Spotted: a 1991 Mazda 626

As the name suggests, the Mazda 626 is the direct predecessor of the Mazda 6. A model line (and even a model generation) that has also been around for a while. The 626 is better known in some parts of the world, including homeland Japan, as the Mazda Capella. Its first model generation hit the market in 1970. Also in Europe, but here the model was still called 616. Since the second model generation in 1978, the model has been called 626.

The spotted specimen

In the North Holland village of Blokker, we saw this 1991 Mazda 626 2.0i GLX Hatchback. It was unfortunately parked half in the shade, but that didn’t stop us from photographing it. He does deserve that. After all, the car is not only original Dutch, it still looks very clean and completely original.

Fourth-generation Mazda 626

The Mazda 626 of the model spotted is a late of the fourth generation, if we include the 616. This model was delivered from 1987 through (late) 1991. That is, most body styles. The station wagon was still allowed to continue through 1997, since a station wagon of the succeeding model generation was never developed. Other body variants of this generation 626 were a four-door sedan and the five-door Hatchback we spotted, although that is actually a liftback. Finally, there was also a two-door coupe, something sadly unthinkable in this market segment today….

Engineering of the Mazda 626

Otherwise, this model Mazda 626 was primarily a reliable and solid business or family car, offering relatively good value for money. At least compared to the German competition. The engine lineup consisted (somewhat depending on the market) of 1.6-, 1.8-, 2.0- and 2.2-liter four-cylinders. Mainly gasoline engines and a few diesels. For the transmission, depending on the version, there was a choice of a four- or five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic. Drive went to the front wheels for almost all models, but there were also all-wheel-drive versions. Special at the time: in some markets, sporty GT and Turbo versions came with all-wheel steering.

Surprising family member

Apart from those somewhat sportier versions, the Mazda 626 was mostly a well-behaved mid-size car. This makes it all the more surprising that the technical platform of the 626 served as the basis for… the Ford Probe. That was a semi-sporty coupe primarily for the American market. Furthermore, the 626 shared its technology with the Mazda Persona, a sedan for the Japanese luxury segment. That car was in turn also sold as the Eunos 800. Eunos was briefly a sport-luxury sub-brand of Mazda for the Japanese market.

The Mazda 626 in the Netherlands

As common as the Mazda 626 once was, these days they are rare on the streets. However, there are still over 2,000 of them on Dutch license plates. These are all 626s together, from the first model from 1978 to the last one from 2002. Of the spotted model generation, 579 are still registered. We think that’s actually quite a lot, compared to how little you see them in traffic anymore. Where are all these cars?