Overview & Reviews
Upscale Japanese luxury sedans began to proliferate across the landscape in the early 1990s, with newly hatched premium brands like Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti born to do battle against more established European and American rivals. In such a thriving marketplace, Mazda planned to get in on the aspirational act with a proposed premium division called Amati. This idea proved a little too rich for the company's pocketbook, however, and was subsequently scrapped. But all was not lost, for the junior of two planned Amati sedans came to life as the midsize entry-luxury Mazda Millenia, which was introduced in 1995 as the company's flagship replacement for the outgoing 929.
The Millenia was plagued throughout its 8-year run by a lack of upscale presence and a mild case of schizophrenia. While its styling and higher content level qualified it for the entry-luxury market, the Millenia's execution and cachet just didn't measure up -- especially considering the $30,000-plus price tag on the top-drawer Millenia S model.
Midsize sedan shoppers looking for a dash of luxury and something different might find a later-model Mazda Millenia an intriguing choice, especially the supercharged S. Other worthwhile luxury-branded used vehicles from this era include the Acura TL and Lexus ES.
Most Recent Mazda Millenia The Mazda Millenia was produced from 1995-2002. As it was originally intended to be a luxury-branded car rather than a typical Mazda, it featured upscale leather, wood and chrome appointments inside, along with higher-quality paint and better overall fit and finish. Two trim levels were available: base (with or without leather) and S. Base models came standard with a rather pedestrian 170-horsepower 2.5-liter V6, while those who followed Mazda's suggestion to "get in, be moved" could choose the more powerful Millenia S with its larger tires, standard traction control and 210-hp 2.3-liter "Miller Cycle" supercharged V6 engine. A four-speed automatic was the only available transmission. The Miller Cycle V6 was a unique power plant that featured a belt-driven supercharger to boost power and torque. It was refined and smooth, but not particularly powerful by luxury-car standards. Handling was also a mixed bag, with well-controlled body roll through smooth curves, but inadequate damping over rough surfaces. Seating up front was comfortable and well-contoured, but rear passengers suffered from a lack of thigh support and foot space. Numerous changes were made during the Mazda Millenia's eight years on the market. Equipment was upgraded for 1997 and a revised center console design arrived. Two-tone color schemes and a styling refresh showed up for 1999. The following year, the Millenia celebrated the millennium by cutting prices and offering a special-edition model. Available in two eye-catching colors, the Millennium Millenia featured 17-inch wheels, an in-dash six-CD changer and suede upholstery. The most significant changes occurred for 2001 when Mazda strengthened the Millenia's body structure to improve torsional rigidity while adding new stabilizer bars (for better handling) and bigger brakes. That year also saw exterior styling tweaked and upgrades to the interior. Side airbags were also made standard. Because of these improvements, the 2001 and '02 Mazda Millenias (the final model years) are clearly the best choices for used-car shoppers.
This is one nice car! If it was not so unique and sharp I would buy a V6 Fusion or Mazda 6 with this 6 cyl engine in heartbeat.
THEY NEED A MUCH BIGGER ENGINE IN THIS
CAR, OVERALL IT IS A GOOD RIDE.
Bought this car in 2008, very good mileage 72,900. Love this car handles great good gas mileage looks great. Wish they bring them back 2011.
great car. true japanese spirit.
My Millenia, fondly named Millie
Vanillie, was a wonderful car. An
accident totaled him, but I have to PTL
that thanks to his safety features, I
felt no impact and suffered no
injuries. He was a wonderfully quiet
ride, and had great get-up-and-go. I
will miss him.
MY WIFE WAS INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS CAR
ACCIDENT WITH OUR 2 MONTH OLD MILLENIA.
THE OFFICERS AT THE ACCIDENT ATTRIBUTED
THE MILLENIA WITH THE ABILITY OF MY
WIFE TO GET OUT AND WALK AWAY FROM THE
ACCIDENT. WE ARE GETTING READY TO
PURCHASE A SECOND MILLENIA AND POSSIBLY
A THIRD. INCIDENTLY THE MILLENA WAS
TOTALED BUT THE OTHER CAR FAIRED ALOT
WORSE. I AM SAD THAT THIS IS THE LAST
MODEL YEAR FOR THE MILLENIA.
This is my second Mazda Millenia. Excellent vehicle for traveling (am in sales/marketing)or in-town showing off...looks great, runs with the "big dogs". Hold the curves without braking!Gets lots, I mean lots, of compliments ---even from the 18-30 Y/O crowd.
Price + luxury design and materials
make this automobile worthwhile.
Beautiful aesthetics and long list of
features make me laugh when I see
others spending 50% more on another
luxury vehicle for the brand name. Go
out a drive one and do the math -
youll be smart, saved a ton of bank,
and riding in pure luxury...
Ive had my S since 2002, always had basic maintenance done. It has 95000 anad is due for Timing belt change to the tune of $2500. Valve covers leaking into cylinders, misfiring and not burning all gas which might be hurting the cat converter. Might need ignition coils, clogged ECG valve. This car was fine until now and now its going to cost over $3500 or more to get these things fixed. Very expensive car to maintain with higher mileage. Think twice about buying a used S model unless you have deep pockets.
The Mazda Millenia offers excellent
value for the price. It is comfortable,
handles well and has good acceleration.
The Miller S engine is very smooth with
good top end power.
The interior is well designed with easy
to read guages and all controls within
a comfortable distance to the driver.
The seats are a little low but still
comfortable even on long trips. Mazda
could have designed the interior with
more wood grain and higher quality
leather to better compare to other
luxury cars like Lexus or BMW. Overall
I am extremely happy and enjoy the
Millenia very much. I have not had one
mechanical or quality issue. User Reviews:
Showing 101 through 110 of 161.00
By 5th_Mazda
- August 25 - 8:23 pm
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