(first posted 10/15/2012) It is common knowledge that in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Japanese automakers broadened their lineups with luxury divisions: Acura, in 1986; Lexus, in 1989; and Infiniti, in 1990. Mazda also had a plan for a new luxury marque to be called Amati. What instead became the 1995 Mazda Millenia was originally intended to be the first of several Amati models exported to North America by Mazda. For better or worse, it didn’t happen, and Mazda’s answer to Lexus was not to be.
Mazda was on a roll in the ’90s. The 1989 Miata had returned the small, sporty roadster to relevance–so successfully, in fact, that within a few years Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche all had two-seaters on their drawing boards. The 323/Protege was a competent little compact, and the mid-size 626, while perhaps not as popular as the Accord or Camry, still held its own. With production (at least for North America) of the Japan-built 929 luxury sedan set to end in 1996, Mazda began preparing to launch its own luxury brand: Amati.
Amati would be Mazda’s Lexus. The brand was to be positioned a cut above the regular Mazda line to compete with not only other up-and-coming premium Japanese luxury brands, but with Audi, BMW and Mercedes as well. Mazda had long used various sub-marques for its home-market vehicles (more info here), including the somewhat Russian-sounding Autozam, Efini, Eunos and M2. The Eunos 500 was what would have been the first Amati model; in the wake of Mazda’s eleventh-hour scrapping of Amati, it came to the U.S. as the Millenia.
The Millenia arrived in North America in 1995 as a completely-equipped car. The standard Millenia was equipped with a 2.5-liter, 170-hp DOHC 24-valve V6 whose block used a two-piece design. However, the more sporting Millenia S was the real talking point in ’90s Mazda showrooms. Why, you ask? Well, the S came equipped with the 2.3-liter Miller-cycle V6–a very atypical power plant, even for rotary-loving Mazda.
Wile the Miller-cycle V6 shared its two-piece block with its less exotic 2.5-liter cousin, it utilized a Lysholm compressor. The Miller cycle uses a delayed closing of the intake valve during the compression stroke which allows, among other things, a higher compression ratio. It’s essentially the same as the modern Atkinson cycle engine used in some hybrids, including the Prius. However, the Miller-cycle version compensated for the Atkinson’s loss of power density (which is masked by a hybrid’s electric motor) with a compressor that boosted power by forcing a greater fuel/air mixture into the cylinders. Directly driven by the engine, the compressor provided instant boost when called upon.
Another feature of the Miller-cycle was twin air-to-air intercoolers, which lowered air intake temp to take full advantage of the Lysholm compressor’s charge. As with the 2.5, the 2.3 was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission.
According to Mazda, the Miller-cycle V6 was about 50% more powerful than conventional engines of similar size, a claim substantiated by the Millenia’s engines themselves. The 2.5-liter (2,497cc) version produced 170 horsepower @ 5800 rpm and 160 lb-ft of torque @ 4800 rpm. The 2.3-liter Miller-cycle, while smaller, got a healthy bump up to 210 hp @ 5300 rpm and 210 lb-ft of torque @ 3500 rpm. Not bad at all for 1995, which was well before the dawn of 300-horsepower Impala LTs.
In addition to the special engine, S models received standard traction control and 16″ alloy wheels, shod with low-profile P215/55 all-season radials.
Amati may never have gotten off the ground, but there were numerous ways to tell that the Millenia wasn’t originally intended to be a plain old Mazda–not even a luxurious one. All Millenias benefited from higher levels of fit, finish and assembly quality. Mazda happily touted that most panel gaps measured “a miniscule 3.5mm, even narrower than found on many renowned European cars,” according to the 1995 brochure.
The interior was quite a nice place to be. Standard Millenias had “luxurious cloth upholstery” but offered optional leather; leather was standard on the Millenia Leather (you think?) and Millenia S models.
Riding a 108.3″ wheelbase, and with an overall length of 189.8″, the Millenia was not quite as big as the soon-to-be-departed 929, but still pretty large for a Mazda. In its debut year, the Millenia was priced from $27,525.
The Mellinia’s seating bespoke as much attention to detail as did its exterior. Looking over this 2000 S, I can see it as a sportier alternative to a contemporary ES300. But as nice as it was, without a luxury nameplate it just wasn’t going to do as well with the country-club set. Snob appeal, don’t you know. But for those who just wanted a nice car, the Millenia was a pretty good choice.
About 10 years ago, the receptionist at my uncle’s law firm got in an accident with her Mark VIII and bought a brand new Millenia. Despite her Lincoln preference–at the time she had her ’93 Mark VIII and her husband had an ’89 Mark VII LSC and a ’98 Town Car–she just loved her Millenia. She may still be driving it to this day.
All Millenias were well-equipped, with standard ABS; power mirrors, windows and locks; tinted glass; fog lights; an eight-way power driver’s seat; anti-theft alarm; automatic climate control; a five-speaker AM/FM/cassette stereo with power antenna; a power-operated tilt wheel; and a rear-window defogger.
