1995 Mazda Millenia | Retro Review
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- Would the upscale Millenia have been more successful if Mazda had launched it under its own division with an attractive name?
Show 1330 | Original Airdate 03-30-1994
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My very first car car a 2001 Millennia S. Gold with beige/tan leather. I was so happy with it. I was 18. Then it started giving me problem after problem. Now that I’m older, I would love to give it another try. I really do miss it.
The Mazda Millenia… was definitely the quintessential entry luxury vehicle without the luxury badge attach too it, back in that era.. styling was definitely ahead of it’s time.. these were so stunning with gold package.. still one of my favorite automobiles ever produced.. I always wondered what it would have looked like like now if it were still in production today ❤
Considering Mazda interiors beat some actual luxury badges (looking at you Acura, Infinity and BMW) I'd say if Mazda wanted a true luxe division they could totally knock it out of the park. I had a 2000 Mazda 6 (bought used in 02) that had an interior much better looking than Accords and Camry of the same era and looked pretty good on the outside as well. The not so good part is Mazda used a garbage 2.3l Ford engine and transmission in those things. Other than the trouble I had with that (and weak ac which was a Mazda thing at the time) it was a great car.
@@jbm0866yeah the interiors in the Millenia definitely boasted some better than average ergonomics .. & other Mazdas as well. Their interiors were always soft & inviting, until it was damn near dramatic, but for the 2.3 liter with the miler cycle engine in the Millenia S i believe this was all Mazda.. they were all built in Japan.. I’m not too sure if that particular engine was made by Ford & I can be wrong
@@larkt6693 Pretty sure that 2.3l wasnt a pure Mazda design (Mazda was in financial trouble at the time and majority owned by Ford) but I could be wrong. I do know the garbage transmission (where the worst issues were) was a Ford design..same as used in their other 4cyl offerings of the time. I think the 2014 model year was the beginning of 100% Mazda design for everything and they've been better off for it.
@@jbm0866Hey I like your comment other than what you said about engines. Ford used Mazda engines,Mazda never used Ford engines All the Mazda 4 cylinder engines at that time, late 90s through the 2000s were Mazda MZR 4 cylinder engines, Ford used Mazda engines in the 90s in the Ford Taurus, Probe, Escort Contour etc.Yes the Duratec engines are a Mazda design, Ford didn't want us american consumers to know that so they named the Mazda engines installed in Ford vehicles Duratec.
The transmissions were 90s Mazda as well, 323,626 and Protege.Fprd just had their own names for them just like the Duratec engines compared to Mazda MZR engines. They are all Mazda engine blocks and internals but they used different intakes to make themselves look different.
I've always had a soft spot for these, We used to have one of these when I was really young. Unfortunately all I can remember was seeing it sit on the driveway with a flat tire, but I still loved it! Unfortunately the reason it sat there was because it kept eating through its transmissions. It was eventually scrapped. But I still miss it a lot.
Mazdas from this generation were extremely beautiful!
$57,133 in today’s dollars for the leather version. Not a great deal back then. Extra nice car though.
My mom test drove a Millennia and absolutely fell in love with it. Unfortunately, the back seat was just too cramped; and as a real estate agent, she needed a roomier back seat to haul customers around. She ended up with an Infiniti Q45 instead.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
I'm surprised they didn't discuss the car's paint. It had the most beatiful deep luster that I've never seen before or since.
I love their newer deep red color. When it's washed and shiny it looks almost wet
Most cars today have orange peel which you can polish with a denim pad and skill… then ceramic coat and only wash by hand.
Cars don’t have to look like shit - people are just lazy and would rather watch jerry springer! Reruns > going outside and washing their vehicles once a week.
A QUALITY drying towel works wonders.
I've always wanted one of these and I still want one of these
I look often and each day I see less and less.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
We knew it as the Mazda Xedos 9 in Europe. Good looking car
I truly wish we could've seen the Amati, and eFini lines launch. I've always held Mazda in high regard. My first car was a 91 626. My dad had an 89 mx6 turbo growing up. Thought that car was so cool at the time. Mazda has certainly stepped up their game in the past 5-10yrs.
I would love to have one of these cars, today in 2023
Love this car it needs to make a comeback along with the 929.
Why? They’d never sell enough.
@@ensignjimmy3237Exactly, people aren't buying sedans anymore.
