Mazda 6 gets competitive redesign

The Mazda 6 comes to market for 2009 completely redesigned, representing the best effort yet in a midsize sport sedan from this Japanese automaker, which is partially owned and controlled by Ford Motor Co.

Mazda introduced the 6 for 2003, replacing the popular 626 with a new single-digit designation and a whole host of improvements.

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Mazda

The redesign of the Mazda 6 makes it a better challenger among midsize vehicles. To distinguish it from the competition, Mazda ‘sought an exterior design capable of stirring any observer’s emotions,’ an official said.

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For 2009, though, the 6 has been taken to a whole new plane, making an already good car an even better competitor to the segment-leading Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

The segment is a large one — more than 2 million U.S. consumers buy new midsize cars every year. There are at least 12 vehicles competing for those customers, with the newest generation of the Chevrolet Malibu now challenging the Camry and Accord’s dominance of the segment, which also includes the sporty Nissan Altima.

The original 6, whose marketing efforts introduced Mazda’s “zoom, zoom” advertising theme, was “the first Mazda vehicle to benefit from the spirit of a true sports car infused in a five-passenger, four-door sedan,” the automaker said.

“That revolutionary combination created a commotion in the midsize class where strict practicality, affordability and economy of operation usually leave no room for driving enjoyment.”

In other words, the whole idea was to create a midsize car that broke from the boring pack and offered auto enthusiasts an affordable alternative to the appliance cars from Toyota, Honda and other manufacturers.

The first Mazda 6 was a fun car to drive in all configurations and quickly established itself as something different in a field of sameness.

Mazda hopes that consumers will see the newest generation as a continuation of and improvement on that theme. It’s designed to offer the most fun available in a car that is affordable and practical at the same time.

“The all-new 2009 Mazda 6 takes everything learned in that first-generation car, as well as lessons learned from volumes of customer feedback, and proves Mazda’s commitment to continuous improvement,” the company said.

It is “the first Mazda vehicle designed, engineered, developed and manufactured on U.S. soil with the intention of surpassing American customer needs in countless categories,” Mazda added.

“We sought an exterior design capable of stirring any observer’s emotions and distinguishing the Mazda 6 from the competition,” said Hiroshi Kajiyama, the vehicle’s program engineer.

“We also strived to achieve a dynamic character that encourages a strong level of interaction with the driver.”

Unlike most engineers, Mazda said, Kajiyama treated the car “as a work of art rather than an inanimate machine.”