Millenia Leather and Millenia S models featured standard leather seats and leather-wrapped shift and handbrake levers, a four-way power passenger seat, a power-operated moonroof and keyless entry.
I found our featured Millenia just down the street from my condo wearing a “For Sale” sign. It had been sitting for a couple of weeks, but I finally managed to pull over and get some photos. As you can see, it’s in as-new condition. It must have been well-taken care of, since around here most Mazdas over 10 years old have moderate rust, especially around the rear wheel wells. Not this one, though.
Yes, it is even an S model with that intriguing Miller-cycle V6 underhood. It’s certainly the Millenia to have, with its extra power, standard everything and nicer five-spoke alloys.
This car is still probably too new to squirrel away as a future collectible, but if you want a Millenia, you could do worse than this one. It is really, really nice.
These were nice-looking cars, and it wasn’t until I spotted this one that I realized it was the first I’d seen in years. Ironically, about a week later I was walking around the neighborhood when I came upon a late-model “facelifted” Millenia, in dark green–and with the more typical wheel-well rust. This happens to me all the time–I write (or read) about a rarely-seen car on CC, then nearly trip over one just a day or a week later!
Related: The Atkinson and Miller Cycle Engines: Not Exactly What They Started Out to Be PN
So close to greatness, yet so detached from it at the same time.
Another car I rented as often as I could get my hands on one during my TV news days. In fact, I had a Milennia on a fairly long-term basis during the O.J. Simpson trial. Loved it. Wouldn’t mind having a clean one now.
Didn’t I read about trouble with the Miller-cycle engines, though?
My memory isn’t all that great on the timeline, but wasn’t the aborting of the planned Amati marque tied in with Ford’s taking over Mazda’s management and bringing back from the brink of internal mismanagement that almost scuppered the company?
Another also-ran minority player import model. I’m not necessarily discounting Mazda, but I never paid much attention to them – I always regarded them as marginal with their rotary engines – a science experiment and a financial risk if you bought one and I certainly wasn’t attracted to them, even if the RX-7 was pretty cool, as was/is the Miata/MX5.
Perpetually overshadowed with Mitsubishi by Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
Now, having said that, that doesn’t mean I didn’t notice the few I did see. One could be forgiven for taking one as a BMW from a distance, which was most likely intentional!
Funny thing, the Millenia reminds me of a Mitsubishi Diamante from ten years earlier!
I also felt that Mazda was the one Japanese marque worth owning (yes, that’s even discounting Honda in their glory days), and to this day is probably the only Japanese marque I’d have any interest in owning. And the ’04 Mazda3 that my wife had (until she totaled it and I took her driver’s license) has done a lot towards reinforcing that attitude.
You’re correct on the Mazda3. A cool car in any of the styles available. The previous Protegé was no slouch in its day, but really tight in back seat leg room.
(until she totaled it and I took her driver’s license)
Whoa. That’s the sort of parenthetical aside that conceals a novel’s worth of material. 🙂
Not really. Six years ago my wife was diagnosed with Progressive Supraneuclear Palsy. It’s eventually fatal, usually due to pneumonia from aspiration, as she cannot safely swallow anymore. Which means four times a day bolus feedings (my responsibility) and a six day a week nursing aide so I can spend a few hours at work and have some time on Sunday’s off for (usually) cycling. We’re muddling through. She can barely speak (that partially from a stroke two years ago), needs a rollator to walk, and has a number of other issues starting will being prone to fall.
We’re muddling through.
If I could delete that comment I would, sir. My heart goes out to you, your wife, and your family. Had no idea and I’m sorry. Online forums make it easy to be flip, but that doesn’t make it ok.
Syke, I’m very sorry to hear of your wife’s health and the circumstances. From some of your comments on here and over on TTAC, I suspected things were not well and it took guts to enlighten us on an anonymous car forum.
Hang tough, both of you.
So sorry to hear of your wife’s illness. It certainly sounds like you have a full plate these days, so I especially appreciate that you are able to spend a little time visiting with us here. I always enjoy your comments (and even agree with many of them 🙂 )
God speed, Syke.
But the comment DID make many of us wonder…
Does your wife still have any hobbies she can do even with this condition? Pity if she doesn’t.
“Perpetually overshadowed with Mitsubishi by Toyota, Honda and Nissan.”
Mitsubishi deserved to be overshadowed. The one my parents owned rivaled my dad’s X-body Skylarks in craptacularity. Thank God the Galant was finally discontinued; soon I will no longer have to fear receiving one at the rental counter.
Nissan products in the ’90s were nearly as bad and are hit and miss to this day. They’re still riding the coattails of Honda, Toyota and the ’70s Datsuns.
But Mazda? I don’t know. I have almost no experience with them. I always thought the 929 and Millenia were the same car, and the 626 was just about the most generic thing you can buy. I really dug the first generation 3 and 6, but the fuel economy was laughable while rust and overall reliability were apparently an issue.
I remain a thoroughly disgruntled Honda fan, currently residing happily in the VW camp. If my Jetta GLI turns into a lemon, it’s getting replaced by a Camry SE.
