RE: SOTW: Mazda MX-6

Author
Discussion

Lagerlout

1,810 posts

235 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
Hmm I owned one of these and really didn't like it. Blaring exhaust, rubbish auto, squishy handling and pretty gutless. I hear the manuals are a lot better. But still out of this and the 200SX mentioned the 200SX for me every time.

dvance

605 posts

167 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
kbee540 said:
Wow, now that brings back some fond memories. Bought one of these new in 1994. Bright red with that lovely smooth V-6. Certainly wasn't a rocket, but compared well with other metal at the time. Remember upsetting a mate with an E36 320is who couldn't pull away on mixed A and B roads, and my young testosterone fueled self like nothing more than picking on Prelude and (non-Turbo) Calibra drivers. Was just 20 when I bought it and was sad enough in those days to wash it even whilst it was raining

How good a car was it? Well, let’s put it this way: It was replaced after 3-yrs by a brand new E39 540i Sport (stiff suspension, 6-speed, loads of toys) that cost more than twice as much. Took delivery in Munich and managed the return trip to Huntingdon in just 9-hrs, including ferry crossing. By all measures an epic car. But....I was always just a bit disappointed. The MX-6 was simply such a great car in so many ways that I could never really justify the costs/benefit ratio of the Bimmer. It simply wasn’t twice as good as the Mazzer as the price would indicate. It was better no doubt, but I always missed that sweet little coupe.

If anyone should happen upon a bright red example carrying L446 KAV plates, know that it has the kind of charm that an E39 V-8 5-er couldn't match and makes me doubt whether my E93 335d Coupe is really a better thing. Thanks for bringing back the memories PH.
Sheesh, do share what deal you made with the devil :P And what's his number biggrin ?

JayMan

115 posts

186 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
kbee540 said:
Wow, now that brings back some fond memories. Bought one of these new in 1994. Bright red with that lovely smooth V-6. Certainly wasn't a rocket, but compared well with other metal at the time. Remember upsetting a mate with an E36 320is who couldn't pull away on mixed A and B roads, and my young testosterone fueled self like nothing more than picking on Prelude and (non-Turbo) Calibra drivers. Was just 20 when I bought it and was sad enough in those days to wash it even whilst it was raining

How good a car was it? Well, let’s put it this way: It was replaced after 3-yrs by a brand new E39 540i Sport (stiff suspension, 6-speed, loads of toys) that cost more than twice as much. Took delivery in Munich and managed the return trip to Huntingdon in just 9-hrs, including ferry crossing. By all measures an epic car. But....I was always just a bit disappointed. The MX-6 was simply such a great car in so many ways that I could never really justify the costs/benefit ratio of the Bimmer. It simply wasn’t twice as good as the Mazzer as the price would indicate. It was better no doubt, but I always missed that sweet little coupe.

If anyone should happen upon a bright red example carrying L446 KAV plates, know that it has the kind of charm that an E39 V-8 5-er couldn't match and makes me doubt whether my E93 335d Coupe is really a better thing. Thanks for bringing back the memories PH.
Blimey you were doing well to be rocking round in a brand new 540 aged 23!

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

207 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
Zircon said:
The MX6 was a really good mid 90's sportscar (even if it followed the front wheel drive format for those who like to play things safe....)

However

I would buy a 6th generation Toyota Celica over one of these every day of the week:

Equally decent looks (I would say better than the MX6)
Same size engine but more power at 174bhp
Better fuel consumption
Equally as good build quality



Celica was a 2.0 I-4, MX-6 had 2.5 V6.

bluemoon79

6 posts

165 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
I have had 2 MX6's and they are a very underrated car. Even though it's only 165 bhp they are still very quick cars! I actually e-mailed the dealership about this car about 6 weeks ago and they never responded.

