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NEWS photos Nel! Lucente

THE NEW Mazda Millenia sedan is a five-passenger front-wheel-drive luxury sedan with standard dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction conitro!, and most power
conveniences. An optional 2.3-litre Miller-Cycle V6 engine offers excellent performance with reasonable fuel economy.

TH

nor plush. °

ell-laid

-out interior is neither extravagant

Luxury sedan features Miller-cycle engine

WHEN FINANCIAL woes
forced Mazda to abandon its
planned Amati luxury car
channel last year, the

Millenia luxury sedan was
hastily renamed a Mazda and
inserted into Mazda’s lineup
between the compact 626 and
the mid-sized 929.

“That may prove to be a bonus for
Mazda, since they don't have the
expensive averhead associated with
a separate dealer network,

“The Millenia’s base price of
$36,000 is certainty much lower
than the base price of comparable

_lusury. sedans from Lexus, infiniti
and Acura.

In many respeets, the front-
wheel-drive Millenia is much fike
other Japanese sedans. Its styling is
attractive and well-finished but not
particularly distinctive. The build
quality is very bigh and the well

_daid-out interior is neither extrava-
gant nor plush. The performance of
the buse V6 engine is smooth and
sufficiently powerful but not excit-
ing. :

There are, however, a couple of

things about. this car that set it apart
from the crowd. One. of these is the
optional 2.3-litre Miller-Cvele ¥6
engine. :

This unique engine bas the horse-
power and torque equivalent of a
3.3-Hire V6 engine, but it uses 10 to
PS? fess fuel than an engine of trat

ihe cope oe
‘ Shearer ggavet!s

i
beaten he's

TEST DRIVE

size. This is accompanied by delay-
ing the closure of the intake valves
and using a Cysholm compressor
(supercharger) to force air into the
evlinders,

The Miller-Cycle Vo develops
210 hone power at S300 rpm. and
210 ft-lbs. of torque af 3.300
hp. approximately 1.5 times
the torque of a traditional Vo engine
of this size.

For comparison, considee that the
larger hase 2.3-litte V6 engine has
170 horsepower at 5.000 ppm. and
160 t-lbs. of torque al 4806 ¢.p.m,

See Mazda page 41

Price as tested (S) $43,500
Base price $36,000»

‘Type five-passenger, four-door
sedan

Layout transverse front engine /
front-wheel-drive

Engine 2.3 litre V6 Mifler-
Cyele, DOHC, 24 valves. multi-
port fuel injection .
Horsepower 210 @ 5.300
Lp.m.

Torque 210 ft-lbs. @ 3,500.
rpm. ‘
‘Transmission four-speed auto-
nnitic

Curb weight 1.538 ky (3.390
Ibs.) —
Wheelbase 2.750 mm (108.2
in.)

Length 1,820 mm (189.8 in.)
Widih $.770 min (69.7 in.)
Height 1.395 mm (34.9 in.)
Vires 215/55-16 all-season radi-
als

Trunk space 377 litres (13.3 cu,
ft.)

Fuel consumption; City; 12.2
per 100 km (23° mop.g.):
Highway: 8.0 per 100 ko (35
m.pat Se : ;
Warranty: Basic: three vears 7
SO.000, king Powertrain: five
years 100,000 kin