Loyal and eager to work
If you wanted a spacious station wagon in the mid-90s, there was plenty to choose from. For example, you could go to Volkswagen for a Passat, to Toyota for a Camry and to Volvo for an 850. At Mazda, this was on the menu: the 626 Wagon, a predecessor of the Mazda 6. As popular as the Volvo or the Volkswagen was he did not and the copies that were sold at the time, you will not soon find in the Netherlands. That’s why we’re putting this copy in the spotlight today.
What makes this Mazda 626 Wagon extra special is that it is only with its second owner. The original Dutch car was purchased in 1994 and remained with its original buyer for about 25 years. It was only in 2019 that he was tired of it and the Japanese could look for another. There is a good chance that the second buyer – the current owner – was looking for something practical to use. Due to the fairly generous dimensions and the rectilinear body, a 626 Wagon like this is a true miracle of space – especially at the very back. In some markets, the 626 Wagon was therefore offered with two extra seats for children in the trunk, just like the Volvo mentioned in the intro.
If the owner wants even more practicality, this copy, spotted by AutoWeek forum user HarmenA, also has roof racks and a towbar. Together with the mud flaps and the steel wheels, they provide a wonderfully functional appearance. The car is not clean, not beautiful and not damage-free, but does everything you ask of it. Is that a tough job? Then its high-torque motor offers a solution. The 2.2-liter four-cylinder with three valves per cylinder produces only a modest 116 hp, but offers a nice 180 Nm of torque. Those values ​​were good for a standard sprint time of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 182 km/h.
The rear window occupies a strikingly large portion of the rear of the 626.
Striking detail
If you left everyone in the dust with that, they could enjoy more or less the only striking design detail of the otherwise very ordinary car: the large rear window. The glass runs in width all the way from left to right and makes a striking curve at the top towards the roof.
The fourth generation Mazda 626 Wagon was delivered from 1988 to 1997 and was fed alongside its successor in the latter part of its life. The fourth 626 in sedan version disappeared from the scene earlier than the station wagon and was already succeeded in 1992. Ultimately, there were six generations of the 626 between 1970 and 2002. In 2002, the Mazda 6 was introduced as the successor to the 626. The 6 has now been working on its third generation for ten years.
Herman, thanks for uploading!
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl