Let's assume you're a new-car prospect who's ready to step up from a conventional, under-powered and sparsely equipped midsize sedan to a car with more style and performance. Let's further assume that you're reluctant to stray too far from the price range of your current sedan.
Are you being unrealistic? Not necessarily, if you put the 1994 Mazda 626 LX-V6 four-door sedan at the top of your list. Our test vehicle carried an MSRP of $20,745, placing it at the low end of the midsize sedan price range. And for that amount of money, we got a full complement of standard and optional equipment - air conditioning, an AM/FM stereo with cassette player, many power assists, dual air bags and antilock brakes (ABS). Powering this package was a state-of-the-art 2.5l-iter, 24-valve V6.
Before you start scrambling for that down payment, though, you should be aware of some concerns we had about this car's size and overall roominess, in addition to some other minor complaints.
The
Mazda 626 LX-V6 is a contemporary-looking, dramatically curved midsize sedan that resembles - but does not copy-cars such as the
Lexus or
Chrysler LHS. That said, our impression was that it looked a little too small for a vehicle with a price tag in excess of $20,000.
A rich Hunter Green Metallic covered our test vehicle. If flawless fit-and-finish is a Japanese manufacturing custom, this slippery, aerodynamic sedan was right in line. The front bumper, full-length side moldings and recessed door handles color-matched the body perfectly.
If there was a dominant geometric shape within the 626 LX-V6s styling, it was the ellipse. In front, elliptically shaped headlight/side marker lenses flanked a rather diminutive but complementary grille. The lenses combined with sectioned scoops in the bumper to give this car a slightly racy countenance a nice change from the standard midsize front-end treatment.
The same distinctive half-ellipse, half-teardrop effect was echoed in the full-width taillight assembly in back and in the combination of the gently bubbled roofline and side-window glass. Comparable shapes were even evident in the unusual-looking 15-inch aluminum wheels. Both front and rear fenders sloped dramatically down and away from the raked windshield and rear window, respectively. While the cosmetic affect was unusual and eye-pleasing, it did create one functional flaw: We simply couldn't see the rear fender crowns or trunk lid when we were in reverse. This condition led to a little "parking by sound" before our test driver got the location of the rear fenders in his mind's eye.
