Mazda 6 MPS | Spotted
Most things four-door, four-wheel drive and Japanese are expensive - not all of them, though...
As enthusiasts, it can be disheartening watching the cars we adore soar in value. Just as we’ve got the money together, so they’ve climbed again. Perhaps no segment has enjoyed more appreciation of late as the rally rep: if it’s fast, four-door and four-wheel drive, it can seem like the sky’s the limit at the moment. Imprezas and Evos were never super cheap cars anyway, but they always seemed accessible - even the special examples. Those days seem a distant memory now, with Tommi Maks and 22Bs now bonafide exotica. Things have moved so far that the Celica GT-Four is becoming sought after.
All is not lost, however. Because if you want a Japanese fast car based on a very ordinary saloon, with a potent four-cylinder turbo engine, four driven wheels and a great manual gearbox, then there is an alternative - the Mazda 6 MPS. Now, of course, it doesn’t have the motorsport kudos or icon status of the Mitsubishi or Subaru - it’s pretty anonymous to all but the most clued up - though it’s hard to argue with the value on offer. Even if, like the very best Impreza or Lancer, it’ll cost quite a lot to run.
The MPS was always a niche choice, even back in the day when the performance saloon below an M3 was still a thing. In the UK we liked our 260hp, £25k cars with a hatch - the 3 MPS was always more popular - just as we liked our Mazdas as MX-5s and we liked our fast four-doors with German badges on them. All of which conspired against the success of the 6, especially as in 2006 you could still buy an actual Impreza or Evo saloon. Without the rally link to lure buyers away, the MPS didn’t seem to have much going for it.
But the hot 6 was well received in period, the effort Mazda has expended - with upgrades like a stiffer body, firmer suspension, a limited-slip rear diff in the four-wheel drive - paying off with a capable, engaging sports saloon. It wasn’t as wild as the rally cars, but it was more interesting than a £24k 3 Series would have been at the time - and most definitely better than a Vectra VXR. Between the Mazda and the Ford Mondeo ST220, buyers had a couple of great fast family cars to choose from, the appeal of the 6’s four-wheel drive not to be underestimated. Obviously, they tended to opt for Audis and Mercs instead, which is why both are now so rare, but a few were willing to take the plunge. Even a decade and a half later, they both have their appeal.
This 6 still has fewer than 70,000 miles on it, with 13 main dealer service stamps in the book. The MPS always felt like the kind of car for a dedicated, knowledgeable sort of buyer - nobody buys a 6 MPS by accident - so it’s good to see all three owners of this one seem to have cherished it. Of its 13 MOTs, 11 have been first-time, clean passes, and the current ticket runs until the end of the year (2022’s was one of the advisory free tests, of course). The advert doesn’t feature any interior pics for the moment, though the outside is very encouraging, wheels and body about as good as could be expected from a £5k, 2007 car.
Alright, £5,990 to be exact - but still. When any performance car of note has soared in value over the past couple of years, that something as interesting, rare and generally decent as the MPS can be yours - in good condition, moreover - for this money looks pretty tempting. It’ll use a lot of fuel and emit a lot of CO2, yes, but it would surely be easier to justify expenditure on something this nice rather than a year’s VED being a third of the car’s value. When even the hatchback Imprezas are more money than this, maybe now is the time for the forgotten Mazda Performance Series.
SPECIFICATION | MAZDA 6 MPS
Engine: 2,261cc 4-cyl, turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 260@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 280@3,000rpm
MPG: 27.7 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 245g/km
First registered: 2007
Recorded mileage: 68,000
Price new: £23,950
Yours for: £5,990
Nearly brought one 5 years back, the rarity of em turned me off a bit so I brought a spec b liberty 2.5T manual instead which I still own and enjoy.
For some reason in Australia the hatch version which was FWD took off and you see quite a few of them modified these day but hardly ever see the sedan version for some reason.
Can they be tuned? Are they a reliable motor? What about the 4wd - is that robust? Don’t know much about them tbh…?
If all that checks out - could be the bargain - slightly left field choice…!
Japan seemed to go through a period of fitting those very cheap looking tail lights, but I guess you cannot see them from the drivers seat, or replace them with something less in your face.
Stripped out with some brake enhancements, lighter wheels and sticky tyres this would make a good track day car. No pressure to match the looks of your car either...
Can they be tuned? Are they a reliable motor? What about the 4wd - is that robust? Don’t know much about them tbh…?
If all that checks out - could be the bargain - slightly left field choice…!
My 3 is somewhere between 330-350bhp running turbo, sports cat/catback, HPFP internals, intake and an uprated intercooler.
The engine is known for throwing a leg out of bed, usually by a poor remap, but it can happen on a stock map if you floor the throttle at low rpm, low wheel speed and in high gear. So for example doing 20mph in 6th gear and nailing the throttle. So treat it like an NA motor, or use the gear stick like you are meant to and that is easily mitigated. Timing chains need to be done, which is the most expensive job really on the engine. I had mine done last year for circa £1400 but that included chain, all the VVT tensioners, thermostat, water and oil pumps. Otherwise the VVT starts to fail, timing chain starts to slap and it can slip. Which is bad. Turbo oil seals eventually start to fail, mine did at about 60k miles. But that was a good excuse for a bigger one. Nothing really absolutely catastrophic. Oh, apart from rust.
I don't know too much about the AWD system but I think there are one or 2 little niggles but anyone with a 6 can comment. But the Facebook group isn't filled with tales of AWD's lunching themselves everyday.
