2009 Mazda MAZDA6i Grand Touring Review and Test Drive
April 7, 2009 by Harvey Schwartz
Filed under Automotive, Featured, Mazda, Test Drives
The original Mazda6, first introduced for the model year 2003, made Zoom-Zoom the two most evocative words in automotive lexicon. The sport sedan was the first Mazda vehicle to benefit from the spirit of a true sports car infused in a five-passenger, 4-door sedan. Lessons learned from that car plus the award-winning Mazda CX-7 and CX-9 crossovers encouraged a clean-sheet approach to building this latest mid-size sedan from Mazda. Most importantly, though, this is the first Mazda vehicle designed, engineered, developed and manufactured in the U.S.
Compared to the original Mazda6, this new edition rides on a 4.5-inch longer wheelbase, with wider front and rear tracks. This larger package not only increases interior measurements, it moves the Mazda6 from the bottom to the top of the mid-size class as defined by SAE and EPA volume measures.
Two new powertrains rise to the occasion of moving the new Mazda6 with authority. The Mazda6 i’s new 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine generates 170hp while the new Mazda6 s’s 3.7 liter V6 makes 272hp, along with mpg gains ranging from 9 to 28%.
