I still remember flipping through an old Car magazine at a newsagent near my house, and an article on the Mazda 626 took me right back to the excitement people felt buying a family car in the early days. Back then, a used car buyer had plenty of options a medium range Ford, a Vauxhall, or a Renault but none of them felt quite as distinct as the 626.
My uncle worked a part-time job on Sunday morning at a garage, and he always said this Japanese saloon had great reliability and excellent build quality that put its European rivals to shame.
Unlike cars weighed down with add-on stripes and plastic spoilers, the 626 kept things clean, and its five-door hatchback shape still looks unique even decades later. It came with high equipment, strong Japanese strengths, and a build quality that helped it hold value far better than a typical motorway mile-cruncher built only for a biscuit rep.
Whether you found it in saloons, estates, or the popular five-door body style, buyers usually chose between 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre petrol engines, and dealers often advertised them at knockdown prices compared to other fleet favourites.
I once read a 1983 issue that featured a GIANT TEST comparing the Renault 5 GTX, the Ford Fiesta XR2, the MG Metro, the Citroën Visa GT, and the Fiat 127 Sport, tucked right beside a short review of the MG Metro Turbo, which felt like a real novelty at the time.
That same Newcomers section introduced the third generation 626, a car that, looking back, feels almost prescient, the same way a 1986 episode of Motorweek reviewing the 626 GT could describe a modern Mazda built in 2024.
It’s a bit like that David Burgess Wise piece about a Bugatti Type 35T returning to the Targa Florio some machines simply age well, no matter how much horsepower, how many auto show appearances, or how much public broadcasting coverage they get along the way. A test drive in a 626 still tells that story today.
Models
The Models Covered by Mazda ran from February 1992 all the way through to 2002, giving buyers a long stretch of choice. Between 1992-1997, shoppers could pick a 4dr, 5dr, or Estate body, with engine options spanning 1.8, 2.0, 2.5V6, and 2.0D-CX, sold under trim names like LX, GLX, GXI, and Exec GT.
From 1997 onward, the lineup shifted again, still offering the 4dr, 5dr, and Estate shapes but now with 1.8, 2.0, and 2.0D engines. Trim badges changed too, moving to LXi, GXi, GSi, SEi, and eventually a Sport edition. This spread of choices meant almost any family could find a 626 that matched their budget and needs.
History
Every good history starts somewhere, and for the 626 it began in 1992, the year Mazda brought the car into a proper modern era while keeping its traditional Mazda virtues intact.
The five-door variants stood out with flowing futuristic lines, offering a real break from conformity compared to the plainer saloon and estate body styles, and buyers could pick 2.0-litre petrol power in LX or GLX trim, plus the punchy 2.5-litre V6 borrowed from the MX-6 sports coupe, with a 2.0-litre GLX estate joining soon after.
By March 1994, Mazda added an entry-level LX, and that September 1994 brought a short-lived supercharged diesel called the D-CX, which lasted only four months. January 1995 saw a chrome grille and a new driver’s airbag, right around the time the V6 variants were dropped in favor of a top-spec Executive trim.
Then 1996 brought fresh GXi models along with LX-based special editions named Mystique and Atlantis neither worth much over a standard car.
June 1997 marked the arrival of an all-new 626, though the re-worked engines felt like carry-overs, and the saloon now came only in two-litre form. Trim levels expanded to LXi, GSi, and SEi, all offering air conditioning as standard, with four-door and five-door variants launching first, an estate joining in Spring 1998, and a turbo diesel following soon after.
The October 1999 update, unveiled at the London Motor Show, brought a restyled nose with a five-point grille, fresh bonnet and front wings, styling links to the Premacy and MPV, a power boost for the 1.8-litre, small cabin revisions, and a new Sport derivative, before the whole range gave way to the Mazda6 in Summer 2002. Throughout, the related Xedos 6 carried the badge’s more upscale ambitions.
