2009 Mazda6 Starts at $18,550

The redesigned Mazda6 will start at $18,550 for the base SV trim with a six-speed manual transmission, Mazda has announced. Prices exclude a $670 destination charge. That represents a $590 decrease over the outgoing sedan, and means the Mazda6 will cost less than the ’09 Toyota Camry ($18,920) and Chevy Malibu ($20,745), as well as the ’08 Honda Accord ($20,360) and Nissan Altima ($18,620). The price decrease isn’t caveat-free: Alloy wheels, keyless entry and cruise control — all standard before — don’t come on the base model. Even so, it’s still fairly well-equipped: A/C, power windows and locks, antilock brakes, six airbags and a CD stereo with steering-wheel controls — though not an auxiliary MP3 jack — are standard.

Kudos to Mazda for making stability control, unavailable last year, standard across the line. A number of midsize cars, including the Camry and Altima, keep it optional. The ’09 Mazda6 also gets a new 170-hp four-cylinder — which Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes told us was “nearly as fast,” with the manual transmission, as the outgoing 3.0-liter V-6 — and we’ll call the equipment difference a wash, or almost one. As such, this could be a decent value choice.

The new four-banger sacrifices 1 mpg in the city, so a manual ’09 Mazda6 is rated at 20/29 mpg city/highway, versus 21/29 for a manual ’08. We’d like to see better mileage; all four competitors are rated in the low-30s on the highway. With an optional five-speed automatic, mileage increases to a more acceptable 21/30 mpg.

An all-new 270-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 is also available, but it teams only with a six-speed automatic and returns a disappointing 17/25 mpg. We mourn the passing of a V-6/manual combination, which the last Mazda6 offered, but Barnes said demand was very low. Besides that, the new engine, which Mazda shares with the CX-9 crossover, would have required new driveline architecture to accommodate a stick shift. Bah.

Ascending trim levels include Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. Like most modern family cars, luxuries from power seats to a navigation system are available. Load a Grand Touring to the hilt, and Barnes says it will run about $33,000. At least for now, there are no wagon or hatchback editions.

Full pricing and major features:

• Four-cylinder SV: $18,550 (manual)
• Four-cylinder Sport: $20,250 (manual, auto adds $900) – adds cruise control, keyless entry, auxiliary MP3 jack
• Four-cylinder Touring: $21,705 (manual, auto adds $900) – adds 17-inch alloys, leather steering wheel, power driver’s seat, push-button start, trip computer
• Four-cylinder Grand Touring: $24,910 (manual, auto adds $900) – adds dual-zone auto A/C, heated leather seats, power passenger’s seat, blind-spot monitoring system, xenon headlights
• V-6 Sport: $24,130 (auto) – same as four-cylinder Sport, plus 17-inch alloys
• V-6 Touring: $25,075 (auto) – same as four-cylinder Touring, plus 18-inch alloys
• V-6 Grand Touring: $28,260 (auto) – same as four-cylinder Grand Touring, plus 18-inch alloys
• Other options: Moonroof, 10-speaker Bose stereo, navigation system