I’d buy one of these or a 929, y’all can buy SUV’s like everybody else 🤔. I’ve owned a millenia and drove a 929 quite a bit and if you haven’t spent anytime in one, well if you know you know.🤩
Not gonna happen
@@sleeksilverthat’s because they are not making them
In the previous neighborhood that I lived in, my neighbor had one for years. I am not sure which engine it had, but he never complained about any problems. That was the only one I saw on the regular, but I have seen 2 in the past two day. It's a rare sight of early Mazda zoom zoom.
Loved this one when I was in my teens
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
I wonder how many middle aged dudes who bought these told their pals that it had the Miller Cycle engine, like anyone knew what that meant
Well that engine was fast off the line and felt pretty quick for the era. It made you want to keep driving. The other engine offered was adequate but boring. The millercycle engine was supercharged and most people just said they had the S model. All ages brought these, they were popular back then.
@@Tahvyy I never knocked the engine or car.
Probably equal to a similar number of, now, middle-aged dudes professing the virtues of their Hondas having "V-TEC" as if it were some magical power enhancer...(I'm 58 btw).
I LOVED this car, and still do! That antenna is MASSIVE! lol
Rode in and drove brand new one regularly as a teen in ‘95 - same spec, only dark blue. Definitely was an incredible feat (only second in my mind to my beloved ‘92 ES300) except for its reliability. The 2nd gen refresh looked good but also had the stain of poor reliability. I remember a college friend buying one new in 2002 and while I congratulated her, I knew it wasn’t a solid purchase; she ended up trading it 8 months later for an Accord because it gave her so many issues. I still revere them though regardless especially when I see one.
90's Mazda's were so good. I miss my 1996 MX-6 sometimes.
Newer ones are better in general but the mx3, mx6 were super cool and definitely not bad at all.
I had a 95 a while back. It smoked to no end because of a problem with the exhaust in the back of the engine. But it was a very comfortable car!
You bought used then
@@nessuno5403like 95% of people do
@@roddydykes7053 of course, so it's dumb to list the number of issues these cars had, when used, because the previous owners could have thrashed them
@@nessuno5403they have had well known problems.
That 626 at the beginning is 🔥
The featured Millenia needed nicer wheels. 0:49 This was far from the then-current 3-Series. This model was alright as an alternative to the ES, J30, TL, Diamante, or the Swedes like 9000 or 850. BMWs were out of reach.
I had the most expensive of this millenia and it was amazing but the transmission was the downside, I waste tons of money repairing and replacing the damn transmission
yes, the same thing with the Mazda Mx6.
@Jonathan-mp32x Well, There you go.
@Jonathan-mp32x And, You're not familiar with jacto i see. Do some research on them and my comment makes perfect sense.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute. Okay?
Crazy that almost 30 years later, mazda finally achieves true luxury with the CX-90
Almost 20 years? Holy math, this is 3 months short of 30 years. Come on man.
@@nwezetx1 happy?
@@Alexd3498 LMAO, just saying lol. I wish this was still 20 years ago, but sadly not...
@@nwezetx1 🤣🤣🤣🤣people born in 2005 are legally adults, let that one sink in
@@Alexd3498 Please don't remind me ☹️
2:07 min. Love the just-tap-the-brakes California stop
Ah yes, the Xedos 9. Still see these from time to time here in Germany
But I’d rather take a Mitsubishi Diamante
0:48 also this is more of a 5-series and E-Class competitor in terms of size and class
It probably was cheaper than either of those though.
Eunos 800 in Australia
The Xedos 9 and Diamante / Sigma are really nice indeed.
There's a Diamante that's been sitting at a body shop near me for months. I walk past it everyday, and though other cars get fixed up and moved out, there it stays, neglected and forlorn.
It makes me sad watching the rain get in through the open window 😢
I wanted this car so bad when it came out SMH LOL
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
I had been considering buying one of these when they were on their way out. I went to my local Mazda dealer in South Austin at the time. They would not even unlock the Millenia in the showroom for me, much less let me test drive one. Toyota, Honda, and Volkswagen all had no problem with me test driving their cars. I ended up buying a top-of-the-line Honda instead. I loved that car. I guess the Mazda dealer did not want my money.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
I liked this Mazda, but They did you a favor. I'm sure the Honda was a winner.
Wish Mazda would come out with a luxury brand today!
