 | 2002 Mazda Millenia Still sophisticated after all these years.
By Ted West,
New Car Test Drive .com |
Overview
If Mazda sold a premium brand, like Honda's Acura or Toyota's Lexus, or Nissan's Infiniti, then the Millenia would be its flagship. The Mazda Millenia offers value among luxury sedans. With its Mazda nameplate, however, the Millenia often slips under the radar of buyers shopping for a luxury or near-luxury car. The Millenia S packs supercharged 210-horsepower V6 engine and is one of the more interesting cars in the near-luxury class. It's crisp handling encourages you to take the long way home. It's gracious creature comforts make you want to head out on a road trip. This car is superbly engineered and is built at one of the world's highest quality assembly plants. It was, in fact, originally conceived as a premium-brand product and competes with the Infiniti I35, Acura TL, and Lexus ES 300. Model Lineup
Two models are available: Millenia Premium ($28,025) and Millenia S ($31,025). The Premium model comes with a naturally aspirated (not supercharged) 2.5-liter dohc V6 rated at 170 horsepower. The S model is powered by Mazda's innovative Miller-cycle engine, a 2.3-liter dohc V6 that uses a compact scroll-type supercharger to produce 210 horsepower without compromising fuel economy or smoothness. Both models come trimmed in leather and well-equipped, with eight-way power front seats, automatic climate control, cruise control, AM/FM/CD/cassette stereo, remote keyless entry with two fobs, alloy wheels, fog lamps. Dual front and side-impact airbags are standard. Both models come with a four-speed automatic transmission. Millenia S adds traction control, 17-inch (rather than 16-inch) alloy wheels, and a Bose audio system with nine speakers and a six-disc in-dash CD player. Base-model buyers can still get traction control as part of a $600 4-Seasons Package that includes heated front seats, a heavy-duty wiper motor, a large-capacity wiper-fluid tank and two-position wipers. A $300 package adds the heated seats and heavy-duty wiping/washing equipment to the S model.
|