I totally agree with you that Mitsubishi has unfortunately earned its reputation as crap, however Nissans and Mazdas (like late 90s Camrys) ,though not without faults, were actually pretty decent–lots of high-mileage examples down here south of the snow belt. I hope your VW works out, but I’ve heard nearly as many horror stories about those as I have Mitsubishis, and yes, even X-body GM hardware. Good luck
“Nissan products in the ’90s were nearly as bad ”
Beg to differ on that. Owned a 93 Maxima from 93 to 03, chalked up 250,000 miles in the rustbelt of Northern Ohio with nary a problem. Original drive train performing like new upon trade-in in 03 and never more than routine service – even on the transmission, just fluid change every 30,000 miles. Also had a 94 Sentra Limited with 5 speed from 94 to 98 and ran that 90,000 miles in total comfort again with nothing but routine maintenance. The fit and finish on the 94 Sentra was amazing and at that time far superior to the Corolla. My daughter bought a 99 Sentra that she kept for 10 years and I did find that far less satisfying than my 94. My 94 Sentra was traded in 98 for a creampuff 92 Nissan pickup truck sporting a mere 25,000 original miles. That truck was another highly satisfying Nissan. Never had a problem until 2002 when I hit a large pothole with it and 2 hours later the whole front suspension fell apart, fortunately after I had pulled into a parking lot. I parked, went into a convenience store and when I came out and tried to back out of the parking place, I had no steering! I was actually very, very lucky on that! I ended up selling the truck to a mechanic at a Northern Ohio Nissan dealership as-is, after having it towed in. None of these Nissans had any rust problems even after 10 years in Northern Ohio by the way. Maybe my experience was different from yours.
Not sure about the US-spec 90s Nissans, but the JDM-spec ones we got and get as secondhand-imports in NZ are generally excellent. I’ve had a ’92 C33 Laurel, a ’94 C34 Laurel, a ’94 R33 Skyline, and currently a ’97 C35 Laurel. Friends and family members have had ’94, ’96 and ’98 Maximas and a ’00 Stagea; and some of our company cars back then were ’99 Primeras. All were well-built and reliable high-milers. All did at least 200,000km – the sales reps’ Primeras did this by the time they were 3 yrs old – the Stagea’s on its 3rd time around the (metric) odometer, and the ’96 Maxima is on its 4th time around.
The C34 Laurel turned out to be a dog thanks to a previous owner, but it was still an exceptionally well-built dog. The interior material and build quality of my current C35 Laurel is vastly better than either of the ’05 and ’08 Mazda 6 wagons I also had. Almost all the interior trim is high-quality soft-touch.
Speaking of the gen 1 Mazda 6, our rep Primeras were replaced by the 2.3L Mazda 6. I got my first one new in October ’05, and its economy was superb. It averaged 6 litres per 100km on the motorway commute, and did low 8s around town. Overall average over the 3 years I had it was 7.5 l/100km, which was exceptional – and no, I don’t drive like a grandma. Once the lease was up my sister bought it and still has it today – and it’s still averaging low 8s. My ’08 new-gen 6 was a rep-special 2-litre though and was an underpowered disappointment, averaging high 9s and refusing to do less than 8l/100km on the motorway. Interior quality was poor vs the gen1 too.
Nice write up of a car I’ve been keeping an eye out for too. A quite attractive car, to my eyes. Mazda is racking up quite the history, given all its ups and downs.Now I need to find one of the last-gen 929s. Now that wasn’t a typical Japanese car, at least in terms of what was being exported to the US.
You should see all the JDM stuff we get here gets quite confusing Eunos MX5s everything seems to just have the nearest badge slapped on it at random, Of course anything with all the fruit is grabbede by the used car bandits when they prowl Japan so you name it theres one not far from here
Somehow, these just never got on my radar. I would see them occasionally, but never really paid much attention. I had always assumed that it was just the replacement for the 929, which also never got on my radar. By 1990, I was married and any interest in cars was gravitating back towards older ones. We had a late model Accord that we were happy with, and it scratched any “foreign car” itch that I had. The only car of this era that I really drooled over was the last of the Country Squires.
Looking this one over a bit, these seem like a very attractive car, both to look at and to own/drive. Along with Michael, I would love to hear from folks with experience with these Miller-cycle engines.
Refreshing to see a nice Millenia. There are some survivors here in Hawaii, but these are usually pretty well trashed – available ones relegated to the 3rd tier “buy here – pay here” lots. I really dug the last 929s sent to America – thought those were pretty wicked cars. Millenia were pretty nice . . . but relegated to “also-ran” status as, if I remember correctly, there was a pretty big build up to call the luxury Mazda the Amati (and I remember rumors that the North American Luxury Mazda was to be named Eunos . . . ) . . .
The car mags prasied the Miller-Cycle engine . . . . too bad this Millenia never really caught on and that it wound up being an after thought to Lexus . . .