The Message by Nas made me want a black Millennia with Antera Type 109 wheels. 🤤
I had a higher mileage one for a while, it was really nice, like reallllly nice, alas the supercharger was leaking oil, no rebuild kit at the time, replacement was more then the car was worth, sold to someone else still running well, hopefully stayed on the road a while longer.
Honestly if I ran across a really clean original owner Millenia for the right price I would still love to own one for a while.
For some reason, the shape of this car was odd to me until the refresh. I think the final generation 929 was unusually beautiful.
A family friend used to have one of these for their three sons to drive. I believe it was a 2002, the final year they were made. It came with custom wheels when they bought it, and they called it a “Mazda-rati.” Unfortunately, the youngest son totaled it about a week after getting his license.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute. Too bad Mazda doesn't make any more CX-7 SUVs, Millenia sedans, MazdaSpeed3 hatchbacks, and Tribute SUVs anymore. On the bright side, the Mazda3 is still around as of right now. And it will continue to be one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
I had this exact car , same color and all. It was really good at everything 🫠.
Remember looking at a used 4 year old Millenia L at a car dealership during my senior year of high school, such a nice car
Yes, me too! I didn't want to drive a Camry/Accord back then! I wanted something that could match that of my peers who drove VW Jetta 1.8T or Celicas, but was more practical and luxurious!
Maaaaan that Amati 1000 with the V12 would have been really interesting.
These were badged as the Xedos 9 in Europe back then. Nice cars
With some Tint and ENKEII Wheels these things looked really nice.
Good thing that I have the 1999 and 2000 Mazda Millenia brochures in my collection and I bought them in early 2018.
One of my cousins had a 1995 or 1996 Mazda Millenia in the starlight blue color with the mocha leather back in the early 2000s. It had the V6 engine and these Mazdas were my favorite.
The car that everyone forgot
Stealth wealth. I always liked these.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
That music is making me hard. Bought a used 1997 in 2010 for my girlfriend as an in between car for 900 bucks. Most of the electronics and luxury features were on the fritz but it was fairly easy to work on and parts were cheap. Lasted way longer than it should have, and even got 600 bucks out of it.
2:04 Nice California stop there! The cops used to give tickets for that.
Classy design for the 90’s.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
Among my top 10 ever , i cant help it
I wish Mazda bring these car back and 2001-2002 generation is my favorite generation for this car
Saw a 96 L model with only 1200 miles for sale. Excellent condition.
Wow! Compressing the intake charge AND varying the valve timing!?! 🤯
I….suppose that’s a rudimentary first sentence to start explaining the Miller cycle lol
The Amati luxury brand could be done by Mazda right now. Since they want to go upscale, a luxury division would be better than bringing Mazda-badged vehicles upmarket.
John, Mazda didn't need to start their own prestige rebadged brand. They won Le Mans.
Still a handsome car today.
I miss my mazda
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
Development of these cars actually began in 1988, under deep secrecy. I don't remember if there was a news article somewhere that tried to leak Mazda's luxury plans in 1989, but they didn't really go public until 1991 on Amati
I don't think that John mentioned that this was a supercharged 2.3 V6. Makes the numbers make sense.
Unfortunately these had very drab interiors, unreliable transmissions, and weren't available with a manual transmission. Mazda didn't really have a chance with the Legend not being much more expensive, but for the base model it might have made more sense. Or someone could have gotten the less sporty ES300.
It was a nice car, so nice Infiniti copied the exterior design in the 2000s for their version of the maxima. It is a shame it didn't get another generation.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
Imagine a world where Amati was said in the same breath as Lexus and Acura
I always thought this was a great car, but the Acura Legend was just a bit nicer
Yep. And much nicer interior and you could get it with a manual transmission.
lol at the music for this car.
Cool car
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
Damn that’s a big antenna 😅..
Caraca que maneiro amigão 👏👏👏👏🎤👍😁
I just know saw the rx-7 Easter egg on this car!!!
Friend bought one used because they had terrible depreciation. Got a 2 year old for under 10k with 30k miles
Mazda kept it so simple with their marketing strategy. Acura and Infiniti are disastrous with their low quality vehicles. Lexus is paramount with quality and Mazda kept it real… modestly built luxury line up and many models are still Made in Japan.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
It looked like a Daewoo
This looks was out before those dough Daewoo's.
These were nice-looking cars back in the day and I think the design has aged well. A nice car, but I never really perceived it as a luxury car. More of a competitor to a fully loaded Maxima. It didn't quite have the panache of an Infiniti J30 or the European luxury competition. From what I've heard over the years, the Millenia was not a particularly reliable car.
