Mazda Millenia debuts as sophisticated price-conscious sedan
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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The trend among some Japanese automakers in recent years has been to spin off a separate brand to package exclusive luxury and sport models whose quality, features and price tags far exceed the main brand's typical output.
Mazda, the Japanese automaker known for sensuous product lines and aggressive sports models like Miata and RX-7, wanted to construct a midsize luxury sports sedan of its own but went about it in an entirely different way.
Instead of expending megabucks to establish a spin-off brand and build a national network of pricy new dealerships, Mazda instead chose to keep its newest model under the familiar banner of the parent label.
That simple act is said to shave thousands of dollars off the price of Millenia, Mazda's elegant new sedan.
This impressive automobile with its fluid exterior lines, luxurious interior fittings and exciting engine performance, when judged by standards of intended rivals should sell for $35,000 to $45,000.
Yet Millenia in base edition lists for $25,995.
Trim it with a luscious leather interior and still the price seems reasonable at $28,300.
Then install a new ripper engine and tamper with suspension settings for an even tighter ride quality to reach Millenia S, pumping 210 hp and packing more features than some $50,000 labels provide -- but for $31,400.
Consider these Millenias the luxury bargains of the year, and the most impressive move by Mazda since Miata.
At any price, Millenia acts and feels like one of the best cars in any language. Make no mistake: This is a world-class car, and it sets a new standard for value, design and function, plus the quality of fit and finish.
What makes Millenia so good?
In counting the ways, I must first describe the smooth exterior shape and understated elegance of its flowing lines. A rounded nose with tony grille and canted hoodline, broad exposure of windshield and wrap-around window glass, the soft taper to a high tail: This car looks subtly elegant from every angle.
Inspect Millenia's sheetmetal seams between body panels and doors and grilles and you will find nearly perfect fittings, perhaps the best in the world. Mazda invested heavily in designs by Cray supercomputers to create tight manufacturing tolerances, then built a new plant in Hofu, Japan, stocked with massive metal presses which can transform a single piece of sheet steel into a complex framework for door and fender alike.
These larger than normal steel frames not only create a rigid body free from squeaks and rattles, but allow body panels to mesh together so closely that gaps never exceed 3.5 mm, which is 1.5 mm tighter than fittings on the most expensive German touring sedans.
A rigid monocoque platform with perimeter subframe becomes the foundation of Millenia upon which advanced suspension and handling components mount.
The fully independent suspension delivers a living-room-smooth ride quality while still imparting to the driver a strong feel of the road. Engine speed-sensing rack and pinion steering and an assertive 4-wheel power disc brake system aid the effort of controlling this car, while an intricate 4-sensor electronic anti-lock device operates on three channels to prevent wheel skid.
Safety systems appear throughout Millenia, from dual front airbags and 3-point adjustable seatbelts to a concealed safety cage surrounding the passenger compartment with additional steel bracing in doors, floor and roof.
You must drive Millenia to appreciate its quietness, which is another mark of luxury and fine craftsmanship.
This effort to ensure a passenger cabin isolated from engine and environmental noise extends to exceptional lengths, such as special rubber mounts to dampen vibrations of windshield wiper motors or the cableless speedometer that eliminates another typical offensive source of sound.
One of my favorite features concerns Millenia's seats, particularly the driver's bucket. At first it feels firmer than a conventional seat, yet far more comfortable over a long haul because it adjusts to fit your specific backbone.
Then Millenia provides two superior equations for six-cylinder horsepower.
Millenia's base engine, a 2.5-liter aluminum alloy block with dual overhead cam and four valves for each of the six cylinders, produces 170 hp. It's good, efficient, surprisingly quiet and exceptional in the way vibrations have been shunted from the passenger cabin.
The Millenia S engine ranks as one of the automotive innovations of the decade. Dubbed the Miller-cycle engine after its American inventor, Ralph Miller, it manages to compress the engine's intake charge, then alter valve timing to produce far higher output from a smaller block.
In effect, you get more power for less size and weight.
Total horsepower reaches 210, with 210 lbs/ft of torque at 3500 rpm -- all this from a 2.3-liter V6 that achieves fuel economy figures as high as 33 mpg.
Both base and S versions depend on a Mazda automatic 4-speed transmission outfitted with electronic controls. The two vary only in gear ratios, as the S edition has been quickened for sportier shift sequences.
My tests in a Millenia S revealed subtle nuances of performance and comfort which made this car so easy to live with over an extended period: The lively pedal action at my command, that plush and malleable driver's bucket, the solid grip of a fat sport steering wheel, crisp carved radius of each tight turn I made, its no-nonsense stopping power, the effortless control of every facet of its operation.
Millenia is one of those rare cars that makes you feel good not just about the machine but yourself every time you slip behind the wheel.
It easily earns a foremost position among all cars I've tested over the past several years; then shop its price when compared against prime imported competitors and Millenia will look even better.
Base Millenia contains all of the important hardware (from dual airbags to anti-lock brakes and power-operated everything), plus comfort items normally found only on top models. The Millenia Leather adds that leather interior and a power moonroof plus extras like a keyless entry system, while Millenia S earns the Miller-cycle engine, electronic traction control and 16-inch wheels and tires.
1995 MAZDA MILLENIA
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| 1995 MAZDA MILLENIA VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Midsize luxury sedan |
| Model Options: |
Midsize luxury sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
108.3 inches |
| Overall Length: |
189.8 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.5-L V6 24v
DOHC 2.3-L Miller V6 24v
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
20/28 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 25,995 to $ 33,000 |
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