John Kennedy Mazda Pottstown

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Driving Impressions

Driving enjoyment is nothing new to Mazda and that has been successfully maintained with this refined Mazda6. Some purists might complain about the lack of availability of a manual transmission with the V6 engine, but the four-cylinder manual is still quite entertaining and it is available on the top-line Grand Touring models, so you can have your nav, heated leather seats, and a stick-shift together.

The four-cylinder engine, with 170 horsepower, gets the job done just fine, with the best coming on as the rev counter swings through the 4500-4800 rpm range and keeps pulling to near redline. It's plenty to get the Mazda6 around town or up a hill and cruises on the highway effortlessly at less than 3000 rpm, regardless of transmission.

Both automatic and manual transmissions have well-spaced gears to make the best of the four-cylinder's output, and the shift and clutch action on the six-speed showcases Mazda's sports car abilities without any sports car compromises.

The 3.7-liter V6, with 272 horsepower, has plenty of mid-range torque and delivers spirited acceleration. This engine, similar to that in the Mazda CX-9, is both larger and more powerful than those of its competitors and, although we didn't measure its performance, we suspect it might outrun the others in the class. The Mazda6 with the V6 delivers good, if not class-leading fuel economy.

Each Mazda6 model has its own calibrations for the same suspension system, and they tend to feel more buttoned down as price and engine size increase. But a lot of this can be traced to tires, and a four-cylinder car with the 17-inch wheels is arguably the most fun on a winding road because it's easily a couple of hundred pounds lighter than the V6 models. Upgrading tires later would add fun and grip.

At the top extreme, a V6 on 18-inch wheels has plenty of grip and surprisingly good sharp-impact rejection (think lane-divider dots) but it is on the firm side, not recommended for lousy infrastructure and some road noise seeps in to the cabin. At the other end of the spectrum, a manual-transmission Sport model on steel wheels doesn't offer quite the same grip, but it does give the same good steering feel and response, directional stability, and solid braking. All the models have stability control but even some ham-fisted co-drivers never invoked it, suggesting there's a lot of stability inherent in the design.

The closest competitors in the grip and ride components would be the Malibu V6 for ride, Altima V6 for fun, four-cylinder Accord for fun, and Camry for commuting comfort. The Mazda6 leans toward the fun end of the spectrum, while maintaining a good ride quality.

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