The center console seemed tiny for a mid-sized family sedan. In their most upright position, front seat headrests still seem a tad too low, but at least when you smack one with your hand, it doesn't collapse like those found on most American cars. The mix of closely set buttons, slide levers, and small pictographs make the climate controls difficult to modulate. Finally, trunk space doesn't appear to be much larger than that found on the smaller Protege, though it measures almost one cubic foot larger. One benefit of a small trunk is a roomy rear seat.
Rear comfort is excellent, featuring very good headroom, legroom, and underseat footroom.
The rear bench offers split-folding versatility, and has a center armrest, which is unusual for this class. Front seats are exceptionally comfortable as well, and the driver's seat cushion is height-adjustable. We found ourselves wishing for more lumbar support, but the grippy, tastefully-patterned seat fabric held us in place in tight turns. Storage cubbies are liberally sprinkled throughout the interior, and drivers grip a nicely-sized steering wheel while resting their left foot on a dead pedal. For 1996, Mazda puffed up the 626's hood and tacked on a chrome grille up front.