2009 Mazda 6: Is it the best family midsize sedan?

If I was forced to drive a mid-sized FWD sedan the the 6 and the Passat would be the only cars that I would consider.

No. Just no. For that kind of cash, get a Maxima. Why is there no Maxima or Altima in that test? Come on guys, don't discriminate against Nissan because of the problems with the brick that is a 370Z and the delightfully flawed GT-R.

fuhteng: The article said that an Altima was not available in time for the test. Also, Nissan aims to market the Maxima above the typical family sedan.

Yeah carguy, I missed that sentence about the Altima. It is still a great comparison test. I love having 5 cars versus the usual 2 or 3.

I can't see how anyone can really call this, or the new Accord "mid-sized" while keeping a straight face. Really, these are full-sized cars by just about any standard now.

"I love having 5 cars versus the usual 2 or 3. "

+1

its nice to see 5 cars and compare everything at once.

The dogging of the interior materials was a bit uncalled for since they're not that bad. However you guys should have had one in the fleet just like it scratch the navi.

Materials are always most important here. More important than price, ride quality, quietness, etc.

BTW, the Malibu does offer a power passenger seat and USB port with ipod connectivity. Not sure how that was missed. This is also the first review I've seen claiming the Malibu has numerous poorly aligned panels- not that any specifics were offered.

I would say Malibu should have been 3rd, Accord 4th, Sonata 5th. In fact, I'm not really clear why the Accord was in 3rd beyond the backseat space. No mention of the smallest in class trunk, odd trunk space, gooseneck trunk hinges, single piece fold down rear seat, 3rd highest price, lack of manumatic, etc. Rear seat space is nice but its not the only factor in rating a family car.

...I'm not so convinced. I took a test drive in a 6s Touring, Camry SE V6, and Accord EX V6 over the weekend...and as odd as it seems I enjoyed the Camry SE V6 more despite the fact that the 6s handled better, Camry felt like a better overall package, seemed faster and I think the handling issue can be resolved via the aftermarket. The Accord didn't do anything for me at all. I'm honestly wondering how the new Legacy GT or 3.6R will fair against the rest of the mid-size contenders.

All of these cars are way too expensive for what they are.

well they must disagree because instead of value, they were looking for highest price and most luxury features- even though most consumers buy the midlevel trims. How many $33k Mazda6s do you see on the road? not many. In fact, value wasn't really referenced in the comparison- just sportiness, plastics and luxury features.

^^ Apparently you read nothing beyond the Malibu. I remember reading a lot about how the Hyundai was good for value shoppers because of its high feature content and a price that was only a few hundred more than the Chevy. The Ford was also praised for its features-to price. And as for sportiness, they kept mentioning ride comfort and noise over and over again.

What seems to be lost in all these comments about the malibu and 6 is that a Ford won. Good for them. Its nice to see an American on top. I've seen it on the road and it looks really good. The Sport looks cool.

Looks like the Mazda 6 took the top 2 places since the Fusion and 6 are siblings.

I have one of those $33k Mazda 6s models, though I paid significantly less than that. I was shopping for the most car I could get out the door for under $30k. The Mazda 6 when looked at as an entry-level luxury car was actually a bargain. Try getting the same level of features, performance, or comfort for less than $40k from a new Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, etc.

dax:

I read the whole thing- perhaps you missed the 4th place finish of the Hyundai. The value didnt count for much. If we looked at these cars the way consumers would price, styling and ride comfort would be most important. Look at it that way and the Sonata and Malibu should have done better.

I'm glad to see the Fusion won- that is something I can agree with. C&D has fooled themselves into believing the Accord is still #1 when in reality its no better than 3rd, maybe lower.

adam:

All loaded family cars are better deals than entry level luxury cars. The Accord V6 is about $4k cheaper than a V6 TSX and it offers more space and most of the same features.

"I can't see how anyone can really call this, or the new Accord "mid-sized" while keeping a straight face. Really, these are full-sized cars by just about any standard now."

Park them next to a new Taurus and you would be hard-pressed to call them full-sized. Either that, or cars like the new Taurus need to be called giant-sized!

We test drove a similarly priced 6s a few weeks ago and came away saying, "eh." It was nice, but it didn't do anything for us. And with 11 Mazdas between us over the last 10 years, we were hoping to like it. We couldn't pinpoint what the reason was, but we never found ourselves emtionally connected to the car. Now that I see the Fusion ranked higher in this comparison test, perhaps I can get the other half to go look at it (if it was my choice we would have had a Fusion Hybrid in the driveway months ago).

"The value didnt count for much. If we looked at these cars the way consumers would price, styling and ride comfort would be most important"

1487 said that value didn't count for much, Edmunds didn't. I read the Hyundai portion as saying that was the only reason it finished ahead of the Malibu. As for styling, if they declared a winner with that as a major critieria, everyone and their mother would cry foul. There will always be some joker who thinks the Sonata and Accord look great. And again, ride comfort seemed to count for quite a lot, a fact they praised the Malibu for. As far as I see it, the Malibu is still better than a lot of other vehicles _and maybe its good for 1487 and others) just not the best. That's the Ford.

midsized FWD family sedans?
Why didn't you include the Audi A6???
Of course, it would be the best FWD family sedan. And make the comparo pointless.
I understand now. Yes. Don't include the Audi A6. The best FWD family sedan.