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THE BEST automotive technology is unobtrusive. It doesn’t slap you in the face with its presence, doesn’t ask you to present an engineering degree along with the down payment, and it doesn’t pull a poltergeist number on you: Knock, knock. Rattle, rattle. “We’re heeerrre . . .”

Mazda Motor Corp. understands this. Witness its 1988 Turbo 626, four-wheel-steering sedan. It looks like a simple family car — conservative lines, four doors, space for five. It’s an automotive wedding ring if ever there was one.

But fire it up and get it on a straightaway. Feel that? You’re smiling? That’s okay. That’s normal in this thing.

Now, find yourself a nice, undulating, curvy road. Notice how well this car tracks. The rear end follows the front around those bends perfectly — no swinging out at the apex of curves, no skidding, no misbehavior whatsoever. We’re talking total control here.

Next, find a parking space — preferably on some urban side street. Aha! See that small space you normally would’ve ignored? Yep, yep, that one. Take it. Aw, c’mon, cut the grinning. It was the engineering in this car, more than your parallel parking skills, that got you into that spot.

Three things set this machine apart from ordinary family sedans — a 2.2-liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged engine that runs like heck; a steering system that allows the rear wheels to turn in the same direction as the front wheels at speeds above 22 mph, and that lets them turn in opposite directions at parking speeds; and an automatically adjustable suspension that turns the road into a dance floor.

And it’s all put together with such low-keyed grace. Not bad, Mazda. Not bad at all.

Complaint: The motorized shoulder-harness belt for the front passenger seat quit working. I and other novice “mechanics” checked the owner’s manual, looked about and poked here and there, but couldn’t find a cause. Hmph, maybe this one has a few ghosts after all.

Praise: Not even the bum belt dampened enthusiasm for this car. The few folks who drove it while I had it loved it. Most were surprised by its ability to get up and go without whining.

Overall fit and finish are what you’d expect from Mazda — tight and right, no dangling plastic, threads or goofed-up seams in sight.

Nice touch: Some auto thieves have made a tidy living picking trunk locks and then getting into the car cabins by pushing down foldable rear seats. But the Turbo 626 has foldable rear seats that can be locked into their “up” position with a key. Makes thieves work harder.

Head-turning-quotient: Neither stunning nor upsetting. I guess you can call it aggressively generic.

Ride, acceleration, handling: The front-wheel-drive Turbo 626 sets the standard for compact cars in all three categories. The 2.2-liter engine kicks out 145 hp at 4,300 rpm.

The electronically controlled four-wheel steering system does improve handling at highway sp eeds, and it surely makes parking easier. Is it necessary? Nope.

Sound system: Six-speaker AM/FM stereo radio and cassette by Pioneer. Very good.

Mileage: About 24 to the gallon (15.9- gallon tank, estimated 372-mile range on usable volume), combined city-highway, running with mixed loads (one to five occupants).

Price: $18,789, including $955 in options ($795 for air conditioner and $160 for burglar alarm) and $235 transportation charge. Base price is $17,599. Dealer’s invoice price without options is $15,142.

Purse-strings note: You really, truly don’t need the four-wheel-steering system, which costs about $3,000. It’s nice, but not that nice.