IN THE space of 15 months starting in August 2002, a triumvirate of mid-sized sedans from Japan completely changed the face of family-car motoring in Australia, reviving the moribund medium-car segment with an infusion of style, sporty driving and value for money. The Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro and Subaru's MkIII Liberty certainly shook things up. Now all three will be reborn over the next year and a half, with the next-generation Mazda6 first cab off the rank. Does it have the flair and athleticism of the original? With one or two reservations... does it ever! Here we look at the ‘base’ Limited manual – a sports sedan to see off rivals as diverse as the Holden Commodore and Alfa Romeo 159.
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Mazda6 Series II
Released: October 2005
Ended: February2008
Family Tree: Mazda6How good does the first Mazda6 sedan still look today? Wisely, when the mid-life refresh approached, the Japanese chose to concentrate on fixing the few faults of the fantastic original – a sprinkling of anti noise/vibration/harshness measures here, a specification increase there (including a new five-speed Activematic auto and a six-speed manual gearbox) – but the essential ingredients remained. With a fit 122kW/207Nm of zingy performance available from a wonderful 2.3-litre twin-cam four-cylinder petrol engine, even the Limited sedan had that rare ability – to be all the car you could ever need. This was a modern classic in the making.
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