Basically a Mazda Avalon
efsane 🥰
0:46 Taking on BMW, MB, and Lexus with *this* - how’d that work out for you Mazda 🤣
How does Mazda compare the Millenia with the 929 because I think it’s a rebadged and renamed 929 sedan!
I wonder why they didn't slap a turbo on this 6 cylinder engine and put it in the Mazdaspeed vs the inline 4 turbo used... not that the turbo charged inline 4 used isn't a great engine.
In my opinion, they should've kept the Amati brand alive and launched the Amati W12 flagship and this car as the Amati Millenia. The W12 flagship especially would've made quite a statement back then, being the first and only Asian 12-cylinder car of its class and the first and only one in the world to have the "W" engine configuration. And the Amati brand, as an idea, certainly made more sense than the homozygous (and just too restricted, despite the different model names) Eunos brand, it was much more distinctive. One huge missed opportunity. We have no idea what Mazda could look like today had they had kept Amati alive.
The first Japanese 12 cylinder engine, yes. But the only one, no. Toyota had a V12 that they used in only one production car, the Century. Unfortunately it was only sold in Japan.
The flagship likely would've had similar reliability issues as the others
@@damilolaakanniNope, the V12 Century wouldn't be until the 2nd generation of the Century got out in 1997. Plus, being only available in Japan makes it a powerless statement.
Didn't realize it was that expensive back then!! Way overpriced!
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
It's not a shock the back seat doesn't fold down. There is likely a structural element in the seat which is a necessary compromise many times to get a "sporty" front wheel drive car. My wife's Camry SE's back seat doesn't fold down either but all the other trims for that model year do. In a rear wheel drive car you don't need to do this because you have a differential and other heavier components back there which do the same job.
For sure. It doesn't really apply to most modern sedans. Even the sporty ones fold down now with improved body rigidity in other places.
@@know916bound Hello. So, I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
Preview Test
The reason why you don't see these anymore is because they had the very beginnings of the variable valve timing system and engines which it turns out in the long run is an inherently unreliable system. Most new car manufacturers are still using it and the engines have terrible reliability but are able to pass emissions mileage testing so they continue to make them. Very awful technology and if you have a car with it and it's able to be disabled get it disabled.
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
BACK IN MY DAY CARS LOOKED LIKE CARS AND THEY HAD THEIR OWN SHAPES THESE DAYS EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE A STUPID BAR OF SOAP AND FEELS LIKE BEING IN A STUPID SPACE SHIP THESE MILLENIAS THESE DAYS DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE MISSING THEY DON'T GET IT AND SOMEONE NEEDS TO MAKE THEM LEARN WHAT THEY'RE MISSING SO WHEN WE FINALLY GIVE THEM THE REIGNS THEY WILL MAKE STUFF THAT IS GOOD INSTEAD OF MORE STUFF THAT SUCKS
Need to bring it back with RWD. Timeless, classic design.
mazda and Mitsubishi still clashing
Another one of the least reliable of the 90s Japanese cars
The 90's and early 2000's Mazda and Ford collaboration cars had terrible engines and transmissions. With a lot needing a transmission replaced before hitting 50,000 miles and engines dying before 100,000.
2.5 Is best no turbo
One of the worst HVAC control layouts I've seen. The largest buttons closest to the driver are where the fan speed and mode controls should be, not the defrosters. I don't even know how to control the fan speed, there's just one button. Do you just have to keep toggling through all the speeds to get where you want?
0:18 AND They never did.
I guess the millennials didn’t show much love for the millennia!👋😂👉they disappeared!
I love the Mazda Millenia. It's one of my favorite Mazda models alongside the 5-passenger CX-7, the Mazda3, the MazdaSpeed3, and the Mazda Tribute.
transmission was trash
"In the interest of equality"... Poor choice of words.
Nope. Controls were usually much easier for the passenger to operate so making it easier for the driver to operate while driving is doing it in the interest of equality
Passengers are not supposed to be touching controls. Anyway this car was a flop. @@MrCarGuy
I'm going to play devil's advocate in the comment section. After you watch this, go look up pictures of a 1995 BMW 325i. There is no comparison. The millenia was a major snooze.
👎
325 is equal size to mazda 323.
This compares to 730.
Ah,the xedos in europe,was considered kind of luxurious back in the day