San Francisco: This
car’s driving feel matches its aggressive body styling. The Mazda6 adds
a new bargain-oriented model called the i Sport Value
Edition for 2007 and
offers some very popular options at a cheap price.
If you ever wanted to
learn about the limitations of science, just wait until you’re about to
fall asleep. That’s when, after blinking, nodding and stretching, you’ll
perform the scientifically unexplainable phenomenon known as a yawn.
Yes, the greatest minds
in the history of the world have never been able to prove exactly why we
yawn. There are plenty of good theories about it, that we need more
oxygen in our blood before sleeping, that it raises our blood pressure
and heart rate, that it equalizes the pressure in our eardrums, or even
that it’s a way of relieving stress, but no one knows the exact reason
for this simple bodily function.
One thing is certain.
If you want to create lots of yawns, you need to drive a
front-wheel-drive sedan. The lowly sedan is the best way to take
something as exciting as a car, a fast-moving projectile propelled by
thousands of explosions per minute, and make it more boring than a pair
of leather loafers.
It’s like listening to
a John Grisham novel being read by Ben Stein.
There are a handful of
sedans available that elicit more yells than yawns, the Audi RS4,
Mitsubishi Evolution and Subaru WRX come to mind, but each of those come
with huge price tags and rough suspensions that aren’t ideal for hauling
babies and groceries.
So, what if you want an
affordable sedan that’s not dull as a bucket of beige paint? Try driving
this car, the awkwardly named Mazda6. The Mazda6 is a four-door,
front-wheel-drive sedan, only it doesn’t make you yawn. It feels like a
bigger, heavier version of Mazda’s MX-5 sports car.
When you turn this car
into a corner, it doesn’t just change direction. It hunkers down. It
crouches. It gets ready to pounce, and then it springs into the corner
like a lion tearing into a gazelle. It’s in full attack mode.
You get the same
feeling when you step on the accelerator. It doesn’t have the same
Hiroshima-caliber blast of power you’d feel in a muscle car like the
Ford Mustang, but it does have an eagerness to wind up, at an aural and
tactile crescendo, that makes you want to drive it. Hard. And fast.
Of course, the Mazda6
isn’t all about excitement. It doesn’t ride nearly as rough as a typical
sports sedan, and the interior has plenty of features meant more for
comfort than fun, including lots of cupholders, storage bins and
electronic gadgets.
And it starts around
$19,000 and tops out at $27,000, plus options, for the Grand Touring
model. One of the best bargains in the lineup is the new-for-2007 i
Sport Value Edition, which includes 17-inch wheels, a power driver’s
seat, six-CD changer and more for $20,630. And that’s not much money for
a very fun-to-drive sedan.
What was tested?
2007 Mazda Mazda6 i Sport Value Edition with automatic transmission and
a base price of $20,630. Price as tested: $20,630
Why avoid it?
The sporty driving feel won’t appeal to everyone.
Why buy it? It’s
amazingly fun to drive considering it’s a four-door, front-wheel-drive
sedan. It feels like a bigger version of Mazda’s MX-5 sports car.
By Derek Price © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
Mazda Home Page
Byline: Syndicated content provided by Tony
Leopardo © AutoWire.Net
Column Name: The Mazda6 i Sport has four doors
but feels like a sports car
Topic: The 2007 Mazda Mazda6 i Sport
Word Count: 648
Photo Caption: The 2007 Mazda Mazda6 i Sport
Photo Credits: Mazda Mazda6 Internet Media
Series #: 2007 - 55
Download
the Microsoft Word version here:
2007 Mazda6 i Sport
Download the Original Image File here:
2007 Mazda6 i Sport
|
