The Mazda 6 uses a new double wishbone front and lateral link rear suspension design, with revised rack-and-pinion steering. The Sport version uses relatively skinny 215/50VR17 Michelin tires; standard tires are 205/60R16s. Grip is very, very good right up to the point where the front end pushes, telling you to lighten up. Other mid-size sedans lose grip far sooner than the Mazda 6. The amount of power-steering assist backs off the faster you go, to give a really nice feel, though still on the light side, at high speeds.

Ride quality is plusher than we were expecting, but body roll is nicely controlled by the lateral link rear suspension and the standard front and rear stabilizer bars. Road and wind noise do come through, however. This car is not as quiet as the new Accord and the road noise is relatively pronounced on broken pavement. We felt that the extra bodywork on the Sport version we drove may have been the generator of a bit more road and wind noise than we would have liked, because other models that we drove didn't carry as much total noise as the Sport version.

The Mazda 6 offers better braking than the other cars in this class, stopping in shorter distances. The anti-lock brakes demonstrated a marked propensity to arrest forward motion, with solid, progressive pedal feel, and good resistance to fading from prolonged heat buildup.

The Mazda 6i is a hoot to drive. Order it with the five-speed manual and you'll find the fun zone starts at about 4000 rpm where it's very responsive. This engine loves to rev and the manual gearbox is fun to row. Below 3000 rpm, however, the double overhead-cam four-cylinder engine lacks strong throttle response. Mazda's 2.3-liter four-cylinder provides the 6i with acceleration performance that's on par with other four-cylinder mid-size sedans. The new Accord may be slightly quicker, but the Mazda feels sportier. Overall, the Mazda 6i is feels younger and far sportier than the other mid-size sedans, especially when equipped with the Sport Package. Fuel economy from a Mazda 6i with manual gearbox is below the class average, however, EPA-rated at 20/27 mpg.

The 3.0-liter V6 engine found in the Mazda 6s greatly increases the fun. Mazda's V6 uses variable valve timing, providing plenty of low-down torque, a willingness to rev, good gas mileage, and a nice set of sounds from the air intake system and the dual exhaust system.

The automatic transmission with the optional manual shifting strategy was a very good companion for the flexible engine, interrupting torque on both upshifts and downshifts for smooth, positive shifting without that secondary, rubbery bump that some front-drive transaxles generate. The Sport AT automatic transmission offers a manual mode. Pull back on the stick to upshift, push forward to downshift.