I had a 1996 Black MX6, full leather, 17 inch wheels full scorpion stainless steel exhaust, thatcham cat 1 alarm...ah she was my baby until some lovely woman reversed into her in a car park....she was written off by the insurers.

bluemoon79

6 posts

165 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
Lagerlout said:
Hmm I owned one of these and really didn't like it. Blaring exhaust, rubbish auto, squishy handling and pretty gutless. I hear the manuals are a lot better. But still out of this and the 200SX mentioned the 200SX for me every time.
You have to get a manual to appreciate the driving experience, and don't forget the 200SX is a turbo!

kbee540

197 posts

207 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
JayMan said:
kbee540 said:
Wow, now that brings back some fond memories. Bought one of these new in 1994. Bright red with that lovely smooth V-6. Certainly wasn't a rocket, but compared well with other metal at the time. Remember upsetting a mate with an E36 320is who couldn't pull away on mixed A and B roads, and my young testosterone fueled self like nothing more than picking on Prelude and (non-Turbo) Calibra drivers. Was just 20 when I bought it and was sad enough in those days to wash it even whilst it was raining

How good a car was it? Well, let’s put it this way: It was replaced after 3-yrs by a brand new E39 540i Sport (stiff suspension, 6-speed, loads of toys) that cost more than twice as much. Took delivery in Munich and managed the return trip to Huntingdon in just 9-hrs, including ferry crossing. By all measures an epic car. But....I was always just a bit disappointed. The MX-6 was simply such a great car in so many ways that I could never really justify the costs/benefit ratio of the Bimmer. It simply wasn’t twice as good as the Mazzer as the price would indicate. It was better no doubt, but I always missed that sweet little coupe.

If anyone should happen upon a bright red example carrying L446 KAV plates, know that it has the kind of charm that an E39 V-8 5-er couldn't match and makes me doubt whether my E93 335d Coupe is really a better thing. Thanks for bringing back the memories PH.
Blimey you were doing well to be rocking round in a brand new 540 aged 23!
It wasn't so much doing well as being foolish enough to spend all my money on a car! Had a high-flying gig in the technology industry...until 2001 anyway.

Wives, dogs, and kids have since overtaken the car as the black hole into which I pour all my cash.

Zircon

305 posts

180 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
RobCrezz said:
Zircon said:
The MX6 was a really good mid 90's sportscar (even if it followed the front wheel drive format for those who like to play things safe....)

However

I would buy a 6th generation Toyota Celica over one of these every day of the week:

Equally decent looks (I would say better than the MX6)
Same size engine but more power at 174bhp
Better fuel consumption
Equally as good build quality



Celica was a 2.0 I-4, MX-6 had 2.5 V6.
Ah ok - my Dad has a Xedos 6 V6 and that is a 2.0 so I assumed it was the same engine.

If the MX6 V6 was a 2.5 then that makes it much more of an under-achiever!

Alfanatic

9,339 posts

218 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
Can't say I've ever really fancied one of those, just based on the fact that it looks sort of sporty but is from an engineering point of view a less practical 626.

I did a lot of miles in a Ford Telstar Ghia (basically a Mazda 626 with Ford badges) and it had that 2.5 V6. It was a nice enough car but not sporty at all, which might be why I have my reservations about the MX6. If it feels much more sporty then great, otherwise I'd have thought a 626 would be a better place to enjoy that fantastically smooth engine. That is if they ever actually put it in a 626 here!

That engine really is a gem though. I always thought they should have dropped that in the Astina (323F) if it would fit. That would have been a nice combo, even if FWD.

Gridl0k

1,058 posts

182 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
Alfanatic said:
That engine really is a gem though. I always thought they should have dropped that in the Astina (323F) if it would fit. That would have been a nice combo, even if FWD.
From a recent (SOTW?) thread on the V6 323, the block is exactly the same size and the differences between the 1.8, 2.0 and 2.5 V6 are all internal (stroke and bore).

ajprice

27,256 posts

195 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
Gridl0k said:
Alfanatic said:
That engine really is a gem though. I always thought they should have dropped that in the Astina (323F) if it would fit. That would have been a nice combo, even if FWD.
From a recent (SOTW?) thread on the V6 323, the block is exactly the same size and the differences between the 1.8, 2.0 and 2.5 V6 are all internal (stroke and bore).
So a 2.5l would go in an MX3?

