on earth is "sequential valve-timing" ? I've heard of variable valve timing and sequential injection, but ths sounds like marketing BS to me!

Good question Ste33. Mazda uses the word sequential to describe its variable valve-timing. It's only on the inlet cam. Mazda directed me to an accurate entry on Wikipedia. FYI, here it is: "S-VT, or Sequential Valve Timing, is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Mazda. S-VT varies the timing of the intake valves by using hydraulic pressure to rotate the camshaft. S-VT was introduced in 1998 on the ZL-DE engine and is used in the B-, Z-, MZR- and J-families of engines."

New estate sounds good.  What interests me is how one firm can develop a design and produce an all round improvement while the new A4 suggests a design that's reached the end of the line and cant be developed further.

Some manufacturers make so many different models now that you do wonder how thinly development resources are being stretched. Audi has recently been/is currently working on A4/A5/S5/cabrio versions/S6/S8/Q5/hot TTs etc, etc. Maybe companies like Mazda who operate in fewer sectors have more time, space and people to hone their product a little more.