Page2B - THE C3IARLOTTE POST - Thursday, May 27,1993
TEST^RWE
By Winfred Cross
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Mazda is full of surprises.
Most thought Honda would
be the first Japanese compa
ny to offer a car that would
classify as a domestic prod
uct, but Mazda beat Honda to
the punch.
The newly revamped 626
sedan and the gorgeously
curvy MX6 are built at the
AutoAlllance International
Inc., In Flat Rock, Mich., co
owned by Mazda and Ford
Motor Co. Both cars also
have enough American con
tent to classify them as do
mestic products.
Both the MX6 and the 626
are clean designs. The 626
can be described as Japanese
conservative at its best. It
will not stand out in a crowd
for its Jellybean shape, but it
won't get lost either.
The MX6's shape is any
thing but conservative. It is
svelte, curvy and down right
sexy. It looks the part of a
no-nonsense sports coupe.
The interiors of both cars
are tastefully done. Mazda
wisely got rid of the clunky,
stacked dashes and replaced
them with more flowing
forms. All the controls are
place logically and are easy
to see. The steering wheels
are fat, with air bags, thus
ditching the automatic seat
belts.
The 626 has ample
amounts of leg, head and hip
room for front and back pas
sengers. The back seats of
the MX6 are best reserved for
small children or medium
sized adults If the trip is
short. If you have a six-foot
acquaintance that Is partic
ularly annoying, putting
him in these seats would be a
legal form of torture.
But the MX6 isn’t designed
to haul a bunch of people. It's
designed to haul its own tall
down the road very quickly,
and In style, especially if you
choose the deep breathing
V6. The engine is found only
m the LS model for the MX6
and the ES 626.'
This is an engine with ex
ceptional smoothness --
from its lack of noise, vibra
tion and harshness to Its de
livery of power. Carrying
164 horses, the engine will
get the MX6 to 60 mph in
about 7.5 seconds.
The MX6's handling Is ex
cellent, remaining firmly
planted to the asphalt, even
in sharp curves at ridiculous
speeds. The ride Is comforta
ble for a sports car, getting
rough only on the worst of
pavement.
In fact, that's the only fault
of the MX6 - it's too smooth.
This is more of a luxury
sports coupe than a full
blown sports car. That's not
a bad trait, but the car's di
rect competitor is Ford's hot
Probe GT, which is essential
ly the same car except It's a
bit faster, more aggressive
and a little less expensive.
Mind you the Probe doesn't
get the fine leather seats, ex
ceptional stereo or top notch
build quality, but it doesn't
lack badly in any of those
categories (except the stereo).
The 626 is another story. It
has the kind of smoothness
you want in a family sedan.
It is not as wide as a Toyota
Camry, but it has the same
interior volume. Five adults
can ride in comfort.
The ride is just that — com
fortable. The 626 doesn't
handle as sharply as the
MX6 but it will hold Its own
with any other car in the
class.
1993 Mazda MX6LS
Both cars are equipped with
driver's side air bags, four-
wheel disc brakes, 15-Inch
aluminum alloy wheels, 60/
40 split rear seats and dual
body colored heated power
mirrors.
The MX6 LS base price is
$18,575. Options on my test
car included floor mats $70;
air conditioning $850; power
sunroof $560, compact disc
player 700, anti-lock brakes
$800; leather package $1000.
With $350 freight, the as-
tested came to $22,905.
The 626 ES has a base price
of $18,725 it was equipped
with the exact options as the
MX6 (except air conditioning
which is standard) which
brought the as tested price to
$22,395.
Those are premium prices
but these are premium cars.
They may be the best domes
tic cars you can buy for the
money. And that's saying a
lot.
1993 Mazda 626 ES
The Post.
Pride Of The
Black
Community
Photo/Calvin Ferguson
ijcwlstor Club, Jttc.
"The Historic Tradition"
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