Mazda 626
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| Mazda 626 | |
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| Manufacturer: | Mazda |
| Class: | compact/midsize car |
| Predecessor: | Mazda 616/618 |
| Successor: | Mazda6 |
| Mark 1 | |
| Production: | 1977–1982 |
| Body Styles: | hatchback |
| Layout: | FR |
| Engines: | 2.0 L F/MA I4 |
| Similar: | Mazda Capella Mazda Montrose |
| Mark 2 | |
| Production: | 1983–1987 |
| Platform: | Mazda GC |
| Body Styles: | sedan hatchback |
| Layout: | FF |
| Engines: | 2.0 L FE I4 2.0 L FET I4 |
| Similar: | Mazda Capella |
| Mark 3 | |
| Production: | 1988–1992 |
| Platform: | Mazda GD |
| Body Styles: | sedan station wagon |
| Engines: | 2.2 L F2 I4 2.2 L F2T I4 |
| Similar: | Mazda Capella |
| Related: | Mazda MX-6 |
| Mark 4 | |
| Production: | 1993–1997 |
| Platform: | Mazda GE |
| Body Styles: | sedan station wagon |
| Engines: | 2.0 L F I4 2.5 L KL V6 |
| Similar: | Mazda Cronos |
| Related: | Mazda MX-6 |
| Mark 5 | |
| Missing image Mazda_626_GF.jpg GF platform 626 | |
| Production: | 1998–2002 |
| Platform: | Mazda GF |
| Body Styles: | sedan |
| Engines: | 1.8 L F I4 (Europe) 2.0 L F I4 2.5 L KL V6 |
| Similar: | Mazda Capella |
| This article is part of the Mazda automobile series. | |
The Mazda 626 was a family car produced by Mazda for the export market. It is based on the Japan-market Mazda Capella. The 626 replaced the 616/618 and RX-2 in 1979 and was sold through 2002, when the new Mazda6 took over as Mazda's family car.
The 626 was also sold as the Ford Telstar in Asia, Australasia and Southern Africa, but this has been replaced by the European-sourced Ford Mondeo.
| Contents |
Predecessors
The 1971 616 and 1972 618 had been modest successes in the United States, each lasting just a single year. By 1980, the American public was ready for a midsize piston-engined Mazda, and the 626 has been a top seller for the marque ever since.
1979
The first Mazda 626 in most markets appeared in 1979. It was a rear wheel drive compact, little changed from the Japan-market Mazda Capella it was based on. With a 75 hp 2.0 L SOHC straight-4 F/MA engine, it performed well, with both Consumer Guide and Car and Driver magazines comparing it with a BMW. One innivative feature was a split-folding rear seat, increasing cargo capacity and flexibility tremendously. This first 626 was a hit, doubling Mazda's US sales.
Engine:
1983
The front-wheel drive model appeared in 1983 with the GC platform. It was named Import Car of the Year by Motor Trend magazine and Car of the Year by Wheels magazine's for 1983. The new 2.0 L FE engine was up to 83 hp, with an extra 10 hp available with a new fuel injected engine a few years later. A 626 Turbo was introduced in 1986 using the 116 hp (87 kW)/137 ft.lbf (186 Nm) FET engine.
Engines:
- 1983-1987 2.0 L FE I4, 83–93 hp (61–69 kW)
- 1986-1987 2.0 L FET I4, 116 hp (87 kW) and 137 ft·lbf (186 N·m)
1988
The 626 was updated for 1988 on the GD platform, also used by the previous-year Capella. It was available as a sedan and 5-door hatchback while the coupe was renamed MX-6. The MX-6 was built in Michigan alongside it's platform-mate, the Ford Probe at AutoAlliance International, while the 626 was still a Japanese import.
Consumer response was strong, and Car and Driver magazine named the 626 and MX-6 to their Ten Best list for 1988.
Engines were new and more powerful. The base model now used Mazda's 2.2 L F2 producing just 6 hp (4.5 kW) shy of the old Turbo, and the new Turbo was up to 145 hp (108 kW), which some suspected was an extreme case of underrating. 4-wheel-steering debuted on the 626 Turbo in 1988 (to mixed reviews) and was transferred to the MX-6 Turbo one year later, but was not very successful and died after 1990, never to be seen on a Mazda again. Mazda's system was electronic and more complex than the 4WS system introduced by Honda on the 1988 Prelude; these two marked the first 4WS systems for the American market.
Engine options:
1993
In 1993 the Mazda 626 saw big changes in body style and powerplants since the 626 moved to an entirely different platform. It was now based on the GE platform along with Mazda's more upmarket Cronos. The 626 was again Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for a second time in 1992. The very first 1993 Mazda 626 was assembled in Flat Rock, Michigan on July 1, 1992.
Changes like new transmissions were designed to give the car more of a "sports car" feel, and production was moved to AutoAlliance along the MX-6 and Ford Probe. This, and the car's component sources, allowed the 626 to be certified as the first official Japanese-branded domestic car. The wagon and hatchback models were dropped for the US market but retained elsewhere alongside the sedan.
Mazda's 2.5 L V6 engine (enlarged from the 1.8 L V6 on the 1992 MX-3) debuted to rave reviews. Though the manual transmission was highly regarded, 626s were still saddled with an easily confused automatic transmission. Used-car shoppers should especially beware of 4-cylinder 626s from 1994 through 1997, which have extremely repair-prone Ford automatics.
Engine options:
1998
Mazda_626_Kombi_Green.jpg
1998 brought the fifth-generation 626, now on the GF platform, again built by AutoAlliance International in Flat Rock, Michigan. Its MX-6 and Ford Probe derivations were gone.
From 1997 through 1999 the 626 was given an engine overhaul to give it better pedal feel. However, as most car reviews will attest, it was a bland vehicle with softer handling and fewer features than the 1993–1997 version.
The final Mazda 626 rolled off the Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant on August 30, 2002.
Engine options:
- 1998-2002 1.8 L F I4, 100 hp (74 kW)
- 1998-2002 2.0 L F I4, 125 hp (93 kW)
- 1998-2002 2.5 L KL V6, 170 hp (126 kW)
2003
The 626/Capella was replaced with the GG platform Mazda6 (called the Atenza in Japan) in 2002. The Mazda6 is now sold across the world in 3 different body styles: sedan, 5 door hatchback and wagon. World sales have been good for the 6 despite a slower take off in North America.
Few would disagree that this is a vast improvement over the 626 in terms of interior room, styling, or powertrains. Mazda's new 4-cylinder is a much-improved 2.3 L 4 with 160 hp (119 kW); the V6 was taken from Ford's Taurus. Mazda was the last of the Japanese to increase its entry to "midsize" status; the 6 is still the smallest (and most agile) of the bunch. Wagon and 5-door hatchbacks were added for 2004. The Mazda 6 will serve as the basis for the 2006 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr.
The first Mazda6 rolled off the Flat Rock, Michigan assembly line on October 1, 2002, one month after production of the 626 ended.
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