As far as Mitsubishi Diamantes . . . . it may be a trendy luxury car in Southeast Asain countries . . . and the Aussie-built wagon was a nice variant . . . it too was a 3rd rate also-ran, at least to North American consumers. . . . more like an alternative to a ’98 Olds 88 Regency . . .
I have always been a little sad that Amati never saw the light of day as a brand. While I doubt it was considered anything but an invented word, it is brilliant.
Amati, it is little known, was the man who taught Stradivarius how to make a violin.
I’ll be damned; I had no idea. The usual explanation for the name as used by Mazda is that it is an anagram of Miata. However — according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Andrea Amati (ca. 1511–1580) of Cremona was among the first generation of makers to add a fourth string to the violin and to create the standard sizes of cello, viola, and violin in their classic modern shapes.” His grandson, Nicolo Amati, was the one who directly influenced Stradivarius.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/strd/hd_strd.htm
Funny, I just bought a Mazda Xedos 6 (Eunos 500) a month ago after I had an accident with my Mark VIII. They never sold the Xedos6 in the states (only the Xedos9 as Millenia which you see here), its a bit smaller, got a 2.0L V6 with 144hp, not too bad for its weight (~1200-1300kg if I remember right). And I gotta say, I never had a car with an engine as quiet as this one, you hear absolutely nothing of the running engine inside the car! Unfortunately its getting old now, seem like it had rust problems at the rear wheel arches in the past, AC doesnt get cold and small stuff like the cigarette lighter and 2 windows dont work anymore, the hydraulic lifters are often a bit noisy (common problem as well) and the paint is pretty bad. I only got it because it was cheap (590 euros) and I needed a new car fast, but I can definitely see that its been a great car back then, and if there weren’t other cars that mean more to me, I would fix things and try to keep it on the road as long as possible. Its a rare car and really deserves it.
Used to be loads of the Eunos 500 here, but very few left now. Shame, as the 500 was very pretty – much better looking than the Eunos 800 (Millenia).
Looking back on ths otherwise nice and competitive car, I’d say Mazda’s biggest mistake here was that small, Miller cycle engine. Gas was cheap back in the 90s and luxury buyers weren’t looking for efficiency. Thus, Mazda answered a question nobody was asking…
Had this car been offered with a larger version of their V6, it would have been more successful.
My Dad had one of these back in ’02. It was a very nice, low mileage ’98 model. It was the S, and was a great car for him and didn’t give him any trouble. It’s a little small for anyone over 6’2″ to be comfortable in all of the time. He sold it and bought a Cadillac DTS that his friend had owned. Looking back, it was a really neat car with some good gusto under the hood.
I wondered why Mazda never spawned a luxury marque in North America as most of the other Japanese manufacturers did, but I assumed it had to do with Ford’s influence.
I usually associate Mazda with vehicles that I can’t fit in because I’m too tall. From the comments so far, it sounds like the Millenia is no exception.
BOC, I’m 6’3″ and quite comfortable in my 3 hatchback. Visibility and headroom actually are better than in my wife’s Fusion, which tilts the windshield too close to my forehead.
I am also 6’3″. Test drove a Mazda5. With the front passenger seat as far back as it could go with a babyseat in the seat behind it, my knees were pressing on the dashboard. Considered a Mazda6 wagon. I talked to another guy close to my size and he said “Don’t even bother, you won’t fit.” He had test drove one before buying an Infiniti. Just for fun, I once squeezed into the drivers seat of a Miata when I went to the new car show. The only way I could extricate myself from around the steering wheel was to crawl out on my hands and knees.
Quite possibly the Mazda3 is roomier inside. It seems to be a very popular model, and a guy about my size at work has owned two of them.
Yeah, the 323/Proteges I’ve been in were underpowered sardine cans. With the 3, it seems like they were really trying to address the American market, giving it a torquier motor and a relatively tall roof. A lesson they had to relearn, as this gen of 6 is notably bigger than the first.
I wouldn’t mind another couple inches of left foot room, come to think of it.
The more I read, the more this Miller cycle sounds like BS to me. Firstly, the intake valve delayed closure *reduces* the compression in the engine, so if they claimed increased compression ratio, they must be using the definition of CR for Otto engines, i.e., lying through their teeth. This makes an engine with a smaller effective displacement for the intake (hence lower compression losses, less fuel to burn) but longer stroke for the exhaust (hence higher efficiency). But this is exactly what the Atkinson cycle does. This is also what Honda iVTEC does, but Honda are clever enough (or foolish enough) not to advertise it. The only problem is that a small-displacement, high efficiency engine lacks torque, so they bolt on the century-old solution to make a six more powerful, a supercharger! Twin H power!
I’d love to see the performance of the 2.5 engine with VVT and a supercharger with intercoolers. I’ve no doubt it will match the `Miller’ engine, and be more reliable at that.
No comments on the Jag-clone front and Mercedes-inspired side profile. Another Generic Japanese Car(tm).
