1988 Mazda MX-6 GT
1992 Mazda 626 LX
1993 MX-6 LS
1999 Mazda 626 LX
2005 Mazda 6 s
Mazda was lucky to have survived long enough to put the 626 sedan and coupe into production.
The Toyo Kogyo Company was nothing if not tough. After the company's founding in 1920, it survived earthquakes, wars and having half its production plant wiped out when the atomic bomb was detonated over Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. But though it was a survivor, it was also still a relatively small company. So when it decided to export its Mazda brand cars to the United States in significant numbers, it did so thinking it had a big strategic advantage in its Wankel rotary engines.
Mazda sent rotary-powered coupes, sedans, station wagons and even pickup trucks over to North America during the 1970s. Mazda's initial marketing program was built squarely on differentiating itself from other Japanese manufacturers through the use of the Wankel engine and, at first, the program succeeded brilliantly. Even if you weren't in the market for a new small car it was impossible to not know that Mazdas were the cars that went "hmmmmmmmmmmmmm."
But the rotary, then still in its infancy, had problems. First it was relatively fuel thirsty in relation to its power output and with consumers feeling battered by that decade's multiple oil crises, runaway inflation and general economic malaise, buying a small car that got mediocre mileage didn't make much sense. Beyond that, though, the early rotaries were also pretty fragile and no one needed that hassle in their life.
So while the American public's awareness of Mazda was very high, they weren't really buying a lot of RX-2s, RX-3s, RX-4s or Rotary Pickups. Could Mazda convert to piston power and sustain its dearly bought, high-visibility position in the marketplace? The 626 (which would eventually become the 6), and its little brother the GLC (which would eventually evolve into the 323, Proteg and Mazda 3), were the cars that would answer that question.
First-Generation 626: 1979-1982
"To help satisfy America's newfound lust for Mazdas," wrote Car and Driver upon encountering the Mazda's new mainstream product, "parent company Toyo Kogyo has sent us a pair of all-new sedans a sport coupe and a four-door both rather lamely labeled 'Mazda 626.' The name is appropriate however, because it suggests about how many competitors this pair is up against: they're being launched into the vast middle ground of today's car market, which is already glutted with both imports and domestics ranging from the Datsun 200-SX at the small, sporty end to the Ford Fairmont at the large, practical extreme. Mazda marketeers (sic) consider the Honda Accord the principle foe for the sedan, and the Toyota Celica the hottest competition for the sport coupe."
Even though the original 1979 626 was aimed at a crowded market, Mazda did little to distinguish it from the competition. The coupe and sedan were virtually identical mechanically and that meant they were both conventional rear-drive machines with a unibody made from stamped steel. It also meant that their suspensions consisted of front MacPherson struts and a solid axle in back mounted on four links and riding on coil springs. The only engine offered was a 2.0-liter, SOHC, eight-valve four drawing air in through a two-barrel carburetor and making 80 horsepower. That engine could be backed by either a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission. If there was anything unique about the engineering it was that the 626 still used a recirculating ball steering gear (as did its brother the RX-7 sports car) at a time when virtually all other manufacturers were switching to rack and pinion setups.
With both the sedan and coupe riding on 98.8-inch wheelbases and stretching out 173.8 inches overall, these cars were smack average in size for the then emerging mainstream sedan market. And while neither the coupe nor sedan could be called avant-garde in styling, they were both handsome in a generic sort of way, with a face consisting of a simple rectangular grille with single rectangular headlights at each end.
In a comparison test of contemporary sport coupes, Car and Driver found the 626 to be among the least memorable. "Rather innocuous-looking," it concluded, "with a plain, uninteresting instrument panel that doesn't fit the car's performance capability. Although no one on the test-drive flew into raptures about the 626, it was given unanimously high ratings, especially in comfort and quality. No flash, just good car." Except for some thrashing from the engine bay as it accelerated, the magazine didn't point out much to love or hate about the 626. The Mazda's acceleration was modest, but not out of line the 11.8-second 0-to-60-mph clocking tied the Dodge Omni 024's performance and was better than the Honda Prelude's, according to Car and Driver. Both the Mercury Capri and Volkswagen Scirocco, however, made it to that same speed in less than 11 seconds (and the VW did it in 10 flat).
