This 626 beat Honda's Prelude to market with four-wheel steering by weeks in 1988 — and Mazda's electronic system was more complex than Honda's.
Median 112 hp across 330 similar cars
Lead trim: F2 2.2 L 3-valve SOHC (North America, 110 hp, 1991) · up to 146 hp
Mazda 626 GD/GV fourth generationGD/GV · 1987–1991
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mazda 626 GD/GV fourth generation yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis 626 beat Honda's Prelude to market with four-wheel steering by weeks in 1988 — and Mazda's electronic system was more complex than Honda's.
Released in May 1987 on the updated GD platform (designer Hiroshi Yamamoto, 1984) with new torque-biased engines, as a sedan, five-door hatchback ("Capella CG" for City Gear), coupé (Capella C2, renamed MX-6 in North America and Australia) and, from the northern spring of 1988, a station wagon on the slightly modified GV platform, seven-seat in some markets. Japan also had the Persona four-door hardtop. Four-wheel drive came in July 1987 (never on the coupé or in North America), 4WS in February 1988, ahead of Honda's Prelude 4WS in the US. Engines were 1.6 to 2.2 L, a 2.0 L FE-DOHC GT and a 2.0 L RF-CX Comprex diesel with a pressure-wave supercharger; the US 1988 626 came as DX, LX and Turbo, the 2.2 L turbo later at 145 hp. Facelifted for 1990; mainstream Japanese production ended in 1991, but the wagon lasted to November 1997 and the commercial Van to April 1999. Ford built a manual-only sedan as the Telstar Classic for fleets.
Collectors Spotted in the Mazda 626 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mazda 626 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
6 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2 2.2 L 3-valve SOHC (North America, 110 hp, 1991) | 1991–1991 | 2.2 L Inline-4 | 110 hp | 130 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| F2T 2.2 L turbo (North America, 145 hp) | 1988–1991 | 2.2 L Inline-4 | 145 hp | 190 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| F8 1.8 L DOHC 16V (Japan, 115 PS) | 1987–1991 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 113 hp | 116 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| FE-DOHC 2.0 L 16V (148 PS DIN, no cat) | 1987–1991 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 146 hp | 134 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| FE-DOHC 2.0 L 16V GT (140 PS with catalyst) | 1987–1991 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 138 hp | 128 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| RF-CX 2.0 L Comprex diesel (Japan, 82 PS) | 1987–1991 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 81 hp | 133 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
In 2000 Mazda built a twin-turbo, 280-hp 626 concept called the MPS — only a handful were ever made, and the next 626 never got anything like it.
The CG Capella was built narrower than its export Mazda 626 twin on purpose — just enough to dodge Japan's size-based vehicle tax.
For the first time ever, Mazda built a 626 on US soil — the GE generation began rolling out of the brand-new Flat Rock, Michigan plant on 1 September 1992, for the 1993 model year.
This 626 beat Honda's Prelude to market with four-wheel steering by weeks in 1988 — and Mazda's electronic system was more complex than Honda's.
A handful of special customers in Indonesia could order this 626 with a nose job — the front end and pop-up headlights grafted on from Mazda's luxury 929/Cosmo coupe.
Everywhere else this car was just the '626' — but in the UK it was sold as the Mazda Montrose, named after the little Scottish town with the local dealership.
Japan's rotary-engine tax loophole made the RX-2 a bargain: buyers got more power than a comparable inline-engine car while still paying the lower 1.5-litre road tax bracket.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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