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.
Ive owned my Mazda Millenia for about 5 years now. I bought it almost new with 11K miles. Now with 107K miles, my Milly is still going strong with only routine checkups, and the occasionally wear and tear maintenance that needed to be tended to. I love the color of my car, Sand mica with Oak interior, beautiful faux wood in-lay on center console. Up too this day I still get compliments on my vehicle. I also love the fact that you barely see them on the highway, so when people do see them, its sort of an exclusive feeling of reaction. Mazda did an fantastic job on this exterior; fit and finish superb, oozes quality, too perfect detail.
We just purchased the vehicle about two
weeks ago (6/2002). This is our third
Mazda and the best yet. The new
styling is very attractive. The fit,
feel, and finish of the whole car
resembles that of many other more
expensive cars. The $5,000 rebate made
this car deal extraordinary. Where
else can you get all of this for
$21,500?
A luxury car for $21,000? That is what
you will get if you buy one of these.
With a sticker price of $30,000, dealer
incentives and discounts brings this
car within reach. Look around at other
cars, the top of the line Maxima,
Accord, Camry, Avalon, or domestic cars
in this category and youll spend $4000-
8000 more for the same ride, equipment,
and reliability. I drove all the above
cars, bottom line, money talks.
No problems since purchase 18 months ago. Only pay for oil and gas. Get 26 mpg usually. In Florida summer drops to 24 with AC on full time. Real nice, you dont pass yourself often. Dont have turbo or supercharger, get it if you can. Just wish I hadnt paid as much at dealership. Not Fair & Square as advertised.
Awesome value for the money. For $10K
less than a similar Mercedes C-Class or
Lexus ES300, this car was too hard to
pass up. Its fun to drive and I
always get compliments on it.
Love exterior, good suspension,
excelent build quality, more powerfull
engine will help, automatic
airconditioner not good enough.
Bought brand new for $25K after owning 2 brand new Accords. This car still turns my head in a parking lot full of newer models. Very dependable, fun to drive, comfortable on long trips. Cost to replace timing belt is doubled due to the supercharger belt. Love to hear that compressor sing, though. This baby really scoots with the Miller Cycle engine and scroll supercharger, even if it does require premium gas. The alloy wheels have coroded on the inside resulting in loss of air pressure in tires and excessive wear. Paint on side view mirrors has worn off and auto-dimming rear view mirror has worn out. Other than that, it has been a wonderful ride.
Typical high quality Japanese fit and
finish, powered everything, no cheap
materials. Excellent safety features -
4 air bags! Long list of standard items
that make this car above and beyond
awesome value.
The suspension is not harsh, but reacts
very well on simple maneuvers. Imagine
something between an Accord and a
Lincoln Town Car. The Premium 170HP
does what its asked - its not tuned
for tearing out, so its quite
competent for non-lead foot driving.
I bought my Millenia very cheap from a
bank at loan value. The car was in
good condition with 69K miles. After
purchasing I found out the 60K mile
tuneup was never performed. I went to
the dealer and they wanted $1500 for
the tuneup. You can get them dirt
cheap, but your paying to maintain a
$30K car.
Ive had some other small issues with
the car like the serpentine belt
tensioner coming loose. It sounded
like a blown engine, but it was just
the tensioner bouncing against the
block.
The transmission is terrible. Its
very indecisive. Also, resale is
terrible since the car is no longer
made.
Few cars offer such dynamics as the
milleniaS while being able to
stealthily go by as widely
unnoticed>an "ace int he hole" car
this is. The boggling fact about its
unsung praise is that it has one of
new milleniums most honored and
revered power plants (miller-cycle
engine)! As a matter of fact, I knew
nothing of the car until 1998 When I
first saw it,being the car fanatic
that I am, I was astounded at its
beaty and ,thus began my love affair
with Mazda! User Reviews:
Showing 111 through 120 of 161.00
By Brook Landon
- April 29 - 3:36 pm
By Chris Wood
- April 29 - 10:00 am
By SM
- March 12 - 10:00 am
By Tyrone
- March 4 - 4:13 pm
By milleniaman1
- January 29 - 10:00 am
By Arie
- December 23 - 10:00 am
By Cottonmoe
- November 15 - 6:36 am
By w4vic
- November 4 - 10:00 am
By joutlaw
- August 18 - 2:00 am
By mazdaholic
- July 12 - 10:00 am
