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Mazda 626 mid-size sedan looks and acts like a mini Millenia
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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Two-laned route 138 meanders across majestic bluffs lining the St. Lawrence River near Pointe-au-Pic some eighty miles northeast from Quebec City, capital of Canada's French-flavored province.
The stark yet stunning landscape, quaint architecture and highway signs written with French words make this a foreign setting for an English-speaking driver testing a mid-size car which looks like a swanky European sedan but wears a Japanese badge and comes together at an American assembly plant.
With such an international pedigree adding spice to this car, the Canadian test site amplified its worldly attributes and served as an appropriate background to show off its sporty personality.
Besides, the new exterior styling, so sleek and sophisticated, looked even better with reflections of the St. Lawrence's pastoral scenery highlighting curvaceous fenders and bulging sweeps of a canted front hood.
Mazda's mainstay 626 sedan merits close inspection.
Although it's the best seller in a line that includes a bevy of performance-oriented nameplates like the fun-filled Miata roadster, 626 has never scored the volume sales figures of its two closest Japanese rivals, despite better pricing and more precise road manners.
Now, with this classy face-lift created for 1996 and special hardware aboard, 626 makes a unique statement which sets it apart from competitors.
Its styling cues conform to the larger Millenia, Mazda's elegant Euro-styled sedan targeted against premium Japanese brands but for far fewer dollars.
Based on a new appearance and its exacting handling attributes, 626 could be dubbed a mini Millenia.
Better yet, new prices undercut last year's figures.
As a bonus for performance fans, 626 adds optional V6 horsepower and 5-speed manual transmission.
The 626 traces in Mazda lore to 1979. A 1983 edition, first front-wheel-drive vehicle by Mazda, won "Import Car of the Year" trophies from motor magazines, while in 1986 the first 626 produced in the United States rolled off an assembly line at the Mazda-Ford plant in Flat Rock, Mich.
A 1993 issue in generational upgrade offered the first V6 engine option, and improvements in successive years elevated the car to contemporary status in terms of mechanical and safety systems.
Still, past 626 issues looked like all other Japanese sedans. This was a cookie-cutter treatment which failed to distinguish the Mazda from others in the class.
That's not so now, as a quick walk-around reveals.
The most noteworthy changes occur at the front, where a Millenia-styled grille accents the tapered nose in a ring of bright chrome. From the top of this grille, slick curves notched in the new raised hood expand upward and outward to the base of a broad windshield.
Fluid streaks flow along curving side panels to a high tail, where the revised rear valence repeats prow highlights in chrome trim around the license plate.
Subdued and sophisticated, the look seems more European in nature, like Millenia -- and definitely unlike the typical Japanese design.
Inside 626, twin front buckets and a 3-person split-folding rear bench provide seating for five in a package that feels rather plush even in base trim. Spatial measurements for passenger heads and legs in front and back seats easily exceed 626's two nearest Japanese rivals.
Four levels of trim signify that a shopper may choose as many comfort and convenience items as the budget will bear, yet all versions contain a high level of the important gear, beginning with safety systems such as dual airbags, side-impact steel beams in doors, adjustable front seat shoulder belt anchors and child-proof rear door locks.
All 626 models also pack performance systems which enable this car to maneuver in an agile, sporty manner.
The suspension, independent on each corner, feels firm and composed like a European touring car.
Steering, via precise rack and pinion device, develops variable power assistance through sensors tied to engine speed. This makes the steering wheel easy to rotate while parking, but more taut at higher speeds on the road so less movement is needed for turning the vehicle.
For power, 626's entry level DX and more luxurious LX editions stock a lively 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with twin-cam configuration and four valves in each cylinder.
It generates 114 horsepower, enough to propel a 626 with stick shift from zero to 60 mph in 10.7 seconds.
The upgraded LX-V6 and top-flight ES models contain a 2.5-liter 6-cylinder dual cam aluminum plant. Horsepower climbs to 160 and the time required to zip from zero to 60 mph drops by more than two seconds.
These were the 626 editions tested recently on Canadian roads in Quebec, and each had an energetic personality, especially with the optional manual transmission aboard.
An automatic transaxle, with four forward speeds and electronic controls, provided thumb-button stick shift for overdrive lockout and featured smooth and quiet shift sequences, although performance speeds decreased slightly.
Time in the driver's seat, leading for 150 miles through congested city traffic and over deserted rural roads along the St. Lawrence, showed that 626 carries a demeanor all its own, unlike the vagueness of competitors.
It's quick to respond to a driver's commands, solid in corners and stable at speed -- overall a pleasure.
Then to attract attention in a crowded marketplace where this car previously disappeared in the shuffle, Mazda has chipped away at retail prices to create a series of reduced figures, beginning at $15,475 for the 626 DX equipped with tilting steering wheel, intermittent wipers, dual remote mirrors and cloth velour seat upholstery.
Mazda 626 LX, at $17,695, adds air conditioning, power windows and door locks, cruise control, power mirrors and a sound system with AM-FM stereo and cassette deck, plus options such as power moonroof and keyless entry.
The LX-V6 brings even more conveniences with the bigger engine for $19,895, and a 626 ES at $22,795 has it all, including rich leather upholstery and anti-lock brakes.
1996 MAZDA 626
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1996 MAZDA 626 Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size 5-person sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size 5-person sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
102.8 inches |
| Overall Length: |
184.4 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.0-L I-4 16v
DOHC 2.5-L V6 24v
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum,
opt. 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
I-4: 20/29 mpg
V6: 21/26 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 15,500 to $ 23,000 |
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