Midsize sedans are no longer blandly styled, boring boxes for driving to work. Today we are seeing emotionally provocative and exciting designs on the common, everyday four-door sedan.
The Chevy Malibu didn’t become the 2008 North American Car of the Year by accident. Interior comfort and fine handling led by a compelling exterior design caught the attention of critics. So who should lead the pack of contenders for the title 2009 Car of the Year? I’d be willing to put money on the 2009 Mazda6.
The emotional design cues that are so essential to attracting buyers to toy cars, such as roadsters and convertibles, are finding their way to the meat-and-potatoes of the car market, the conservative five-passenger everyday driver – the midsize sedan.
With a starting price of $18,550, the glamorous Mazda6 looks like it’s worth twice that amount. There’s a silky sheen that floats over the velvet sheet metal. The Mazda team says the all-new Mazda6 is infused with Japanese values. The exterior glow, as on my dark blue tester, does reflect a harmony with nature, which is so intrinsic to the Japanese culture. The instrumentation gauges were brilliant in reds, purples, blues, whites and blacks without being blinding.
The Mazda6 has a low, flat, planted stance. And if you can imagine delicate ivory inlays in wood and furniture then you will understand the attention to craftsmanship designers say they applied to the details of the new Mazda6.
If you were going to consider the Mazda6, then you would want to test-drive both engine options offered on the 2009 sedan. Available in four trims (SV, Sport, Touring and Grand Touring), the base model is standard with the 2.5-liter, 170-horsepower four-cylinder engine coupled to a six-speed manual transmission.
The top-of-the-line model I drove was equipped with the 3.7-liter V6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. This powerful engine developed 272 horsepower at 6250 rpm and 269 pound-feet of torque at 4250 rpm. The EPA figures are estimated at 17 miles per gallon city, 25 mpg highway. The vehicle’s as-tested price was more consistent with its pricey looks at $32,790.
All 2009 Mazda6 sedans come standard with dynamic stability control, side curtain air bags, front seat-mounted side-impact air bags, antilock brakes, air conditioning, plus power windows, mirrors and door locks.
The 2009 Mazda6 is built with a stiffer body structure compared to the previous model. The overall goal with the body of the new Mazda6 was to build a front-wheel sedan that would be more exciting to drive and to own. The 2009 sedan is more responsive to smaller steering inputs and delivers a stable, precise, linear response. This is the kind of feel you get in a European sports sedan. The flat and stable ride qualities on my tester come, not only from the improved torsional rigidity, but also from the standard 18-inch alloy wheels and tires.
The Mazda6 has a nice range in the price points to accommodate the tastes and demands of a variety of buyers. It very well could become the new “Car of the Year.”
– For more columns and reviews, visit sfgate.com/cars.
2009 Mazda6 Grand Touring
Vehicle type: five-passenger FWD midsize sedan
Base price: $28,260 (as tested: $32,790)
Engine type: 24-valve DOHC V6 with MPFI
Displacement: 3.7 liter
Horsepower: 272 (net) at 6250 rpm
Torque: 269 pound-feet at 4250 rpm
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 110 inches
Track: (front/rear) 62/62 inches
Overall length: 194 inches
Overall width: 72 inches
Height: 58 inches
Turning circle: 35 feet (curb-to-curb)
Curb weight: 3,547 pounds
Fuel capcity: 19 gallons
EPA mileage rating: 17 mpg city, 25 mpg highway
Source
see also........
- 2009 Dodge Ram – A Truck Revolution
- Dodge has long been synonymous with hard working truck drivers who push their vehicles to the limit. The Dodge Ram has been a household name when it comes to utilitarian vehicles that have enough styling and features to be used as an everyday vehicle. This work horse has been redesigned by Dodge for the New [...]...
- Daimler Returns To Profitability In Third Quarter 2009 And Anticipates Positive Earnings Through End Of 2009
- After returning to profitability in the third quarter of 2009, Daimler AG (stock-exchange abbreviation DAI) anticipates positive EBIT from its ongoing business also in the fourth quarter. However, general economic developments and their effects on dealerships and suppliers could lead to an impact on fourth-quarter earnings. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO) [...]...
- Scion hybrids coming next year
- $15,000 hybrids coming soonInsideLine is reporting that Toyota’s new dedicated hybrid that is to debut at the North American International Auto Show is going to be a new Scion IQ hybrid.The first IQ hybrid will be a 5-door hatchback, however, a sedan and 3-door versions are also expected.Fuel economy is expected to be more than [...]...
- Green Car of the Year
- Hybrids shut out again A clean diesel vehicle has again taken the LA Auto Show’s Green Car of the Year Award. This year the award went to the Audi A3 TDI. ...
- 2009 Mercedes-Benz ESF Concept Vehicle Makes Its Debut
- The first details have emerged today of a vehicle that’s being called the Mercedes ESF 2009 Concept ? a model that will reportedly be unveiled next week and one that demonstrates Mercedes’ ongoing commitment to develop the safest vehicles in existence. It’s based on the new Mercedes S400 Hybrid, and it features a number [...]...
- Toyota Prius: Top selling vehicle in Japan in 2009
- Japan goes greenWhile hybrid cars only make up about 2.8 percent of US new vehicle market share, they make up 10 percent of market share in Japan.In 2009, the Toyota Prius was the top selling vehicle in Japan, where Toyota sold 208,876 of the hybrids.The Honda Insight was the fifth best selling vehicle in Japan [...]...
- The Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 Experimental Safety Vehicle: Creation And An Interview With Mercedes’ Head Of Safety
- The ESF 2009 is the first Experimental Safety Vehicle Mercedes-Benz has built since 1974. Like its historic predecessors, it attractively combines trailblazing innovations in the field of safety and makes the progress achieved visible. Integrating all the ideas and implementing them for a clear appreciation was an extraordinary challenge for the team in the test [...]...
- Mercedes-Benz USA Notes Sales Decrease Of 7.5 Percent In August 2009
- Mercedes-Benz USA is reporting that for the month of August 2009, sales were off 7.5 percent with 17,112 units sold ? MBUSA’s best performance so far this year. As a result, sales at Mercedes-Benz USA now total 158,519 new units through the first eight months of the year, down 25.3 percent compared to 2008’s [...]...
- Mercedes-Benz USA September 2009 Sales Drop 9.6 Percent
- U.S. sales figures for the month of September are in, and Mercedes-Benz USA is reporting that for the month, sales hit their second highest level of the year with 16,985 units sold ? a decrease of 9.6 percent when compared to September 2008. As a result, sales at Mercedes-Benz USA now total 135,413 new [...]...
- Mercedes-Benz USA Sales Drop 21.7 Percent In July 2009
- Mercedes-Benz USA is reporting that for the month of July 2009, sales totaled 16,228 new vehicles ? a drop of 21.7 percent when compared to July 2008. As a result, sales at MBUSA now total 101,316 new vehicles through the first seven months of the year, down 27.6 percent compared to the year prior. As [...]...
