The all-new 2009 Mazda Mazda6 is designed expressly for the North American market. It seems that this market didn't appreciate the trim dimensions of the previous 6, so Mazda made it larger in every dimension inside and out. And while the previous-generation Mazda6 featured three different body styles, the five-door and wagon body styles have been discontinued. What remains is a sporty sedan with fine driving manners, plenty of room, and a surfeit of features.
The Mazda6 wears its new size well. The sedan is attractive from just about any angle, but the front end is especially handsome because of the sculpted front fenders and broad wheel arches. The look is powerful, while showing a family resemblance to the high-performance Mazda RX-8 and MazdaSpeed3. Unlike the recent styling missteps by Toyota and Honda on their mid-size cars, Mazda got the Mazda6 right. The shape is also aerodynamically smooth, a characteristic that helps improve highway fuel economy.
Styling inside follows the sporty theme set by the exterior. Lines flow well, and the hooded instruments play up the car's more aggressive driving personality. The three-spoke steering wheel and other major controls are well placed and easy to use. White-on-black instrumentation is standard on the Mazda6 Sport, while red-on-black gauge faces are used on Touring and Grand Touring editions. The main gripe with the interior concerns these uplevel electroluminescent gauges. They look great at night, but on bright days, their reduced contrast makes them almost illegible.
With the performance from the 2009 Mazda Mazda6's more powerful and efficient engines, a driver needs to be able to see those instruments in order to monitor his or her velocities. There are two engines available across the line that includes three trim levels: Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 170 horsepower is the most economical and achieves 20 mpg city/29 mpg highway with a six-speed manual and 21/30 mpg with the optional five-speed automatic.
The Mazda6 wears its new size well. The sedan is attractive from just about any angle, but the front end is especially handsome because of the sculpted front fenders and broad wheel arches. The look is powerful, while showing a family resemblance to the high-performance Mazda RX-8 and MazdaSpeed3. Unlike the recent styling missteps by Toyota and Honda on their mid-size cars, Mazda got the Mazda6 right. The shape is also aerodynamically smooth, a characteristic that helps improve highway fuel economy.
Styling inside follows the sporty theme set by the exterior. Lines flow well, and the hooded instruments play up the car's more aggressive driving personality. The three-spoke steering wheel and other major controls are well placed and easy to use. White-on-black instrumentation is standard on the Mazda6 Sport, while red-on-black gauge faces are used on Touring and Grand Touring editions. The main gripe with the interior concerns these uplevel electroluminescent gauges. They look great at night, but on bright days, their reduced contrast makes them almost illegible.
With the performance from the 2009 Mazda Mazda6's more powerful and efficient engines, a driver needs to be able to see those instruments in order to monitor his or her velocities. There are two engines available across the line that includes three trim levels: Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 170 horsepower is the most economical and achieves 20 mpg city/29 mpg highway with a six-speed manual and 21/30 mpg with the optional five-speed automatic.