2009 Mazda6 i First Impression
The original Mazda6 is one of my favorite cars simply because it was an overtly sporty car that could fit a whole family and some luggage in it. Mazda purposely made the car a performer, but in ways you wouldn’t normally think of. Usually car companies say “look we made a sport sedan!” but in the end they just took an old boring sedan they’ve been making for years, stiffened the suspension, and made it supremely uncomfortable. This definitely wasn’t the case for the Mazda6.
Mazda designed a truly great chassis from scratch and then rather than slapping on cheap suspension technology and hoping everything will work out they took everything a step farther. The old 6 (new one too) featured complicated double wishbone front suspension and multilink rear suspension which is really the best you can hope for and the road manners of the old 6 proved that.
In addition Mazda used hydraulic power steering and other “old school” things like that to make the car feel sharper and more driver oriented. The good news was that it all worked because it was impossible to find a mid-size sedan that was more fun. The car was so good in fact, that it won well over a hundred awards across the world… so quite a tough act for the new one to follow.
The new Mazda6 is now walking slightly away from being a raucous family sedan for those who want more in their life than just waiting for their children to grow up and is now chasing after Camry and Accord buyers. To do this Mazda had to tackle the issues that made the average boring person buy a Camry over the 6. The average boring parent loves the Toyota Camry because it’s a big, comfy, quiet place to be which are attributes the old 6 wasn’t known for. So, the new Mazda6 is now enormous compared to the old one, and everything seems to have gone upscale.
The new 6 is now much quieter than the old one, the interior quality is much improved, and the ride is indeed much more comfortable. In fact everything has been done so well that I genuinely think Mazda has cracked it. Even the cloth seats in the base models have a nice luxurious suede feel to them, and everything else about the interior fitment and quality is at if not better than Toyota and Honda standards. In addition the exterior styling of the car makes the Mazda look much more expensive than it is. You can probably park one in a parking lot full of German luxury cars and no one would feel that it’s out of place.
Naturally the one worry is that due to adding all this refinement, the fun and sporty nature of the 6 would be lost. In truth, during my short Mazda sponsored drive of the car I did genuinely think that the new 6 isn’t nearly as fun as the old one. The car is of course bigger and heavier than the outgoing model and you can really tell this is the case when you drive it. The old 6 felt small and nimble despite being a reasonably large mid-size sedan, but the new 6 doesn’t quite pull off the same feat. This all sounds rather negative but the new Mazda6 is still a nice car to drive. If you compare it to its direct competitors you will find that it is still the best to drive and the most fun.
Since Mazda keeps stressing that this is a completely redesigned 6 the new car obviously gets a pair of new engines too… sort of. The four cylinder engine is pretty much the same as the old four cylinder engine only it’s a bit larger and a bit more powerful. Like in the old car the base engine doesn’t feel underpowered, but it definitely isn’t what you would call quick. I haven’t had the opportunity to try out the all new V6, but considering that it has an extra 102 hp, I’ll assume that it’ll make the Mazda into a fairly brisk drive. Unfortunately unlike in the past, the V6 engine is now only available with an automatic transmission. So if you want to use Mazda’s slick shifting 6 speed manual, you’ll be getting the much weaker four cylinder engine. Fortunately though, the manual transmission will make the base engine much quicker.
In the end though, Mazda has made a car that gives you the best of all worlds. The new Mazda6 is very stylish, built incredibly well, fun to drive, quiet, comfortable, and not all that expensive when you think about it. I like the old 6 better because it was catered towards people like me who enjoy a good drive and it was never meant to be an all rounder; but since the new 6 is a real all rounder, there’s simply no reason to buy anything else.
Random Specs:
Engine: 2.5 liter I4 170 hp 167 lb-ft torque; 3.7 liter V6 272 hp 269 lb-ft torque
EPA fuel estimates: 20 city 29 highway (i models) 17 city 25 highway (s models)
Basic Price Range: 19,220-28,930
