Mazda 6

If there's a meaning to the completely redesigned 2009 Mazda 6's story, it's that there's more to life than "zoom-zoom." The previous-generation Mazda 6 had plenty of it, yet Mazda had a hell of a time getting the buying public to notice. That's because American drivers clearly don't care so much about how their family sedans behave on the great country roads. What they want is space, safety, reliability, power and style -- and while the old 6 looked stylish enough, its tight dimensions and lackluster acceleration prevented it from succeeding in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
The newly released 6 demonstrates that Mazda wasn't intended to make the same mistake twice. Want room to relax? It offers one of the most accommodating cabins of any midsize sedan, with Texas-sized front seats and a backseat fit for 6-footers. The midsize Mazda now features an impressively large 16.6 cubic feet of trunk space. Need speed? Mazda's got you covered with the largest and most powerful V6 in this price bracket, though its fuel economy is disappointing. Want to make a fashion statement? Then you shouldn't be buying a family sedan in the first place. But as such cars go, we think the new 6 manages to be tautly attractive, particularly from the front, despite its additional 6.1 inches of length and 2.3 inches of width. Unlike the previous model, the 2009 Mazda 6 was engineered specifically for the North American market -- and it shows.