When it comes to sporty handling, the 2008 Mazda6 is among the best in the class. It offers better road holding than the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Nissan Altima, as well as better transient response in quick lane-change maneuvers. The Mazda6 just feels sharper and more agile than those other cars.

Zoom-zoom is in plentiful supply regardless of which model you choose. The four-cylinder Mazda6i is a hoot to drive. Order it with the five-speed manual and the fun zone starts at about 4000 rpm, where the engine is very responsive. The 2.3-liter, double-overhead-cam engine loves to rev and acceleration is on par with that of other four-cylinder mid-size sedans. The Honda Accord may be a little quicker, but the Mazda feels younger and sportier. Below 3000 rpm, however, the four-cylinder lacks strong throttle response. We like it with the manual gearbox, but we have not tried it with the five-speed automatic. The manual shifter felt mushy to us at first, but that initial impression quickly faded and we found it fun to shift.

Four-cylinders with the manual transmission are the most economical Mazda6 models, being EPA-rated at 21/29 mpg city/highway. Automatics surrender just one highway mpg and are classified as Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles, or PZEVs, in the eight states that require California emissions standards; in other states they are merely Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles (SULEV).

The 3.0-liter V6 in the Mazda6s greatly increases the fun. It benefits from continuously variable valve timing (VVT) for its intake camshaft, providing strong torque at low rpm, a willingness to rev, good gas mileage, and nice sounds from the air intake and dual exhausts. The Mazda V6 doesn't feel like it has as much low-rpm torque as the Toyota and Honda V6s, but it loves to rev and it's a lot of fun to drive.

Both engines are made of aluminum to keep the Mazda6 from getting too heavy, which it isn't, at 3378 pounds for the V6 automatic sedan.

The six-speed automatic is really smooth, yet shifting is crisp. All those gears provide improved gear spacing for the V6, keeping it in its power band under all circumstances. Having six forward gears allowed Mazda engineers to select low ratios for first and second to maximize off-the-line acceleration, tall top gears for effortless cruising, and mid-range gears optimized for snappy acceleration from highway speeds. The Sport Shift mode allows the driver to shift manually by pulling back to upshift, pushing forward to downshift.

Handling is excellent. The Mazda6 doesn't lean much in corners, body roll being nicely controlled by the front and rear anti-roll bars. The Mazda6 comes standard with a sports suspension with double wishbones up front, a lateral-link layout in the rear, and coil springs all around. Tires on even the base models are now generously sized at 215/50VR17, with lower-profile 215/45WR18s on V6 Grand Touring models.

Grip is tenacious, right up to the point where the front end pushes, telling you to lighten up; and this understeer doesn't occur until you've reached competition-level speeds. Other mid-size sedans lose grip far sooner than the Mazda6. The amount of power-steering assist backs off the faster you go, to give good road feel, although it's still on the light side at high speeds.

The Mazda6 doesn't feel as refined as the Honda Accord does. Ride quality is generally good, bit it can get a little jouncy on certain types of pavement and some road vibration comes through. Road noise is relatively pronounced on broken pavement, especially with the Sport trim. Wind noise comes through as well; we noticed this was particularly true with all but the base model and suspect the aerodynamic enhancements that come with the Sport VE and above may be the cause. But none of this is as uncomfortable as it sounds when described in print, and the upside is that the driver is closely attuned to the driving conditions.

The brakes are excellent. The pedal has a progressive feel in normal everyday driving. The Mazda6 can stop more quickly than other midsize cars and the brakes resist fading (loss of performance from heat buildup) when driving hard for extended periods of time, both benefits at least partly due to the lighter weight of the car. The standard ABS helps the driver maintain steering control in a panic braking situation by eliminating wheel lockup. Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) adjusts braking force front to rear depending on the load for improved stability and braking performance. For example, the rear brakes work harder when there are passengers in the back seat, but brake pressure to the rear is lessened under light loads to avoid locking the rear wheels.

The traction control system (TCS) helps maintain directional stability regardless of road conditions. If the TCS controller senses that the front and rear wheel speeds are out of sync on a slick surface due to loss of grip, the engine computer reduces engine power automatically. This reaction is both instantaneous and seamless to the driver.

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