Maybe the 6-wagon died as the 5 picked up sales? Would be great if they got the 6 cyl into the 5. The fuel economy in real world driving would likely not be much different than the 6-wagon is/was, but would improve drivability immensely.
The 3.0 in the MPV moves much more spritely with all it's bulk than the 2.3 in my more diminutive 5.
Or...a torquey diesel.
PS, BIG fan of the test driving the more baseline vehicles!
Don't think the 6 would fit in the Mazda 5. Too big too heavy. Mazdaspeed 5 anyone? Kidding but maybe a detuned version of the turbo engine from the Cx7 in the 5 would do the trick. 158 hp in a Mazda 3 that will usually haul around 2 people and at most 4 and a little gear is OK but for something like the 5 that will haul 5 people and gear its just not enough. In terms of fuel economy the advertised #s with the 2.3 (given testing process) will be better but my guess is that in real world a more powerful engine might actually get comperable numbers becuase you don't have to drive with your foot on the floor just to move those 5 passangers and gear.
As for the 6 sport I wish more manufacturers offered a hatch like this in the Midsized class. Unfortunatley while the 6 is a nice handeling car for its class its really starting to age IMO. Too bad ford wouldn't do a Fusion sport. The high (Numerically)gearing used in these manual tranny 4cyl to make them seem peppy is a real drag. It makes long distance commuting a lot less enjoyable.