What You Get
Owning one of these meant getting something genuinely different from the Mondeos and Cavaliers filling every car park. The V6 and D-CX models stood out as the most interesting picks, and every 626 came with a three-year warranty covering 60,000 mile warranty terms, though most owners barely needed to use it thanks to the car’s dependability.
The post-1997 cars were especially well equipped, featuring dual airbags and automatic climate control as part of the package. That changed slightly with the 1999 facelift, when standard air-con replaced climate control on every trim except the top model.
What to Look For
Honestly, there isn’t much to worry about beyond the usual cosmetic stuff you’d check on any secondhand car. Some owners notice rattly engines at start-up, which usually happens because the hydraulic tappets drain dry if the car sits unused for a few days.
Parts prices aren’t especially cheap, so it pays to do your homework before buying. Most examples turn up at Mazda dealerships, and while that often means higher prices, you get the peace of mind of a proper comprehensive warranty programme in return.
Replacement Parts
Based on a 1993 1.8I 5dr, a clutch assembly runs around £155, while front brake pads cost roughly £60. A full exhaust main silencer comes to about £150, and a catalyst sits closer to £315.
An alternator exchange costs around £350, and a headlamp adds about £100 more. None of these numbers will shock anyone shopping for a family saloon of this age.
On the Road
Climb inside and the cabin still feels relatively fresh, even if the styling is clearly Japanese in character. The wide expanse of glass gives the cabin a light airy place to sit, and the angular look of later models trades some of the earlier car’s curvy lines without losing that airy feel.
That wind tunnel-developed shape produced a slippery profile of 0.29, better than Mazda’s own MX-6 sports coupe, and it shows in the smooth refinement you feel while cruising over poor surfaces. The 1992-1997 cars leaned on a colour scheme of blacks and greys, later shifting to softer two-tone shades, but the car never tried to mimic a German sports saloon that job stayed with the Xedos 6.
Instead, everything about the driving position, the seats, and the equipment levels points toward efficiency. The controls respond with a quality click, the seats stay comfortable and supportive, and the gearchange moves like a knife through butter, paired with responsive brakes for genuinely smooth undemanding driving.
Overall
At the end of the day, the 626 is the sensible thinking buyer’s pick among family cars. It won’t excite you the way a hot hatch might, but you also won’t feel disappointed the 626 simply does its job as a family person’s choice.
The Third-Generation 626 (GC), 1983
Looking back at the third generation 626, known by its model designation GC, I can see why it felt like a genuine class contender the moment it launched in 1982. It looked more aerodynamic than the Cavalier or Ascona, calmer than the Sierra, and arrived before the
Montego, the BX, or the Renault R18 ever reached showrooms the 5-door version, with its clam-shell rear hatch, felt genuinely sophisticated and refined design work for its class.
Sales tell a different story, though. Under the gentlemen’s agreement limiting imports into the EEC, Japanese manufacturers faced an 11% UK market cap per annum, with Mazda allotted
share sitting at just 1% once the 323 took its portion, Mazda could sell only 4,855 626s in 1983, far below monthly Sierra sales. Autocar writer Cropley still called it one of the most fully developed Japanese cars ever built, a bold claim from someone who clearly admired the car.
The plant itself, based in Hofu, southern Japan, went from empty ground to full production in just 18 months, eventually building 20,000 cars a month using a workforce of 1,800 people alongside 155 robots impressive sales figures and stats considering the era.
The hatch managed a Cd 0.35, respectable next to the Sierra’s own amorphous styling, and buyers chose between 1.6L and 2.0L four-cylinder in-line engines, both running 8 valves with power and torque figures that beat Ford’s equivalents.
Suspension used independent struts all around, with Twin Trapezoidal Links at the rear fighting the usual toe-out problem during hard cornering or bumps, and the coupé added three-way adjustable dampers with normal sport automatic settings.