PS: Photo 5 – The two-piece design makes the engine `extra-rigid’ for `exceptionally smooth’ operation. Is this still a car ad? 🙂
Can’t let you get away with that. No Jag or Merc ever looked as good as this car.
It was a Millenia in the US, a Xedos 9 in Europe and a Eunos 800 in Japan. When Ford took control of Jaguar they decided Jaguar didn’t need in-house competition from Mazda, so Mazda were forced into dropping their up-market models.
Pfft. It would have benefited Ford to have actually TRIED harder with Lincoln! The Continental may have been built on the new Taurus’s sophisticated chassis, but as with that car, sophistication did not lead to dynamic prowess, and the lack in quality compared to the imports was still evident. And the Town Car was anything but competitive with imports. Lincoln’s lack of success is well-deserved, and if they intentionally hobbled Mazda to benefit their luxury brand, that’s even more shameful.
Yes, but Ford took over Jaguar around 1990 . . . Ford always had a stake in Mazda (until recent times) – Mazda was struggling in the early/mid 90s so Ford increased it’s stake even more. I’m not sure why the Amati was pulled at the last minute . . . Uncle Mellow, you could be right on the assessment, but on the other hand, Jaguar would’ve been/was “premium luxury” in the Ford lineup; Lincoln luxury/near luxury as the LS and Jag S were the same car under the flesh, but Lincoln’s power was dialed back in the V-6 and V-8, and of course, Lincolns were NOT going to have burled elm and Connolly Leather.
Perhaps another factor in the Amati brand DOA in US/Canada was Ford’s acquistion of Volvo? Amati, as such would’ve been an in house competitor worse against Volvo than Lincoln/Jaguar.
> Firstly, the intake valve delayed closure *reduces* the compression in the engine, so if they claimed increased compression ratio, they must be using the definition of CR for Otto engines, i.e., lying through their teeth.
Whenever the term “compression ratio” is mentioned without clarification, it is always referring to the “theoretical” compression ratio, which is the swept volume from TDC to BDC.
Real-world engines never actually achieve their theoretical compression ratio because intake and exhaust valves do not open and close instantaneously when the piston reaches the top/bottom of the cylinder. There are also filling/scavenging advantages to holding the intake valve open after BDC on the intake stroke, holding the exhaust valve open after TDC on the exhaust stroke, and having both valves open (overlap) during the changeover between exhaust and intake strokes.
None of this information is new to engine builders, and is not specific to Atkinson or Miller engines. They are not “lying through their teeth”. I understood exactly what the meaning of the statement was.
Neither the 2.5L nor the 2.3L Millenia engines had VVT, so either should be equally reliable when supercharged. It’s not uncommon for engine designers to reduce the displacement of an engine by destroking it when supercharging. I haven’t looked at this topic closely, but the smaller stroke probably increases the performance increase of the supercharger by putting more of the power into the useable RPM range.
This same compression-ratio debate went on about two strokes in motorcycles, when European companies calculated CRs by mechanical stroke length (geometric or uncorrected CR), while Japanese advertised CRs by exhaust port to TDC length (effective or corrected CR). Both sides viewed their side as logical. In the end it appeared that at low rpm the Japanese calculation was more accurate, while at high rpm the European method was! I came to know about this when I tried to profile my European-style two-stroke bike (a Yezdi == Jawa clone) while the available info was focussed on Yamaha. I am, of course, firmly in the corrected CR camp, while you are not. 🙂
A good link regarding this: http://www.sacoriver.net/~red/uccr.html
I’m only saying that the `Miller cycle’ ads are marketing BS. A 2.5L engine with the supercharger/intercooler will provide as much power as the 2.3L unit, even without the Miller cycle. You’re right about destroking, but that is not the point. A conventional engine destroked to 2.3L is still not `Miller cycle’. I’m questioning how much the Miller cycle contributed. I only introduced VVT to even out the cam profile changes. VVT can mimic a fixed Atkinson style cam. Not implying that the actual engines used VVT.
Cheers!
Amati, aMati……..Miata. Inspiration comes from within. Just scrabble the letters 😉
Being a died in the wool American I never thought I’d buy an Import. But I’ve had two Miatas (used). My rational has been that Ford had a 33% controlling interest in Mazda at the time. Ford had the unique position of profiting from Japanese cars being sold here.
(probably get some heat for the next comment!)
Unlike Toyota cars made here, profits are sent overseas…..no matter the % of “content” they are not native and do little, ultimately, for our economy ……US workers are merely their drones.
The outgoing Mazda6 was built alongside the Mustang at Flat Rock. Doesn’t get much more American than that.
On the other hand, my Mustang was a piece of crap. If I ever give Ford my business again (and I’m pretty sure I wont), I’d rather have a Mexican-built Fusion.
Since Mark VIIIs have come up a few times, (I had one too) the MPGs on the smaller Millenia’s little Supercharged V6 wasn’t much better than a 4.6 DOHC V8!
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=14329&id=15810&id=15809
Still a nice sized package and still looks good.
