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2009 Mazda6 caught in the wild, sort of
Click above for high-res gallery of all-new Mazda6 shots
Few cars have generated as much traffic for Autoblog lately as the all-new 2009 Mazda6. We have been talking about this car for a long time, sharing pics and renderings, rumors and speculation. While Mazda shared some official pics of the U.S. version recently, we just received some shots of one sitting out in the open that we wanted to share. Submitted by avid Autoblog reader Andre R., these dozen or so shots show a beautiful blue (blue is the new white apparently) sample parked next to a current generation Mazda6. The differences are pretty striking when these two vehicles can be viewed together. The front fascia and wheels are a touch busy, but what a beautiful shape Mazda designers have given the new 6.
Although similar to the Japanese and European-market versions, the USDM car gets the signature bisected grille with foglamps housed in silver pots at the lower corners of the front air dam. As we pointed out when the first official shots were released, the trunk, rear bumper, and exhaust are also different and arguably better looking than the simpler Japanese and Europeans versions. These photos also give us a glimpse of the interior, and we'll reserve judgment on how it functions until we get some seat time. The dash isn't the best we've seen and the seat material looks odd, but it could be the glass giving odd reflections. Thanks for the pics, Andre!
Gallery: 2009 Mazda6 in the wild
Gallery: 2009 Mazda6
[Source: Mazda]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
CARversation.com 6:10PM (6/16/2008)
is that in irvine?
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zamafir 7:20PM (6/16/2008)
yes, it was at cars n coffee. Actually, there were two :). As mentioned the seat material looked odd, and the car looks pretty odd from a few angles as well. Bonus points to mazda for copying the LS and IS-F with those integrated exhaust chrome bits and detached actual exhaust (from said bits).
If anyone wants to see i'll fire off the pic to autoblog.
DW 7:20PM (6/16/2008)
yea, im pretty sure i saw that exact same car driving north up Jamboree (at the corner of Main) like a month ago. i knew i wasn't crazy
Victor 1:05AM (6/17/2008)
the WATG bulding is right behind there in one of the pics. I have a friend who works for WATG there in Irvine. (http://www.watg.com/)
Eek 6:10PM (6/16/2008)
I don't understand how this is good looking. It's far too "droopy."
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Torrent 6:15PM (6/16/2008)
More like "swoopy" which is really nice IMHO.
Eek 6:22PM (6/16/2008)
I don't know. I admit there are some nice qualities about it. And I'm happy they're doing something different. After all, it could be worse. It could be the new Maxima.
Richard 8:20PM (6/16/2008)
Yeah. It is kind of droopy. It'll need a nip and tuck quickly. And what's with those bubble tail lamps?
Big Rocket 8:40PM (6/16/2008)
Torrent: Have you seen the Japanese/European version? That one is swoopy, this one is droopy.
CARversation.com 6:12PM (6/16/2008)
^ Ya that is Irvine center drive. Damn I'm good just by background I knew.
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Adrian 7:03PM (6/16/2008)
Haha, I recognized it too, but not by the backgrounds. It was from the green parking lines. I was just over there the other day eating at the Pastrami shop.
Luis 6:12PM (6/16/2008)
In a world of look-alikes, it still manages to look different. I'd like to see the sport version.
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Torrent 6:14PM (6/16/2008)
I'm sad because this would make a great wagon.
Great overall shape, though. The CX-9 has great taillamps, and I see Mazda has worked them into the 6 successfully.
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Jruhi4 6:15PM (6/16/2008)
Too bad that Mazda made the boneheaded decision of killing the V6/manual combo for the new Mazda6.
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StickShift 6:18PM (6/16/2008)
Too bad there aren't enough people who would buy that combo for Mazda to justify producing one.
mk 10:48PM (6/16/2008)
How hard is Build-to-order?
And I thought Mazda was all about the Zoom-zoom.
Auto-only is Ford-like BS.
I like mazda, I own a mazda, but they seem to be getting bland in execution, and not delivering on their concepts.
ASEVENSEE4 12:37AM (6/17/2008)
Riight, it's all about what sells, and Manuals don't sell, you would rather have Mazda fall flat on their face again like in the 90's?
The CX CrossSport looks damn close to the CX-7.
It costs money to put a Manual into any car, Mazda clearly thought they would not get a return on doing so. I guess you forgot about that?
Daniel Cowan 6:25PM (6/16/2008)
That's a Mazda 3, not a Mazda 6. It doesn't compare if it is not the same car.
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Sean 6:30PM (6/16/2008)
The old 6 is behind the 3.
Daniel Cowan 8:03PM (6/16/2008)
Ok, I didn't look at the pictures after the jump, my mistake. I may have to look at it some more to compare, but I didn't see the pictures. A mistake on my front, and I will take more time to see this, and come up with my own conclusions.