MAZDA 6

• “After four generations of maturation and development, and considerable help from Ford Motor Company, the zoom-zoom guys have really put a fine point on it this time.” — New Car Test Drive
• “The Mazda 6i is a hoot to drive.” — New Car Test Drive

Good points: Value, ride, room, interior features, gas mileage, and shift linkage

Needs improvement: Heavy trunk lid, backseat room, power, turning radius, readouts, resale, and torque steer

When we review cars they usually fall into three categories. First, those instantly feel comfortable. Secondly, those vehicles that defy us to find something good to say about them. Finally, and this is where the Mazda 6 fits nicely, vehicles that slowly grow on you. The saddest part is that because it takes time for these cars to make their attributes known many people pass them by because they only have an opportunity to take a short ride. It is interesting that both the 6 and the Mazda RX-8 did not make initial good impressions on us, but ultimately both proved to be stellar values and enjoyable vehicles.

Essentially the bottom line is that the Mazda 6 is comfortable, roomy, and well priced but it does not overwhelming in any one area. Perhaps that is damning it with faint praise, but the Mazda is in a very competitive market where the Honda Accord, new Ford and Toyota Camry are active players. Somehow the Mazda 6 seems to split the differences among those cars by offering either room, performance, or pricing that they can not match in one way or the other.

Mom’s view: What grabbed my attention immediately was the spoiler on the rear deck. It gave the car a racer image that the engine could not back up so why bother? In addition, it weighs a lot which made it extremely difficult for me to raise the trunk lid with one hand. In other words, the Mazda 6 and I were not making friends. Adding to the negative image was a large turning radius that made getting into tight parking spots a difficult proposition. There was also the very long trunk and it lacked a cargo net. So when the grocery bags fell over the only way for me to retrieve them was to fold down the rear seat.

Things didn’t get any better when I could not read the HVAC readouts with my polarized sun glasses and got tired of having to decipher the barely legible dials. Even when the temperature was set at a comfortable level the system didn’t want to behave.

However, after a few days I had mastered the controls learned to park the Mazda without fuss and was becoming enamored with its quiet ride and effortless to shift five-speed manual transmission. The 6 was becoming very user friendly. Indeed, I was growing possessive of it making sure I had the keys safely hidden from the others after I was through with my evaluations.

Although the body lean of the Mazda was too much to make it a worthy canyon runner, the 6 was competent enough to make me at ease when mountain driving. The strong safety features augmented that feeling. Although the steering is fairly precise, when you accelerate strongly there is noticeable torque steer. In normal driving this is not experienced at all.

In terms of safety items the new Mazda S has four-wheel disc brakes, whiplash-reducing front seats, ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, and traction control with optional side airbags for front occupants and full-length side curtain airbags. The government test scores Mazda got mixed reviews with the best ratings coming in front impact crashes.

Overall, the 6 was more fun to drive than its competition, especially with the great shifting transmission and nice soft clutch.

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