By Doug Hill
The 2009 Mazda 6 Grand Touring sedan is a definite head-turner. I learned that test driving one this month. Stopped at a red light on Robinson Street, a middle-aged guy in his cool, shiny Solara convertible, shouted he was digging Mazda's new styling. The 6 has a total body change for 2009. Renovated for ultimate wind drag reduction, the sheet metal appears to be in motion even when stopped.
Sparkly "Kona Blue Mica" paint made her sleek as an otter. No side moldings interrupt the flow. Door glass frames are gently rounded. The feature line, parallel to door handles, runs alongside front to back. Its overall wedge profile, slightly lower in front, meets the wind tunnel demands without losing the designer's sense of sophisticated style. A bonus is the very large trunk for this class.
Plenty to make a baby boomer's pulse race, but what about the next driving generation? Neighbor kids Maddy Tate, 8, and Jade Morris, 14, stopped their bikes to check out the parked Mazda.
"It's cool. I like the tail pipes," Jade said of the dual exhaust ports with chrome finishers. "It looks like my mom's Nissan Altima, only hers has two doors," Maddy said. It was fascinating to know a third-grader distinguishes between coupe and sedan. ?
All this reinforces Mazda's Zoom Zoom Zoom ethos. The car's information system welcomes you with the enthusiastic ZZZ message. In addition to time, outside/inside temperature and sound system data, the display also includes a trip computer with average vehicle speed, fuel economy and miles of fuel remaining. Start the car by pushing a button on the instrument panel. Mazda 6 is Bluetooth compatible. It has enough connectivity to satisfy even the most communication-needy. Thirty-two pages (!) in the owner's manual detail these functions. The six-speaker Bose sound system with MP3 capability rocks.
Mazda's engine conjures the Shinto god of north wind. It's a 3.7 liter, double overhead cam, 24-valve V6 screamer that develops 272 horsepower and 269 foot lbs. of torque. Hit it and prepare to have your wig split. Don't forget to buckle up.
Fuel economy is EPA-rated 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. Cheap as I am, the available 4 banger with stick, getting 30 mpg would be preferable to the ZZZunami.
2009's Xenon head lamps are oval cat eyes projecting twice the illumination of halogen beams they replace. The 8-way power driver's seat with position memory is leather-trimmed. Both front buckets have bun warmers. The slate gray and brushed aluminum instrument panel is attractive and smartly functional.
The 6 is just fine for running errands around town, but the true test of any car is a long road trip. My oldest daughter was mystified when asked if she was ready for a visit, day after tomorrow. Usually the 6 hour, 375 mile jaunts to Kansas City are planned at least a few weeks in advance. She'd have to clean her loft pronto.
We headed north on I-35 with the windows down and moon roof open. Acceleration to interstate speed was smooth and fast. The 6-speed automatic transmission's shifts were undetectable, even when pushed to the max. Stiff sports suspension is independent, with stabilizer bars front and rear. For my spouse, tush and lumbar support makes or breaks the car. Even at the end of the trip she was still waving both flags.
Mazda is one of few cars with a Blind Spot Monitoring System. Sensors on the rear bumper alert with a low continuous beep when you signal left or right turns and a bicyclist or other object is in your blind spot. Not designed for backing up or changing lanes without looking over your shoulder, it's a safety enhancement. As the owner's manual warns, mud or ice covering the sensors can render the system totally inoperable.
Flying through the Flint Hills, cabin wind noise was reasonably low for a car whose sticker price is $30,690. Books on CD were an easy listen. It should be noted that this test drive vehicle had all options except an available navigation system. Goodies include rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated dual remote power mirrors and steering wheel mounted controls.
The Mazda 6 is not a large vehicle, but road stability felt big. One area for improvement is cruise control. The set switch wasn't always responsive. More than one occasion it had to be toggled twice to lock-in the desired speed. Auto-dimming mirrors worked well and visibility was good from all. Gauges are easy to read at night in a high-tech electroluminescent display.
We reached Kansas City with nearly a quarter tank of fuel to spare. The gas cap is behind a locked door with access lever on the driver's side floor. I've been called a granny driver but in moderate traffic still couldn't squeeze out better than 16 mpg city.
Mazda 6 is a true product of the global automobile industry. Parts content is split evenly between the U.S., Canada and Japan. It's assembled in tiny Flat Rock, Michigan (hockey mom USA for real) at a joint venture managed by Mazda and Ford Motor Company.
Cruising the kid's neighborhood in KC's trendy City Market district, our stylish Mazda fit right in. Due to its size, parking was no problem anywhere, including the whacky Westport area on a jumping Saturday night. Our quick trip concluded next day on I-35 South with the Mazda 6 bending more than a few necks as we zipped back to Norman.
