The Mazda 626 is a lot more fun to drive, however. This car has a personality. It provides excellent communication between the driver and the road. It steers so precise, so exactly where you want it to go, that each corner on the route home becomes remarkable.

Downshift into a lower gear and the V6 growls to life. That V6 is a smooth and gutsy 2.5-liter engine that produces 170 horsepower and 163 foot-pounds of torque. That doesn't quite measure up to Honda's superb VTEC V6, which delivers a full 200 horsepower, but the 626 driver should have no trouble keeping up with Accords and Camrys. More important, the 626 delivers a sporty exhaust note that is pleasing to the ear; the Mazda is fun to rev.

Mazda's 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine features twin-cams and 16 valves rated at 125 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 127 foot-pounds of torque at 3000 rpm. It provides good performance and is rated by the EPA at 26 mpg City/33 mpg Highway.

Completing the performance picture is Mazda's crisp-shifting 5-speed manual transmission. In contrast to most other vehicles in this segment, Mazda makes the stick a standard feature on all 626 models. The four-speed automatic transmission, on the other hand, shifts smoothly and there is minimal hunting between gears on uneven terrain.

The Mazda 626 is built on a highly rigid chassis, which provides a platform capable of delivering excellent handling and a smooth ride quality. The suspension employs MacPherson struts up front and Mazda's twin-trapezoidal links in the rear, plus big stabilizer bars at both ends. Potholes and road vibration are damped well, while noise is held in check through careful application of sound deadening insulation. Steering is variable-rate power-assisted rack-and-pinion. Four-wheel disc brakes are complemented with optional ABS and traction control. Anti-lock brakes allow the driver to maintain steering control in emergency braking maneuvers, while traction control reduces front wheel spin in slippery conditions.