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lEtbt CUa"=i (Ebampu W/HEELS SUPPLEMENT TO THE CANDIN CIIMPUO FRIDAY, MAY 22, 209 Impressive mianners and looks make the Mazda6 a standout By JIM ROBINSON Metroland Media Group Getting there, as they say, is hall the fun. On a recent family excursion to the Algonquin Park area for a few days vacation, I booked a 2009 Mazda6 GT V6 because it was a double standout last year. Firstly, it won its category (Best New Family Car, $22,000- $30,000) at the annual Automotive journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) Car of the Year awards. Then it almost took the overaîl COTY titie losing by one, single point to the Hyundai Genesis. Secondly, 1 promised myseif to reserve one for a week after the press introduction last faîl. That's because we normally get about 300 km behind the wheel which is neyer long enough to get a feel for the car. The 2009 model is easily the hest-looking Mazda6 one yet. From the front fenders back, you can see how the lines in some of Mazda's recent concepts were moulded into the overail structure. An example is a very subtle and elegiant "S" curve that flows fromn the high point of the roof down and back to t.he tip of the rear deck. But the most pronounced fea- ture of the external styling is the way the front fenders flare out like wings, and along with the five- point grille, gives the car the look of a broad arrow Starting with the RX-8 sportscar then the CX-7 CUV and more recently the 2010 Mazda3, this is now the signature TOP: The 2009 Mazda6 is bigger in ail dimensions wîth larger V-6 engine, and the 'soul of a sportscar' ride and handling have been greatl y improved. RIGHT: No place for backyard mechanics to work here as every square centimeter of the engine bay is used up for make way for the exterior styling. This is the 3.7-litre V6. styling eue for the entire model lineup. Proof that the stylists had done their job was an incident on the highway leading up t0 Huntsville. At one point, an older jeep with massively oversized tires came roaring up. Then the driver paced us before falling back and finally blasting past. But as he did, he gave us a 'thumbs Up' which impressed even my wile, who sad she had neyer seen that happen before. The 2009 Mazda6 is larger than tIhe previous version in, ever>' dimension. Wheelbase fa length- ened by 115 mm; overali length fa greater b>' 195 mm, while overaîl width f5 inereased b>' 60 mm. BotIs front and rear occupants benefit from more headroom, shoulder room, and legroom. Cargo capacit>' has grown by 39 litres to 469 litres. That 10 per cent increase in cargo volume resulft in a very high trunk deek. This was important to us as we had a lot to haul up north and back including our son, who fa one of those modem teena who are part of this new generition of big people who need lots of leg and shoulder room. Thse increase in the wheel- base of 4.5 inehes mostly went to increasing rear legroom wlsich my son appreciated. Helping things out greatly was thse 60/40 split rear seat that allowed the skis to fit laide the car. There is a drawback. In creating ail that trunk room the high deck lid makes reversing problematical. Ergo, you will have to be ver>' care- fl when backing up not to hit objects like posts. There is no parking assist audible warning available. Following Mazda Canada con- vention, there are two models, the base GS and the top trim GT. The US and GT start with a 2.5-litrc, DOIIC imie fou)tr cylinider enginc producing 170 hp and 167 lb/fi oi torque. Tbis is a larger version of Mazda's ubiquitous 2.3-litre engine that now makes more power witb better fuel economy. A six-speed manual transmission (rare in a mid-size sedan) is stan- dard and a five-speed automatie witb sequential manual mode is an option on the GS. Fuel numbers for the six-speed are l0.4/6.9L/100 km city/higbway and 9.7/6.7L/100 km city/highway for the auto. This is a case where the automatic is marginally better on gas than the manual. The GS V6 and GI V6 get a 3.7- litre DOHC engine similar to that found in the CX-9 seven-seat crossover. It produces 272 bp and 269 lb/lt of torque. The only trans- mission offered is a six-speed auto- matie with sequential mode that lists fuel consumption as 12.1/8.01J100 km city/bighway. The GS models (four-cylinder, $22,695 and V6, $27,695) come with four-wheel dise brakes witb se. 2009 MODEL on page 17