> The 2.5-liter (2,497cc) version produced 170 horsepower @ 5800 rpm and 160 lb-ft of torque; the 2.3-liter Miller-cycle, while smaller, got a healthy bump up to 210 hp @ 3500 rpm and 210 lb-ft of torque.
The Miller engine specs given are incorrect. It’s 210hp @ 5300 RPM, not 3500 RPM. Also, you forgot the @RPM figures for the torque peaks of both engines: 2.5L = 160 lb.ft @ 4800 RPM, 2.3L = 210 ft.lb @ 3500 RPM
I must have read the torque figure instead of the hp figure when I was taking notes from my ’95 brochure. Will fix.
It’s a beautiful car, inside and out, and the Miller cycle engine is a treat.
The best-looking Mazdas of that period had a subtle beauty, too subtle for the market. MX-6 (twin to Ford Probe) is another example. Looks bland at first, but then the beauty comes out.
The beauty of the MX6 is that bubble roof and the resulting roofline.
I miss car styles where the greenhouse is separated, as it were, from the rest of the car – car styles like the slab-sided 1986 Taurus took a lot of getting used to where the roof and body were as one, if that makes sense…
The Probe’s styling can’t hold a candle to it, in my opinion. The one single Mazda style I miss – that includes our recently-sold 2007 MX5!
Mike PDX (and Reddy Kilowatt would agreee too!) . . . I thought those MX-6 coupes were extremely handsome cars. From the side profile, unique enough not to be lumped in with the usual generic Asian style.
Is it an Infiniti/Nissan? Hyundai? Lexus? Mitsubishi?? The MX-6 stood out for it’s fluid shape not eclaire shaped. I’m guessing it was styled in Southern California as JDM designs reflected the 1990s rage for Pokemon and Power Rangers!
Today’s JDM designs are more “Hello Kitty” !!
“The best-looking Mazdas of that period had a subtle beauty, too subtle for the market.”
Bingo, Mike, and I think this goes for Acuras too. Now in this decade, both brands have gotten a little gaudy. My crackpot explanation is that as Pontiac was going under, there were a lot of unemployed puffy-gouged-plastic and gaping-maw designers that you could hire for peanuts.
True dat. I regard the swoopy, last-gen RX-7 as one of the most beautiful vehicles ever produced.
True dat as the Acura TL is the most dog-ass ugly (and I apologize to all the dogs!) car on the road. Sure, Acura/Honda “toned” the can-opener, acid beltline styling down a little, but it is a VERY homely car still. 3/4 angle shows it’s fat bustle and chunky quarters . . . . that – coupled with “wrong wheel drive” do not an E-class/5 series competitor make . . . .
Small wonder that Acura dealers are lumping cash on the hood for a lineup of truly, homely cars (save, perhaps the TSX). The TL is proof that the Pontiac Aztek lives on!! Makes a ’77 Datsun F-10 look like Pinin Farina!!
Since we’re talking about Mazdas-that–could’ve-been, I’d like to mention the Eunos Cosmo, the heir the famous Cosmo rotary coupe of the 1960’s. It’s a gorgeous grand-tourer, with an interior like the flight deck of Captain Picard’s Enterprise, and a three-rotor twin-turbo engine!
Sort of a Japanese version of the BMW 8-series. Wish they sold them in the US.
http://autopolis.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/1990-1995-mazda-eunos-cosmo-the-once-and-future-king-of-the-rotories/
meant to include this.
The Amati brand was supposed to get three cars:
– Amati 500 – Entry-level competitor to the ES300 – this became the Millennia
– Amati 1000 – RWD sedan based on a lengthened and widened version of the chassis underpinning the 929, with a 3.6L-4.0L V12, based on the KL-series V6 engine architecture. Mazda still has one of these V12 on display in Hiroshima.
– Amati coupe – the Eunos Cosmo in LHD form. The Cosmo had been engineered with US emissions and crash standards in mind, and had been sent to the US for evaluation by the buff books. The world’s only production three-rotor Wankel powered car.
The Amati brand was canceled in late 1992, before Ford got controlling interest of the company. Basically the reasons were that the US market was contracting during the recession, Mazda had been beaten to market by Lexus and Infiniti (and the latter was doing none too well itself), and Mazda had overextended themselves developing WAY too many models with limited sales potential, like the MX-3, MX-6, third-generation RX-7, plus tons of JDM-only models like the Etude and Clef (seriously, look them up).
Below is an article from the time.
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-10-27/business/fi-807_1_luxury-car-division
Ultimately, the Millenia sold respectably well, but the company was overextended and couldn’t afford necessary development to keep it competitive. Mazda was in a serious product drought in the late-90s, as the sports car market collapsed and Mazda had blown way too much money on 2-door cars.
Very nice car. Front end could’ve used a little more imagination in style, but I’m looking at this from a 2012 perspective. Lines . . . . distinctive somewhat. A little Cadillac Allante influence.
For 2012 . . . this design would be ruined with the side impact mandates that make all beltlines ridiculously high . . . .
