2003 Mazda6 Sedan

Mazda's 626 midsize sedan has long been a sales footnote to category volume leaders like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Never quite large, powerful or distinctive enough, not as sporty as the VW Passat or Nissan Maxima, or as well rounded as the new Altima, the 626 soldiered on through several unimpressive reiterations, barely competing despite big discounting and, thus, not achieving much volume. Despite Ford Motor Company's underlying support, Mazda hasn't been given the budget nor has it had the sales base to justify investing in this class. But its management always knew that to be a player, their mid-level entry had to be more than simply "me too."


And this time, there's good news. It is.

Mazda's stylists and engineers completely redesigned the 626?and this car has the hardware it needs to do the job.

Think Japanese BMW, or perhaps more accurately, Japanese Audi. Mazda's stylists and engineers completely redesigned the 626—and changed its name to a more upbeat one, Mazda6. And, while they still can't justify the big volume targets of Camry and Accord (those nameplates sell about 400,000 units apiece annually), Mazda's planners have given their new car enough personality, performance, features and verve to carve a chunk out of the class leaders.


Borrowing a page from the Nissan Altima playbook, Mazda's made its new 6 a far less compromised performance machine. Not so biased as to turn off people who want a family 4-door, but appealing to those who want their sedans with personality and the ability to back up a sporty appearance with true corner-carving talent.


This car has the hardware it needs to do the job: a seriously stiff chassis with fully independent suspension front and rear, big 11.1/11.0-inch 4-wheel disc brakes fore and aft, with ABS optional on the Mazda6i and standard on the V-6s, along with traction control and EBD (electronic brake distribution). A 5-speed manual transmission is available on both the 160 horsepower 4-cylinder variant and the lustier 220 hp V-6, plus power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering with precise on-center feel, fast turn-in and a sporty response.