ExPat2B

2,157 posts

199 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
ajprice said:
Gridl0k said:
Alfanatic said:
That engine really is a gem though. I always thought they should have dropped that in the Astina (323F) if it would fit. That would have been a nice combo, even if FWD.
From a recent (SOTW?) thread on the V6 323, the block is exactly the same size and the differences between the 1.8, 2.0 and 2.5 V6 are all internal (stroke and bore).
So a 2.5l would go in an MX3?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdpwtJv1s8U

Dr.Doofenshmirtz

15,165 posts

199 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
I've owned two of the MX-6's reletives...
2x Xedos 6's - Same car but with four door saloon practicality.
Ford Probe - definitely the nicest looking.
All are rather let down by the engines. They're silky smooth, but the hydraulic tappets tick like mad, despite using the correct oil. They all leaked oil quite badly too, despite replacing the cam cover gaskets. I think a lot of the problems are down to a cramped engine bay and masses of heat.
They aren't as reliable as other Jap cars (Honda, Toyota etc)

Chunky La Funga

5,187 posts

236 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
Xedos 6 had the 2.0-litre V6.

HecklerUK

3 posts

165 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
At the risk of inviting a flaming and in the interests of being totally upfront.

Hi... I'm Heckler and I run the UK's MX6 Owners club... and it's nice to see a reasonably fair and sensible article about the MX6.

Most of the comments are correct, it wasn't the flashiest car available at the time of production, it's not the fastest... But I don't believe you can buy a better jap GT coupe for less money. Whilst the especs are nice and had the option of leather... It's the imports that get the best toys. A KLZE version of the V6 engine producing 198BHP and very tweakable (without NOS or forced induction, 230-250 is doable for less than a grand)... although why would people spend that kinda money of such a cheap car.

Well, like many marques... they just create a warm feeling in owners, and we've never had an owner come along and say they bought it because it was cheap and don't like it... Sure, some upgrade to something better but many keep one as a second car and many have owned more than one over the years. I've owned 6 of them over the years and currently have an import and I still love driving them.

They're getting to be a rare site on the roads now, with records indicating a little over 2000 left in the UK.

Are they the best car around.. of course not. But they're quick, very, very comfortable... I've driven from the UK to Germany (Nurburgring) with only a couple of stops to refuel or grab a drink and have been comfy as anything, 4 adults can fit in the car comfortably, it's got a huge boot... and I mean seriously huge. I've had mine up to 140 on the autobahns of course wink and confirmed by the GPS and on the Germany trip averaged 35.5mpg at a steady 60 with bursts at 80 for overtaking... averaged out over a thousand miles... So it's not bad on fuel, but with a heavy right foot I've had that down to 16mpg to. smile The engine has one of the smoothest power/torque curves of any car I have ever driven... the power just keeps coming and coming all the way to the redline. 96 in 3rd @ 7600rpm and the jspecs can do 0-60 in around 6.5s (I can do it in 7s, but then I'm a bit of a porker smile )

Other optional extras on the imports include 4 wheel steering, digital climate control and if you are very lucky... the Mazdaspeed touring kit, which is very, very rare and I'm lucky enough to have the complete kit.

Am I biased... yeah, a little. smile But if you gave me a grand and said buy the best sports coupe you can in the best condition possible... the MX6 would win every time. It's looks are still good today (although the lack of a grill does certainly date it from the 90's) the reliability and build quality are exceptional and the road holding (especially on 4WS models) is... well.. until you've experienced it you wouldn't believe it. I can keep up with much faster cars on twisty roads, because of the excellent handling and a level of confidence in the grip available to me.

It's downsides are few... FWD being the most obvious, the dash is a little bland although a few tweaks can make all the difference. A distinct lack of tuning parts available and a lack of numbers left. The price at the time was extortionate with cars selling for around the 20-22k mark in the mid 90s... It's no wonder not many were sold as you can buy an RX8 for that sort of money these days.