I’ve still got some early-’90s Motor Trends lying around containing articles about the forthcoming Amati brand. It’s certainly interesting to wonder how this car would have done with a premium badge. On paper, it’s a real rival to the Lexus ES and Acura TL. In practice, almost no one cared.
Of course, Infiniti and Acura haven’t exactly set the world on fire in the last two decades, so a luxury-branded Millenia probably would have been a dud, too. Lexus seems to be the exception, not the rule.
With that history as a guide, I’m rather surprised that Hyundai’s luxury efforts have been taken seriously.
Don’t know the Hyundai Equus’ sales for North America . . . . something tells me these are going to go over as well as the VW Phaeton did.
I remember seeing a W-12 VW Phaeton on display in . . . of all places . . . the airport terminal lobby at Anchorage International Airport in Alaska. This was the fall of 2004 and the (very nice looking and impressive) VW Phaeton sat behind ropes, but . . . still accessible enough to read the MSRP . . . which was (2005 model) a whopping $74 large (!!). Commonly heard was “who’d want to pay that much for a Volkswagen!” . . .
I love Audi A-8s . . . . but, somehow, even people who can buy in that price range have trouble justifying $94 large for an Audi A-8 (even though it rivals the Mercedes S class in many ways . . . and is better equipped).
At least in America . . .
So odd that Mazda had this and the similarly priced/sized 929 to sell at the same time, as a result of not going through with Amati.
This was one busy segment back then. Of the ES300, Legend, Maxima and Diamante bunch I liked the Millenia’s styling best. It was a clean and expensive looking car, and they all seemed to be that beigeish-gold color. I drove one once and was amazed at how solid the body structure felt.
I’ve owned two Mazdas, both 626s, an 87 hatchback and an 88 sedan. Both 5spd’s. I’ve also owned Toyotas and Nissans. The 626’s were great, stone reliable, fun to drive cars. They did have their drawbacks. Road noise and high revving at freeway speed made them poor cruisers. I always thought the Millenias were very nice cars and did consider one (used) at one point in time.
Two Mazdas and then defected to Nissan but loved them all especially my 323 Astina and the 121 Metro before that It was great to no longer have to rely on the shame of borrowing a car that no twenty something of the nineties would be seen alive in and to not have to rely on public transport so often.I recall while the Eunos brand still existed getting my parents into what was known as the 800 when they couldn’t get their E230 Mercedes but they would not have a bar of it and the benefit was we could get our run about which was a 323 Sedan base model as my fathers runabout in the same car as the luxury sedan.It would have been nice to have seen our trade in at the yards not longer after that.
Millenias had some nice touches I’ve not seen in other cars. The plastic was convincingly grained and had realistic wrinkles at its corners; Mazda had taken the mould of actual leather used on mock-ups of the interior panels covered with real leather and made the plastic off that template. I don’t know why other makers haven’t done the same; the mock elephant-hide in early Lexus cars and early ’90s Toyotas certainly didn’t look like leather. Mazda also had the Millenias’ bodies rotated on a spit during the paint baking process, resulting in a deep finish on horizontal panels and the upper part of vertical panels (ordinarily the paint would be thicker at the bottom of the body due to gravity’s pull while still wet). Contemporary reviews also praised the cars’ handling in a way they did not for the Legend of ES300 or for the 929, for that matter.
It’s a shame this car wasn’t more successful, but I do think Mazda was silly for pursuing the Miller-cycle engine instead of simply sticking in a 3.0 motor. Of course, then the K-series engines would’ve had a different external casting and not been installed in cars like the Astina/Lantis or MX-3, but that was a pointless exercise. It made more sense to put a big V6 in mid-sized cars. The sportier and smaller models could have used a turbo four-cyl, which Mazda had had available overseas.
Furthermore, JATCO were building 5-spd autos for RWD JDM Nissans by this point, so if Mazda wanted to be seen as an innovator badly enough, perhaps they could’ve adapted such a component to an FWD car.
These powertrain missteps were also evident in the 626 whose V6 was melodious but tepid, and whose 4-cyl was weak next to the competition. That car’s quality when compared to the Accord, Camry or even Altima was lacking.
The 1995 Protege also downgraded its base engine from a 1.8 SOHC to a 1.5 DOHC with 92 horses; you have to wonder why.
I feel like Mazda deserved greater success in the US market, but their history is peppered with all sorts of missteps. When Honda was gaining its golden reputation, Mazda was selling very good cars based on their low price and not their virtues. Then they, like Nissan, also ignored their most basic models in favor of the likes of the RX-7 and Miata (though I think Mazdas efforts were much more tasteful and effective, and more noble given their smaller budget). It’s a shame because their cars, with a few exceptions, have always rode and handled as good as, or better than, their best competition.
There was some success in the early part of this decade by underscoring their cars’ sportiness, but being the Japanese Pontiac isn’t a sustainable sales strategy. It also has come at the expense of chassis compliance when their cars were never lacking in terms of handling. And, as we’ve seen with the Mazda2, they continue to hobble some cars with a weak motor and an automatic which exacerbates the situation; the new CX5 also suffers from a weak engine. One might say that their sheer talent in certain areas while ignoring very obvious consumer needs marks Mazda as the carmaker with Asperger’s.
