Mazda Millenia drives the rare bargain among premium sedans
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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SAN PASQUAL, Calif. -- Tight curves on back roads wrapped around the rocky hills of San Diego County can upset the balance of suspension settings on some fancy touring sedans, pitching the car's body to a steep cant that feels uncomfortable and seems unsettling, even dangerous.
That's not the way my Millenia handled the road.
Mazda's elegant luxury sedan took those corners at a fast clip but maintained a flat stance with little detectable body roll, a feat which revealed a sporty and sophisticated tilt to suspension settings.
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 wheels from skidding during hard braking exercises.
And that power: What a kick it delivers.
This is a dreamy car, and a refresher test drive in an updated 1997 edition with subtle interior improvements confirmed that Mazda makes a world-class luxury sedan.
Check its bottom line against premium imports by other brands, though, and you'll also realize that with Millenia Mazda builds a bargain.
Millenia came to market two years ago with a fresh marketing approach that confronted the recent trend among Japanese automakers of spinning off a separate brand to package exclusive luxury and sport models whose quality, features and prices far exceeded the main brand's models.
Instead of expending megabucks to establish the spin-off brand and build a national network of pricy 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.
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 $40,000 to $50,000.
Yet Millenia in base edition dips below $30,000.
Trim it with a supple leather interior and still the price seems reasonable.
Then install Mazda's efficient Miller-cycle 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 a figure that rests in the mid-$30,000s.
Make no mistake: Millenia represents a world-class car, and it sets a high standard for value, plus 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.
For the 1997 update, Millenia sports new free-surface halogen headlamps which improve nighttime vision.
Inspect Millenia's sheetmetal seams between body panels and doors and grilles and you will find nearly perfect fittings, certainly among the best in the world.
Mazda invested heavily in designs by supercomputers to create tight manufacturing tolerances, then built a plant in Hofu, Japan, with massive metal presses which can transform a single piece of sheet steel into a complex car frame.
These vast 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.
Safety systems appear throughout the car, 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.
Drive Millenia and you'll be impressed by its quietness, another mark of craftsmanship and luxury.
Millenia stocks two superior powerplants.
The base engine, a 2.5-liter aluminum alloy block with dual overhead cam and four valves for each of six cylinders, produces 170 hp.
It's quite good, highly efficient, surprisingly quiet and exceptional in the way vibrations have been shunted away from the passenger cabin.
The Miller-cycle engine of Millenia S rates as one of the top automotive innovations of this decade.
Named for its American inventor, Ralph Miller, the plant compresses its intake charge, then alters valve timing to produce higher output from a relatively small block.
In effect, it musters more power from less size.
Total horsepower reaches 210, with 210 lbs/ft of torque at 3500 rpm -- all from a 2.3-liter V6 that achieves excellent fuel economy figures.
Both base and S editions depend on a Mazda automatic 4-speed transmission outfitted with electronic controls. The two vary only in gear ratios, as Millenia S uses quicker settings for sportier shift sequences.
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 keyless entry system, while Millenia S earns the Miller-cycle engine, electronic traction control and 16-inch wheels and tires.
Recent tests in Millenia S revealed subtle nuances of performance and comfort: Lively pedal action, a plush yet malleable driver's bucket, a fat sport steering wheel, crisply carved radius for each tight turn, no-nonsense stopping power, effortless control of its operation -- all aspects utterly world-class.
1997 MAZDA MILLENIA
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| 1997 MAZDA MILLENIA VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Mid-size luxury sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size luxury sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
108.3 inches |
| Overall Length: |
189.8 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.5-L V6
DOHC 2.3-L Miller V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
20/28 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 28,000 to $ 36,000 |
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