As for the Ford Probe which was based on the Mazda GE chassis, it's not a terrible car... it uses all the good stuff but then couples that with a dated body shape and very poor American build quality... But it's a hatchback and not a coupe (no matter how many Probe owners try to tell you it is) and it hasn't dated very well... All the good stuff the Probe has, the MX6 has... all the bad stuff the Probe has the MX6 doesn't. smile

It's also worth noting that the KLZE engine has been dropped into a lot of other cars. There's a few MX3's, 626's, MX5's.. they've been supercharged and turbocharged (although the KLDE 164bhp is better for this due to lower compression ratios) and one of the most unusual cars is a guy in Australia called BajaWes who dropped a KLZE into a Beetle... it's nuts and seriously quick.

Edited by HecklerUK on Friday 4th June 15:13


Edited by HecklerUK on Friday 4th June 15:18

carinaman

21,172 posts

171 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
Interesting comments from Goodfella and Zircon.

I knew a woman that did a impersonation of Penelope Pitstop with an MX-5 that when passed on the M25 by an MX-6 said 'Oh, what's that?' When told it was an MX-5 she replied 'Perhaps I could collect Mazdas'.

Once when on a night out in London we parked up behind a 6th generation Celica in silver. 'What's that? That's nice she' said.


Isn't this 2.5 available in two states of tune, the lower one being non-interference?

I like non-interference. I'd rather have an engine that could survive cambelt failure or jumping and a lower state of tune.

JayMan

115 posts

186 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
kbee540 said:
JayMan said:
kbee540 said:
Wow, now that brings back some fond memories. Bought one of these new in 1994. Bright red with that lovely smooth V-6. Certainly wasn't a rocket, but compared well with other metal at the time. Remember upsetting a mate with an E36 320is who couldn't pull away on mixed A and B roads, and my young testosterone fueled self like nothing more than picking on Prelude and (non-Turbo) Calibra drivers. Was just 20 when I bought it and was sad enough in those days to wash it even whilst it was raining

How good a car was it? Well, let’s put it this way: It was replaced after 3-yrs by a brand new E39 540i Sport (stiff suspension, 6-speed, loads of toys) that cost more than twice as much. Took delivery in Munich and managed the return trip to Huntingdon in just 9-hrs, including ferry crossing. By all measures an epic car. But....I was always just a bit disappointed. The MX-6 was simply such a great car in so many ways that I could never really justify the costs/benefit ratio of the Bimmer. It simply wasn’t twice as good as the Mazzer as the price would indicate. It was better no doubt, but I always missed that sweet little coupe.

If anyone should happen upon a bright red example carrying L446 KAV plates, know that it has the kind of charm that an E39 V-8 5-er couldn't match and makes me doubt whether my E93 335d Coupe is really a better thing. Thanks for bringing back the memories PH.
Blimey you were doing well to be rocking round in a brand new 540 aged 23!
It wasn't so much doing well as being foolish enough to spend all my money on a car! Had a high-flying gig in the technology industry...until 2001 anyway.

Wives, dogs, and kids have since overtaken the car as the black hole into which I pour all my cash.
Ah, you were an IT contractor then, that explains it.

I was probably your pimp at some stage.

Neil G60

692 posts

223 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
It could never be as appealing as a Corrado or 200SX (both of which I've owned ). It's just a forgetable dull jellymould IMO

HecklerUK

3 posts

165 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
The VR6 corrado was a really nice motor, but it's really dated badly and looks ugly now and trying to compare the MX6 to a 200SX seems pointless as they are completely different cars.

Mind you... the number of blokes that think the MX6 is a 200SX is astounding.. I can only assume they're morons that know nothing about either cars. smile

dowahdiddyman

965 posts

210 months

Friday 4th June 2010
quotequote all
This has got to be worth a grand of anybodys money, even mine. Unfortunately the wifes got me wallet.