Exterior

How could Mazda not get attention with a sedan this good-looking? My Sangria Red test car didn't necessarily draw stares, but it stood out when parked in my driveway on a suburban street. It looked like it came from another planet compared with the other family-haulers in my neighborhood.

The bulging headlights and radically curved front fenders are undoubtedly the features that most set the 6 apart in its class. Unlike a lot of recent designs, the 6 isn't a polarizing vehicle. It's more handsome than jaw-dropping, and I prefer the look to Ford's new Fusion sedan or the Chevy Malibu, let alone more staid imports like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.

If you were shopping this class on looks alone, I think the Mazda6 might win outright.

    See also:

    Safety & Reliability
    In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests, the CX-7 earned top scores in both front and side-impact tests. Standard safety features include antilock brakes, traction control and an ele ...

    Interior Design - Roominess and Quality
    Despite looking more like a sports car than an SUV on the outside, on the inside Mazda CX9 uses its full size - with a length of 5,089 mm, a width of 1,936 mm and height of 1,728 mm - to deliver S ...

    Interior
    Inside, I can see fewer people loving the two-tone color scheme and sport-oriented layout of the dashboard. It screams more tech-geek-friendly than family-friendly, but the quality is certainly on ...