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2012 Mazda6 Philadelphia

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2012 Mazda6 Design

The headlights are housed in sleek and stylishly shaped housings, each headlamp like a squeezed trapezoid or pea pod with pointy ends, inlaid on the graceful front fenders. The Mazda6 does not look like a big car. With its flowing roofline, wraparound overhangs that appear shorter than they are, classy grille and front fascia, and sleek lines overall, the Mazda6 comes across as a smaller, trimmer, tidier car than some of its competitors.

The Mazda6 five-sided grille has a deep V-shape to it and it's all body-colored, except for the chrome winged Mazda logo. The fog lights are set in horizontal openings surrounded by some light gray plastic and horizontal character lines in the air dam. If you were to stretch the shape of the Mazda6, you'd find the influence of the RX-8 sports car in numerous places. This is a distinctive car, and if you like modern design, you'll like the Mazda6.

Handling of the 2012 Mazda6

The 3.7-liter V6, with 272 horsepower, has loads of mid-range torque and delivers better acceleration than the 2.5. In fact this engine is larger and marginally more powerful than its competitors. The closest competitors in the grip and ride components would be the Malibu V6 for ride, Altima V6 for fun, four-cylinder Accord for fun, Camry for commuting comfort, and Jetta for interior design. The Mazda6 leans toward the fun end of the spectrum, while maintaining a good ride quality.

2012 Mazda6 Lineup

Mazda 6i Grand Touring upgrades with leather seats (heated in front), dual-zone climate control, welcome lighting, Bose sound system, and multi-information display with rearview camera. Options for Grand Touring include a navigation system, and the Technology Package, which adds automatic headlamps, advanced keyless entry, push-button start, auto-dimming and heated exterior mirrors, auto-dimming interior mirror, Homelink universal garage-door opener, Sirius Satellite Radio, xenon headlamps, LED rear combination lights, driver's-seat memory, power passenger seat, and rain-sensing wipers.

Mazda 6i Touring comes only with the automatic transmission, and adds 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, eight-way power driver's seat, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob, center console sliding armrest, trip computer, in-dash 6CD changer, premium trim, and Bluetooth. The Mazda 6i Touring Plus adds a power moonroof, ground illumination, electroluminescent gauges, anti-theft system, and Blind Spot Monitoring System

Mazda 6i Sport comes with cloth upholstery, air conditioning, power windows/locks/mirrors, tilt/telescope steering wheel, 60/40 folding rear seat, six-speaker sound system, keyless remote entry, cruise control, and steering wheel mounted controls. The 6-speed manual gearbox that comes standard became a close-ratio unit in 2011. A 5-speed automatic is also available.

Interior of the 2012 Mazda6

The navigation system worked without error, and gave good voice responses. The standard Bose sound system with 10 speakers including a 9-inch subwoofer sounded good.  All the systems are simple to use. Our biggest complaint is the beep that accompanies every volume adjustment made by the steering wheel toggle. But this is probably one of the 24 adjustments, including door lock programming, turn signal click volume, and blind spot monitor, the dealer can alter for you.

A Blind Spot Monitoring System comes on Touring Plus and Grand Touring models, though we have noted no significant blind spots on the Mazda6. At speeds greater than 20 mph the system senses vehicles adjacent; it casts an orange image onto the exterior mirror if it senses your car going where another car is, and makes a noise if you signal while it senses a vehicle in the way. It can be a very helpful feature. We found it worked better on the Mazda6 and caused fewer false alarms than similar systems we've tried on some other brands

Conclusion

The 2012 Mazda6 is a terrific entrant in the midsize class, with lots of room and refinement. It is definitely in the mainstream of midsize sedans, yet Mazda has maintained the exceptional driving characteristics for which the brand is well-known, a trait that should prove popular with those who enjoy driving and don't consider a car mere transportation.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com