I'd snap this one up if I had space... particularly as this one is in great condition with a full service history. The leather in the back seats looks immaculate.
Ok, so this point it's was a 12 year old car but still.
That, the engine needing a new camchain/vvt etc and drinking massive amounts of oil was the main reason we shifted ours on.
Can they be tuned? Are they a reliable motor? What about the 4wd - is that robust?
They can be tuned but you have to do a bunch of supporting mods. Lets put it this way, current car, makes 216hp officially, you can remap it to ~260hp "as is", 20% more power, sure a new intercooler and exhaust would be an improvement and you might need an uprated clutch longer term but you don't _need_ them.
I wouldn't go *near* the MPS without at bare minimum an uprated HPFP. If you do more than a mildest of mild maps you're going to want to rebuild the engine with forged rods etc (they have a tendency to snap rods even as stock).
Then you have the turbo which is a pile of garbage (and a nightmare to replace), the cam chain which is made from cheese string, the VVT which is made from chocolate, the rings which gum up and then burns more oil than fuel (and it burns a lot of fuel).
Oh, plus oil leaks from the transfer box due to dodgy sealing which can then die. Oh and the driveshafts can snap too.
There is a significant MPS tax on parts too, for example the front brake calipers are unique to it and are a bit s
t in that the pads ride on the caliper bracket with no wear plates etc. Ours rubbed a groove in the bracket. Normal 6s the caliper brackets were £20ea. 6 MPS ones, £150ea. It was a decent steer mind, surprisingly tail happy for a car which was at *most* 50% torque to the back. Felt faster than it was because of the *way* it made its power, was massively entertaining in snow.
Can they be tuned? Are they a reliable motor? What about the 4wd - is that robust? Don’t know much about them tbh…?
If all that checks out - could be the bargain - slightly left field choice…!
My 3 is somewhere between 330-350bhp running turbo, sports cat/catback, HPFP internals, intake and an uprated intercooler.
The engine is known for throwing a leg out of bed, usually by a poor remap, but it can happen on a stock map if you floor the throttle at low rpm, low wheel speed and in high gear. So for example doing 20mph in 6th gear and nailing the throttle. So treat it like an NA motor, or use the gear stick like you are meant to and that is easily mitigated. Timing chains need to be done, which is the most expensive job really on the engine. I had mine done last year for circa £1400 but that included chain, all the VVT tensioners, thermostat, water and oil pumps. Otherwise the VVT starts to fail, timing chain starts to slap and it can slip. Which is bad. Turbo oil seals eventually start to fail, mine did at about 60k miles. But that was a good excuse for a bigger one. Nothing really absolutely catastrophic. Oh, apart from rust.
I don't know too much about the AWD system but I think there are one or 2 little niggles but anyone with a 6 can comment. But the Facebook group isn't filled with tales of AWD's lunching themselves everyday.
I didn’t respond to all the posters - but thanks to them also.
I’m looking for a ‘budget’ (ish) track car for my lads and I.
So maybe with a bit of careful upgrading, and NOT some kind of ‘loony tune’ - hit and hope re-map, this could be a good steer.
It just wasn't raw enough for me and felt a bit too grown up compared to my other options, Impreza and Evo. I went with the Impreza WRX in the end and still have it.
As for rust, all Japanese cars of this age will be melting away and need TLC to keep on top of it. My WRX was garaged for the first 14 years of my ownership and has only spent the last 3 years outside. Apparently, according to my mechanic who has owned a few Impreza's, it is in excellent shape underneath for a 17 year old WRX, but that still didn't stop me from having to spend £700 having the rear strut tops welded and the sills will need doing in a couple of years.
Rust is the real battle with cars like this.
Retrospectively we compare this to other Japanese turbo/4wd motors of that era, but the TG selection of larger, hot (ish) repmobiles was more on the money. Your family probably wouldn't thank you for a day-long schlep in an Evo, but this would be okay...
Can they be tuned? Are they a reliable motor? What about the 4wd - is that robust?
They can be tuned but you have to do a bunch of supporting mods. Lets put it this way, current car, makes 216hp officially, you can remap it to ~260hp "as is", 20% more power, sure a new intercooler and exhaust would be an improvement and you might need an uprated clutch longer term but you don't _need_ them.
I wouldn't go *near* the MPS without at bare minimum an uprated HPFP. If you do more than a mildest of mild maps you're going to want to rebuild the engine with forged rods etc (they have a tendency to snap rods even as stock).
Then you have the turbo which is a pile of garbage (and a nightmare to replace), the cam chain which is made from cheese string, the VVT which is made from chocolate, the rings which gum up and then burns more oil than fuel (and it burns a lot of fuel).
Oh, plus oil leaks from the transfer box due to dodgy sealing which can then die. Oh and the driveshafts can snap too.
There is a significant MPS tax on parts too, for example the front brake calipers are unique to it and are a bit s
t in that the pads ride on the caliper bracket with no wear plates etc. Ours rubbed a groove in the bracket. Normal 6s the caliper brackets were £20ea. 6 MPS ones, £150ea. It was a decent steer mind, surprisingly tail happy for a car which was at *most* 50% torque to the back. Felt faster than it was because of the *way* it made its power, was massively entertaining in snow.
I always liked these things, but had read they had a few weaknesses.
Given costs of parts and labour for fixing cars, these "bargain" performance cars, very quickly become financial write-offs with a few problems.
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