over previous powertrains 2 and ~ 34 — Friday, September 12, 1997 — - and roomier 626 at Wolfe some increases in horsepower, the trend las been to carry © other mechanical bits and: . concentrate on improving the | side, reducing noise levels,” ~ -and imp: ‘oving | fuel ¢ consump- ° “ ‘There has also been ay “and features thar aren’t selling .80 well — for example, station, » wagons ;and coupes are >, becoming rarer. « Tne.1998 626 sedan fol- _ lows the sarae theme as its competitors: it has different, <@®> more conservative styling, 2 66 min (2.4 inch) stretch in the wheelbase which increases _ interior space, more sound “Noe - insulation and a quieter pas- : senger cabin, and an improved tide. ‘The previous power- trains, with a litle more horsepower, have been carried if. 505 Rou iazda at 1695 F North Shore News ancouver doned the aerodynainic but “ot necessarily dynamic styling of its predecessor for a more conventional sedan shape, . perhaps reflecting the conserv- fi sedan buy ers, Even so, the new lan has a comparable (6.33) ‘Coefficient of drag, claims Mazda. The side windows have been “pushed out” to add 3 cm more shoulder room and the longer wheel- base adds an extra 3 cm of ~ rear seat legroom. In addition, longer rear doors make entry to the rear seat easier. Overall, the 626 interior feels considerably more spacious. . ” More sound insulation and new triple door seals have contributed to a noticeably “quieter | interior. ‘The new design also means "a larger trunk which has increased in size by 1.5% to 14.2 cubic feet. The new trunk will accommodate four sets of golf clubs, says Mazda. © All 626 models now come with a standard AM/FM radio and CD player or cas- sette player, and the Complete system check the 1998 626 moves irito the mai (294-4299 redesigned dash includes rotary dials for the fan and 7 semperatire controls instead iding levers, and a 25% ‘larger glovebox and console storage bin. The ventilation "System continues to use Mazd2’s unique oscillating ‘vent'slats. Center rear passen- gers now have a new three- point lap and shoulder belt. A longer wheelbase and .. softer shock absorbers means the 626 has a more pleasant highway ride and is less harsh over bumps. To counter the softer shocks, stabilizer bars were iviade thicker to reduce body roll. The 626 is still a fin car to drive on a winding highway (considerably more camy) an Accord ra lowever, it doesn’t . feel quite so nimble as before. To pro-ide more grip on slippery surfaces, a new trac-" tion control system is available on ES-V6 models. When loss of grip is detected in the dri- ving wheels, the system auto- .- matically reduces the throttle unti traction is regained. -The traction control system can be disabled by a button on the dashboard, The base 2.0-litre DOHC 16 valve four-cylinder engine, available on DX and LX mod- els, now has 125 horsepower, 10% from 114 horsepower. Tk: V6 and ES-V6 models have a 2.5-lime DOHC 24 valve V6 engine with 170° horsepower, up 4% from 164. Despite this increase in horsepower, Mazda’s power- plants sa fall short of com- titor’s horsepower ratings. However, Mazda claims the 626 is lighter than compara- Mazda 626 technicai data Base price: N/A Type: four-door, five-passen- ger sedan Layout: transverse front engine/front-wheel-drive . Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylin- der, DOHC, 16 valves Horsepower: 125 @ 5000 ‘Torque: 127 @ 3000 r.p.m. Transmission: five-speed manual (4 speed automatic) Tires: P185/70R-14 urb weight: 1269 kg Wheelbase: 2670 mm (105.1 in.) Length: 4745 mm (186.8 in.) ; Width: 1766 mm (68.3 in.) asiehe 1400 mm (55.1 in Buel consumption: City — 9.0 1/100 km (31 mp.g.); Hwy — 6.6 1/100 km (43 m.p.g.) Warranty: Basic — three years/80,00 km; . . Cc ; ; | (2,798 Il years/1 Lg * Front wheel bearing service ; * Machining of front rotors ¢ Installing new metallic pads * Topping up fluid : * Complete road test _ REDESIGNED for 1998, the Mazda 626 ts @ roomier Interlor. anda larger trunk, a smoother ride, and a redesigned interior. With ts new, more convenitonal: instream occupied by the more popular Handa Accord and Toyota Camry. : Test ‘ative the new . bly: ‘sized competitors, 50] formance is comparable. quick check of the curb weights of the Accord and reveals that the four--- ilograms 6 Accord and 102. ing less than a V6" ech four-‘and six-cylinder * * engines can still be had with five- manual or four- speed automatic transmission . (automatic transmissions are becoming increasingly rare with V6 engines). The auto- matic transmissi sion has been re-programmed to avoi pear! honing” when climb- . ing grades. As before, front disc/rear ‘drum brakes are standard on four-cylinder models, but anti- lock brakes are no longer ; available as an option on the four-cylinder 626. V6 models still have standard tour wheel disc brakes — anti-lock brakes are optional on LX-V6 models and standard on ES-V6 mod- ‘styling continued MX-6 Coupe The 626 has been built in Mazda/Ford plant in’ Rock, Michigan since 1989. With its new, more con ventional styling and roo ce: passenger compartment, the 1998 626 moves into the : mainstream occupied by the