Inside, the 99 inch wheelbase limited rear space, the seats carried heavy lumbar support and thigh-support bolsters, and plush trims used draylon-effect cloth trim in caramel or deep blue, with matching hues across the dashboard and door trim plastic a detail I noticed again years later in a Honda Integra from a similar era.
The dashboard blended classic Japanese design with a touch of Citroën GS, arranging minor controls around the instrument binnacle like Piano keys; Cropley noted that the 4-door saloon got its own sober solution, which he preferred over the hatch both outside and in. To drive, the 626 offered competent handling, a refined ride, and smooth wheezy engines, held back only by some vagueness in the steering near the straight-ahead, a flaw common to front drive saloons of that time.
The 626 GC won Car of the Year in Japan, then placed fifth in the 1983 ECotY the highest Japanese car finish recorded up to that point, despite demand in the European marketplace never being met by real supply.
Like the 3rd gen Accord that followed in 1985, this breakthrough Japanese model proved that Japan could design something genuinely desirable to European tastes, even if Cropley patronizingly guessed the look came from a European design house such as Bertone.
These days, its torch-bearer, the Mazda 6, has aged well and stayed handsome, with the next 6 rumored to go RWD with an in-line six-cylinder engine hopefully as modern and neat as its 40 year old forebear.
The 1986 Mazda 626 GT
The turbocharged Mazda 626 GT sat at the top of the non-rotary Mazda line in 1986, its forced induction 2.0-liter engine producing 120 horsepower and 150 lb-ft torque in US spec. For comparison, a Toyota Camry from the same year made just 95 horsepower and 118 lb-ft torque, though the Japanese-market version of the 626 pushed out 143 hp.
Even with 23 fewer horses than that Japanese model, the US model still ran 60 mph in 9.1 seconds and finished the quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds at 84 mph. Motorweek compared the acceleration to a 3.0-liter V6, noting no turbo lag and no torque steer at all.
Disc brakes sat at all four corners, backed by an electronic auto-adjust suspension that adjusted damping based on suspension load, or the driver could flip a dash switch for sport mode or normal mode. Motorweek praised the handling, saying it beat similar systems in other Japanese cars, with strong cornering power and enough warning to recover even under hard control.
The ride stayed on the firm side, trading some comfort for genuine sports tuning, and the interior sound level could get a bit loud something I noticed myself while I daily drove a non-turbo GC 626 Coupe for months, dealing with old car problems and a clunky gearbox, yet still impressed by the interior quality.
Sized like a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, it packed features usually found on a Toyota Cressida or Nissan Maxima, including a 9-way adjustable driver’s seat with strong bolstering, headlight washers, 50/50 split folding seats, a 100-watt stereo with equalizer, oscillating vents, and an optional digital gauge cluster.
It wasn’t flawless at $13,195 it cost more than a top-spec Camry, and testers could out-steer the power steering pump, found the gearbox notchy, and noticed the analog dash lacked a voltage gauge and oil pressure gauge.
Still, it managed 31 mpg on the Owings Mill Maryland test loop, beating its rated 22 city and 28 highway mpg. Much like today’s Mazda 3 Turbo, the 626 GT saw terrible sales next to the Accords and Camrys of its era, making a surviving one genuinely rare after 38 years.
FAQs
Is the Mazda 626 a reliable family car?
Yes, the 626 is known for great reliability and excellent build quality, making it a trusted family car choice.
What engine options came with the 626?
Buyers could choose 1.8-litre, 2.0-litre, 2.5-litre V6, or 2.0D-CX petrol and diesel engines across different models.
Which body styles were available for the 626?
The 626 came as a 4dr saloon, 5dr five-door hatchback, and Estate, giving families flexible options.
How much does the Mazda 626 hold its value?
Thanks to its excellent build quality and great reliability, the Mazda 626 genuinely manages to hold value better than many rivals.
What made the Mazda 626 GT special in 1986?
The turbocharged 626 GT delivered 120 horsepower, sharp handling, and a driving feel still admired by fans of modern Mazda cars today.
