2009 Mazda 6 Grand Touring

A nice ride for the casual dog driver

Fri, Jun 19th 2009

As I punch the ignition button, a digital display lights up. Zoom Zoom, it reads. Zoom Zoom indeed.

Before I decided a few years ago that three dogs — even small ones — called for a station wagon, the then newly introduced Mazda 6 had been at the top of my list as I shopped for a new car. Its power, sporty handling and sleek lines all held appeal for me, and I regretfully passed it over for a vehicle that was more practical for my needs.

I was delighted, then, to have the opportunity to drive a 2009 version of the Mazda 6. But would it offer the same driving pleasure that the first one promised? And would I regret my earlier decision?

The original 6 has grown up and gotten sophisticated, but she hasn’t forgotten her sports car roots. I took her and her six-speed shifter up the I-5 Freeway at rush hour, and the traffic gods smiled on us. We achieved the maximum speed limit in short order and smooth style if not at race car speed.

Luxury features that I appreciated were a power driver seat with three memory settings, a blind spot monitoring system, a center console with good storage, and the “welcome” lighting system. There’s nothing more annoying than fumbling around for the ignition in a car at night. It also has many other attractive features — heated front seats and a power passenger seat, a jack for an MP3 player, dual zone climate control and Bluetooth audio, to name just a few.

The question remains: Is it a dog car? Well, only in the sense that a medium-size crate or two will fit in the back seat. And a dog the size of a Greyhound could ride comfortably stretched out on the backseat just as our late dog did on many a road trip when the only car we had was a sedan.

The 6 has 60/40 split fold-down rear seats, which — once you figure out how to lower them — could be useful for expanding the carrying capacity of the already-spacious trunk. It gets points for driveability, but serious dog-sport aficionados will want an SUV or van. But if you’re looking for a passenger car that will only occasional haul your dog to vet appointments or other brief trips around town, the 6 is definitely one to consider.

Me? I’m satisfied that I made the right choice.

-- Kim Campbell Thornton

Carguy Comments: The Mazda 6i comes in four trim levels -- the SV, Sport , Touring and Grand Touring -- while the Mazda 6s comes in Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. The iddference is that the "i" version features a smaller, 2.5 liter inline four cylinder engine with 170 horsepower while the "s" version is powered by a V-6 that puts out 272 horsepower. Cargo volume for the small sedan is 16.6 cubic feet and passenger voloume is 101.9 cubic feet.

-- Keith Turner, The Family Car

Barking Lot Banter: The original "Zoom Zoom" model for Mazda, the 6 is fun to drive for the casual dog traveler.