I would say best in class qualifies as superb. Mazda earns best in class rankings more than any other mainstream brand. Not only are they the best looking, best driving, best interiors, etc., they are #2 in reliability only after Lexus in this years Consumer Reports ranking. Yet, people will still look the other way and think Toyota and Honda are still the most reliable.

 

My 1992 Mazda 626 2.5 V6 with 55 Series tires was so firm riding, I gave it to my sister.
To replace, I bought a 1994 Accord 2.2i 4 cylinder with 60 Series tires and a fairly beautiful ride.

Back then, my second sister bought the 323 1.8 V6 with 50 Series tires, which was even more firmer riding than the 626.

Back in the mid-1990's, Mazda went bankrupt, and their premium range of small capacity V6's were axed, including their premium RWD-based midsize Mazda 929.


In my experience, sporty niches sell poorly.
Upmarket niches sell poorly too.

Mazda would have been better off with a more comfortable design with wider appeal, and just focus on their marketing.

The problem for Mazda is that they spent so many decades building sporty niches, and it may be difficult to erase this reputation in the community - although if I'm not wrong, Mazda has never even tried to erase their reputation for sporty niches.


I last test drove a Mazda 3 in 2009, and it was gorgeous, slightly compact & firm riding.
In 2017, I test drove a Mazda 6 2.5 for my sister, and it was even more beautiful, yet slightly compact & firm riding too.


1993-97 Mazda 323 1.8 V6



1992-96 Mazda 626 2.5 V6

 

Mazda did drop the Zoom Zoom slogan.

 

^^^^ That 323 must not have been in the American market. The 323/Protege of that vintage sold in the U.S. looked like this. I know...I owned one for almost 5 years.



Also, in the American market, the small 1.8L V6 was not available on the 323/Protege....it came only as an option on the MX-3 sport-coupe.

 

You really know your cars Mike.
My 2nd sister was living in New Zealand with her husband at that time.
It was called a 323 Lantis 1.8 V6.

Your 323 Protege above was 1989-94?




Below is 1994-98 Mazda 323 Protege.




BTW, that 323 1.8 V6 above should have been 1994-98, but I incorectly typed as 1993-97...

 

Thanks. I drove Mazda sedans for a whole decade, from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. It was the brand I switched to when I finally got tired of Detroit's 1980s-vintage junk.


Yep....that at least partly explains it. The steering wheel is also on the right, which also indicates that it is not an American-market version either.

It was a 1990 Protege...the same body-shell/platform was used from 1990-1994. For 1995, they (IMO) screwed it up, used a smaller/less-powerful engine, cheapened/lightened the sheet metal, and used flimsier parts inside. I didn't like it at all.

A slightly reworked version of the late-1980s/early-90s 323/Protege sedan and hatchback, BTW, was also sold by Mercury as the Tracer.....which came about, of course, because Ford had a large controlling interest in Mazda at the time.

No problem......we all make typos once in a while.

 

We bought the last of the previous model, the years with the fully independant rear suspension, sportier driving, and more traditional styling. Its been a great car. I sat in the new one and didn't see what made it better than the one we got for $18,000. Its a care free appliance of a car and the Soul Red we bought still looks good, it always reminds me of the 2nd Gen Lexus IS

 

Mazda was always a smaller niche company. That's a good thing. It means you're not selling to the masses so you create cars that appeal to sporty buyers and styling that's not binary: cool, elegant vs either boring or ridiculous/overdone. The mistake Mazda made and the didn't realize it soon enough was offering awd and engine options on the Mazda 6 and for that matter, the 3.

Only now is Mazda offering awd on the 3. Ford captured the market quite nicely with the Fusion: awd and a variety of engines. Euro handling and ride etc. Of course, we know Ford is getting rid of the Fusion to go after the CUV crowd, but at least they tried.