The Mazda 626 was a car made from 1979 to 2002, and encompassed five generations. It was a compact car for the first two generations, which lasted from 1979 to 1987. The Mazda 626 was a midsize car for the third, fourth and fifth generations, which lasted from 1988 to 2002.
Marketing
The Mazda 626 was made for the export market and was based on the Mazda Capella, which was sold only in Japan. The 626 was sold primarily in North America and Europe. It was also sold as the Ford Telstar in Asia, Australia and South Africa.
Body
The fifth generation of the Mazda 626 was made from 1998 to 2002. It was based on the Mazda GF platform and was available as a four-door sedan. The engine for the Mazda 626 is in the front of the vehicle, and it is only available with front-wheel drive. The length of models made from 1998 to 1999 was 186.8 inches and 187.4 inches for models made from 2000 to 2002. The height of the Mazda 626 was 55.1 inches and its width was 69.3 inches.
Engine
The European version of the fifth generation Mazda 626 had a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 100 hp. The base model in the United States had a 2.0-liter engine that produced 125 hp from 1998 to 1999, and 130 hp from 2000 to 2002. The fifth generation Mazda 626 in the United States also had an option for a 2.5-liter six-cylinder engine producing 170 hp. A five-speed manual transmission was standard with a option for a four-speed automatic transmission.