Sedan as Sedan Can Be!
Pros:
The 626 will give you a near luxury ride at a very affordable price.
Cons:
Could do with a redesigned interior and more power for the base model.
The Bottom Line:
I would give the 626 an above rating but I think it needs to many refinements. Maybe for 2003 Mazda will surprise us with a redesigned 626.
|
|
Overall Rating:
|
 |
|
Author's Review
Mazda 626, 2002
Sedan as Sedan Can Be!
It has been a while since Mazda refreshed the style and made any major changes in the 626.
The 2002 626, comes in two trims, you have the choice of the LX model which is powered by a 2.0-liters, 4 cylinder engine and the ES model which gets the more powerful 2.5-liters, 6 cylinder engine.
A note: the 6 cylinder is available on the LX as an option.
The 626 I drove was an LX model so I will concentrate the rest of my review on the LX trim.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The curb weight of the 626 is 2,769 pounds, it has a wheel base of 105.1 inches, its length is 186.8 inches and its width is 69.3 inches.
All 626 are equipped with Mazdas Twin-Trapezoidal-Link (TTL), which is a rear suspension designed to keep the 626 rear wheels in full contact with the road at all time, thus improving the handling of this fine automobile.
The 626 LX is a well proportioned and fine looking sedan, I do believe that the 4 cylinder motor that Mazda offers in the base model is not strong enough to power a sedan that size.
THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR
The interior:
To me it is in the interior of the 626 that I noticed where this car really needs a fresh new look. Not that there is anything wrong with the 626s interior, as a matter of fact it is fairly nice but it does look as if you are sitting in
a car that was designed 7 or 8 years ago.
Once behind the steering wheel you will have an excellent all around vision. The 626 does come with two oversize side view mirrors which is excellent and this does help minimizing the blind spot.
The LX I drove had a multi-position driver-side seat adjustment, it took a few minute for me to find the most comfortable position but once I did it was really comfortable.
If you are not careful with the positioning of the tilt steering it might get in the way of your view of the in-dash gauges.
Another thing Mazda should consider is to redesign is the climate control, I felt that it was far too complicated and should be simplified.
The quality of sound was not the greatest but still was acceptable.
The front leg and headroom is OK, for the rear seat it is a little bit too restricted.
The 626 LX I test drove had the following standard features: air conditioning, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, tilt steering, cruise control, AM/FM radio with a CD player and rear window defroster.
It also had the following options: alloy wheels, side airbags and ABS brakes.
The exterior:
I find that the 626 is a nice looking automobile, I was really impressed by the quality of the paint job and the way all the panels fit well together.
The cargo volume is at 14.2 cubic feet only, I think this is a too small for a family size sedan.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
The Mazda 626 LX I test drove had under the hood:
Engine: A 2.0-liters 4 cylinder engine that develops 125 horsepower at 5500 RPM.
Transmission: A 5-speed manual transmission.
Brakes: Front disc and rear drums with optional ABS.
Tires: 205?60R15
Safety: Dual front airbags.
Side airbags (optional)
Child safety locks.
Keyless remote entry.
DRIVING EXPERIENCE
Although the 2002 626 is in need of re-styling it is still a fine automobile to drive. I would have preferred an automatic transmission for city driving but once you are on the highway it does perform very well.
CarsBelowInvoic e
edmunds.com