The Millenia (along with several other 1990s Mazda designs) has aged quite well. In fact, the Lexus LS460 (and to an extent, the Hyundai Genesis it inspired) has a very similar taillight design!
I remember being fascinated by the Millenia as a kid in elementary school. There was a Mazda dealer by my piano teacher’s house with a (very 90s) dark green Millenia S at the front of the showroom, and one evening my my mom finally caved in to my obsession. (Well…actually her 4DSC Maxima was starting to have transmission problems.) This must have been 1998, because the first of the 1999 Miatas had JUST rolled off the truck. I might still have the brochures for the Millenia, Miata, and (don’t ask why…) the last year of the boxy MPV somewhere.
Still a fan of Mazda in general.
If there ever was a vehicle to leave me with “meh”, this would have to be it. I’m sure it has its redeeming qualities but “Auto” would be a more appropriate name for this car than “Millenia”.
It seems like a waste of a fairly decent name. “Millenia” fits this vehicle like “Prowler” or “Cheetah” fits one of those tow-behind campers…. or like “Nitro” & “Caliber” fit the vehicles they are glued to. I’m sure there are better examples.
Great cars, but the superchargers are failure-prone after 100-150000kms. They’re hard to modify for more power – it’s not just as simple as a pulley size change as the ECU is tied in quite heavily with the s/c control.
Australia even got an Millenia SP version which was even higher spec than the S version – tuned by the Mazda skunkworks here that did the original NB MX-5 SP Turbo and the FD RX-7 SP that won Bathurst.
BTW Tom, this was a Eunos 800 (as mentioned in i think the 3rd para) not the 500 – that was a different/smaller car.
I’m such a Mazda fanboy. *shakes head*
I worked in a Mazda dealership from 1997-2002. I have to say in the five years that I was there we sold quite a few Millenias – we were a small single product dealership in Massachusetts. We would often put a beautiful basic Millenia in the showroom. Mazda offered great rebates all the time, and often customers would ask us about the Millenia when they came in for a loaded 626. Sometimes the prices were so close it was foolish to buy the 626. We sold a LOT of them to doctors, lawyers and affluent people in general that didn’t want a brand name with a stigma i.e. Lexus/BMW etc. They loved them and sometimes bought another for their spouse. I drove several as demos and always thought the Millenia was so much better than it was perceived to be because of the name. I feel Mazda would have had a true winner on their hands had they come out with the Amati brand. The fit and finish was always top shelf and they rarely, if ever, came back for warranty repairs. If you can find a nice low mileage rust free Millenia, it is a great used car buy.
That car went basically unchanged for almost 11 years. Why?
Why not?
My parents leased one of these in 1998 with the 2.5 engine. It was nice to look at, navy, tan leather, with a spoiler. But that was about all. The thing had no pickup and felt weak.
Dad let me drive it off the lot as he sped away in the 1995 Volvo 960 wagon. It was supposed to be his car, but mom ended up driving it because he was so disappointed. I think if we got the S version, it would have been a different story.
Pretty car but extinct around here. I have always perceived Honda and Toyota as the Tier 1 Japanese automakers, Nissan and Mazda as second tier, and Mitsubishi I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. I am not quite sure what to make of Subaru, so I left them out of the mix.
My dad smashed his prelude racing in the rain (sometime in the 90s) and my grandparents gave him their 92 accord and would eventually buy this car, Green with that tan leather it wasn’t a bad car, comfortable and a peaceful ride, looking back it wasn’t an S but still had pep when my grandma wasn’t co piloting.
With the 626 I don’t know why Mazda even bothered with the Millenia. The only experience I’ve had with Mazda is my 1996 Ford Escort, which was mostly all Mazda. It was a good, reliable car.
I fell hard for a Millennium Edition Millenia S that I test drove sometime around 2002 or 2003. I was poor at the time and couldn’t really afford it. It wasn’t terribly expensive to buy, but I knew about some of the troubles the Miller Cycle – though, to be honest I always thought it had a more traditional supercharger. It was quick.
The one I wanted was silver and Millennium Editions had special dark gray alcantera-esque seats that just seemed really cool. I would have probably removed the C-pillar badge, but my God was that a great car design. I still stop in my tracks whenever I see one on the road – which has been a depressingly long time. And when I do, it’s more commonly the refreshed 2001+ version which I thought ruined the front end.
If they built a 2000 Millenia today, I would buy it.
So many wonderful luxury cars from the last few decades at such good prices. However, I don’t think I could live without my backup screen. Or my nav system. The neighbor’s dog ran behind my 2018 Mazda when I was backing up and the radar(!) set off an alarm and saved it. I’m an an old car guy but I’m not going back.
Not the S, but did own a Millenia in ’90s. Sweet V6 but no low end torque, so not a pleasant drive around town at all.