So the first 626 neither impressed nor distressed most critics at the time of its introduction. However, the public seemed to embrace it immediately and Mazda's sales rocketed on the strength of its (and the GLC's) appeal. In the way that matters most to car companies, the 626 was a success.
With no reason to panic, Mazda didn't and the 626 carried through 1980 with virtually no changes. However, tightening emissions regulations did strangle the engine's output down to 75 hp.
There was a new grille that stretched from headlight to headlight on the 1981 626, but little else was changed as the car continued to sell well and developed a solid reputation for reliability (something new then for Mazda). With a truly all-new 626 on the way for the next year, the 1982 model completed the run of the first-generation 626 uneventfully.
And that was that for rear-drive 626s.
Second-Generation 626: 1983-1987
The first-generation 626 was successful, even though it was ultimately pretty boring. In contrast, the second-generation 626 was available in more variations and was anything but boring.
Virtually nothing carried over from the first 626 to the second. That was first and foremost because the 1983 626 was a front-drive machine with a four-cylinder engine tucked transversely between its front strut towers. And it was an all-new four, too, even though it displaced the same nominal 2.0 liters as before and still featured a SOHC valvetrain, eight valves per cylinder and a two-barrel carburetor. But at 83 hp it made significantly more power and benefited from fresh engineering that resulted in smoother and quieter operation. Naturally the transmissions were new as well with five forward gears for those who wanted to shift themselves and three for those who'd rather the car did that chore.
That nothing carried over doesn't mean that the second 626 didn't have some things in common with the first. For instance, the structure was still a unibody, the front suspension still struts (though the rear was now independently sprung) and the wheelbase remained locked in at 98.8 inches (though overall length was up 4 inches to 177.8 inches).
Both the 626 two-door coupe and four-door sedan were offered again along with a new five-door hatchback "Touring Sedan." All three were exceptionally clean in their styling with a simple front end that put a slatted grille between two pairs of rectangular headlamps and almost featureless fenders and doors. The interior may have been a bit heavy on tiny buttons and velour upholstery but this was, after all, the early 1980s. Some people even paid extra for the optional digital instrumentation.
After praising the "rare equanimity" of the new engine, Car and Driver went on to compliment the rest of the car. "Balanced performance is the keynote of the 626's handling as well," it wrote. "When the going gets twisty, you dial in a change [and] the 626 takes a set, then dives for the apex with front and rear tires working in harmony. It doesn't make its moves quite as deliberately as a Honda Prelude, so it isn't as easy to drive at the limit. However the 626's responsiveness to steering and throttle connections encourages stunt driving in a way the Prelude's does not.
"Ordinarily, a lack of flaws is not enough to recommend a car: more 'best' and 'outstanding' ratings are required. In this case, though, the car performs so well in every category of performance that it commands our attention."
But the new 626 was barely quicker than the previous one with Car and Driver's five-speed coupe slogging from zero to 60 mph in 11.5 seconds. More speed, however, was on the way.
The extra speed didn't come in either 1984 or 1985, though, which the 626 faced practically unchanged.
A revised front end with single flush rectangular lights announced the arrival of the 1986 626. There was also an all-new interior that brought a few precious additional millimeters of room with it. But the real substance of the evolution lay under the car's hood where fuel injection boosted output of the standard 2.0-liter four to 93 hp. Meanwhile, a turbocharged version of the engine was also offered in the new "626 GT" which came as a coupe, sedan or five-door.
"The turbocharged motor peaks at 120 hp at 5,000 rpm with 150 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm, both figures 30-percent improved over the unblown engine," reported Motor Trend on its first test of a 626 GT coupe. "Cam timing was refined for better low- and midrange power, a redesigned intake manifoldhas improved high-end torque, and an S-shaped high-swirl intake port, masked valve seat area, and high-energy ignition system conspire to make the '86 engine a model of efficiency.
