Review and photos by Chris Chase
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Photo Gallery: 2008 Mazda6
It's interesting how you'll notice a particular model of car more readily when you're driving one like it. That was the case during the ten days or so I had this Mazda6 Sport in my driveway. The midsized 6 is a popular enough car, but certainly not a pace-setter in its class, and its sales are well off those of the smaller Mazda3.
The Mazda6 Sport is a hatchback, though its sedan profile suggests otherwise until the hatch opens to reveal a massive cargo hold. Suddenly it occurred to me, very unscientifically of course, that Mazda's decision to sell this car, in this body style, in this country was a very good idea.
That's partly because it appears to have sold very well since being added to the line-up in 2004 (about a year after the 6 debuted as a sedan), but mostly due to its surprisingly roomy cargo area.
There's no more Mazda6 wagon for 2008; it's gone, due to slow sales. While I was a fan of the short-lived wagon for its obvious advantage in interior space, it's not hard to see why Mazda6 shoppers flocked to the hatchback. This car puts the "sport" in Sport Utility Vehicle: it's fun to drive, it offers quite a lot of utility and it is indeed a vehicle. On top of that, it beats the pants off just pretty much any "true" SUV in terms of fuel consumption (more on that in a minute).
2008 Mazda6 Sport. Click image to enlarge
My wife and I took this Mazda6 Sport to visit friends in Boston for a few days, and it seemed like the perfect vehicle for such a trip: lots of cargo space - we had two suitcases, a guitar, a couple of backpacks and miscellaneous other packages - and a four-cylinder engine that I hoped would translate into low fuel consumption for our roughly 1,400-km round trip.
All of our stuff fit in the trunk with a little room to spare, which was good; as often happens on our trips to Boston, we came back with more stuff than we took with us.
I also used the car to transport some sound equipment for a party held at my house: two huge speakers, speaker stands, a mixing console, CD player and a table all fit in the back with the larger section of the split-folding rear seat down, and a passenger in the remaining rear seat. A nice touch is that the bottom seat cushions sink an inch or two when the seatback is dropped, making for a flat load floor with the seats down.
Fuel consumption was even more under the microscope here, as this was one of the cars Canadian Driver was using in its 2008 Fuel Economy Challenge. I was not disappointed: by sticking to posted speed limits, I managed to limit fuel consumption to about 7.5 L/100 km, against EnerGuide's highway rating for this car of 6.9 L/100 km.
2008 Mazda6 Sport. Click image to enlarge
Coupled with a rather large 68-litre gas tank, the car's frugal nature meant that I probably could have made it from Ottawa to Boston on one tank (though I opted to play it safe; running out of gas in northern Massachusetts at midnight doesn't hold much appeal to me).
If the car's 156-horsepower, 2.3-litre four-banger doesn't exactly make it a rocket in a straight line, there was enough power to keep up with fast-moving traffic on Interstate 93 where it winds its way into Boston. It's only at very low revs that the motor is weak on torque (it peaks at 154 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm), but fairly short gearing makes it easy to keep the motor in its sweet spot.
Indeed, one of my few gripes with the car was that it feels like it needs a sixth gear for highway driving; get up to around 120 km/h, and the tach registers more than 3,000 rpm.
2008 Mazda6 Sport. Click image to enlarge
But engine noise isn't a problem even at that point. There is some road noise, but that's a criticism that can be leveled against several Mazdas. It's the price you pay for a responsive car, one that rewards the enthusiastic driver with a willing engine and tossable chassis. If you're not so enthusiastic behind the wheel, that road noise, and steering that can be a bit darty on-centre, will probably get on your nerves.
While the Mazda6's interior is plenty accommodating, both my wife and I were disappointed with the front seats, whose backrests struck both of our backs the wrong way after almost nine hours in the car. Also, while actual headroom was adequate, the windshield seems short, making the interior feel close up front, even for occupants of average height.
As a base model, the GS four-cylinder gets manual climate controls and a basic AM/FM/CD stereo. If I have one gripe about the dash, it's the non-functional "SAT" button that Mazda leaves in its cars even when not equipped with the satellite radio option. Some reviewers dislike Mazda's use of red gauge backlighting, but it doesn't bother me. Nonetheless, many of the company's newest models use white lighting instead.
Ultimately, what the Mazda6 Sport proves is that you don't have to buy a large crossover or SUV to get a decent amount of interior space. And with gas prices at $1.30 and on the rise in much of the country, a practical vehicle that doesn't eat a lot of bread is a big deal. The bigger, and supposedly better, second-gen Mazda6 is set to debut this summer, but as a sedan only. Let's hope the company has the foresight to bring back the 6 Sport. After all, this is the kind of vehicle that could redefine the term "SUV."