"After spending a good measure of at-the-redline time in the car, we have come away impressed with the smoothness of the power delivery, the flat torque curve (with lots available immediately), and the free-revving nature of the motor. The turbo unit itself weighs only 11 pounds and is built to withstand the rigors of high temperatures and mechanical friction."
However the magazine did note some torque-steer with the more powerful engine. But hey, a little torque-steer is OK when the 0-to-60-mph time has dropped down to just 7.8 seconds for Motor Trend's five-speed GT coupe. That type of performance increase likely indicates the engine was making quite a bit more than 120 hp.
There was one significant change to the 1987 626 lineup and that was the adoption of a new four-speed automatic transmission in place of the previous three-speed unit. Other than that, no significant changes, but one wouldn't expect a lot of investment in a car that's about to be replaced.
Third-Generation 626 and MX-6: 1988-1992
Mazda's third 626 generally followed the front-drive formula laid down by the second generation with new sheet metal that incorporated styling themes of the second with more conservative tailoring. But while the look may have been conservative, the engineering would on occasion be surprisingly bold. All 626s were now four- or five-door sedans as the two-door coupe version was now renamed MX-6 for no apparent reason. And while the 626 sedans remained in production in Japan, the MX-6 was made at Ford's and Mazda's new AutoAlliance plant in the United States.
The third 626/MX-6 was larger in most dimensions with the wheelbase now stretching 99 inches on the MX-6 and 101.4 inches on both 626s. Overall length on the two-door now measured 177 inches and the four- and five-door models both expanded to 179.3 inches. In its first drive of the MX-6, Motor Trend noted that "despite these several lesser dimensions, most interior measurements of the coupe approximate those of the four-door cars. The MX-6 is now in production at Mazda's Flat Rock, Michigan, assembly plant (a pending knock-off will be sold in Ford showrooms as the Probe), leading us to believe the coupe will enjoy wide distribution here."
The base power plant for the 1988 626 and MX-6 was a new 2.2-liter version of the SOHC four-cylinder engine introduced with the '83 626. Now featuring three valves per cylinder and equipped with electronic fuel injection, this power plant was good for 110 hp whether feeding a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. A turbocharged version of the 2.2 rated at 145 hp came as part of the GT package and was available with the same transmissions.
Both the 626 GT four- and five-doors were available with an optional hydraulically operated four-wheel steering system. "Below 22 mph," said Motor Trend explaining the system, "Mazda 4WS steers the rear wheels in the direction opposite the front wheels. Maximum rear steering deflection is limited to 5 degrees left or right, [which] shaves the turning circle from 38 to 36 feet. Two feet doesn't sound like a lot, but when you need inches to get into a tight parking slot at the cigar store, you'll appreciate the difference." Above 22 mph, the rear wheels would turn up to 5 degrees either way in phase with the front wheels to improve responsiveness.
For 1989 the four-wheel steering system was made available on the MX-6 GT (and taken off the four-door 626s) and that made an already more attractive car even more so according to Motor Trend. "The supplemental steering hardware imparts a measure of added stability in high-speed lane changes and allows the car to track cleanly through tighter corners that would have a front-steer MX-6 scrubbing all four tires," it wrote. "For most people, however, the biggest benefit will come in improved low-speed maneuverability. The 4WS's compact 31.5-foot turning circle is 3.8 feet less than that of its conventional counterpart." But four-wheel steering was an expensive option and it never caught on as Mazda had hoped. A bigger success was the optional (on the GT and Turbo models only) antilock brakes whose safety benefits were obvious and enough to overcome their $1,000 price.
Still, the MX-6 GT was a slick and quick machine with Motor Trend's five-speed car ripping to 60 mph in just 7.4 seconds and running the quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds at 91.2 mph.
