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Wednesday, March 10, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER C7 AUTOMOTIVE 1999 M azda Millenia Mazda Millenia passes Mother Nature's test F or the past three out of four years, I've taken a Mazda Millenia as my weapon of choice to get to and from the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Millenia is fast, it looks great, it's superbly equipped, and, because the engine is super­ charged, it's refreshingly eco­ nomical so long as you don't stand on the pedal and you use cruise control. The Millenia actually began life as an Amati. That may not be a name many remember, but it was to be the moniker for Mazda's second channel luxury line to compete with Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti. Mazda was able to kill off Amati just as the recession hit, but not before the car was well along in limited production in Japan. It debuted in this country as the Millenia in 1995 and was immediately named Best New Luxury Car for that year by Canada's automotive journalists. More importantly, J. D. Power and Associates named it Best Newly-Introduced Model of 1995. Mazda, itself, was going through severe belt-tightening at that time having to kill off sever­ al of its offerings like the MX-3 and MX-6 plus their flagship, the 929, one of the more graceful luxury cars of the early 1990s. What made the Millenia inter­ esting was the inclusion of all the amenities second-channel buyers wanted but not at a second-chan­ nel price. Even today the amply- equipped Millenia Leather is list­ ed at $36,535 and the impressive Millenia S is $39,595, great value compared to say Audi A6 or Saab 9-5. But the most intriguing part had to do with the power plant. The Millenia Leather comes with a 2. 5-litre V6 producing 170 hp. It's the same Mazda workhorse found in the 626. But the option­ al engine available on the S is a 2.3-litre V6 but with "Miller Cycle" technology. What it does is constantly adjust the opening and closing valve timing so that a Lysholm compressor can pump in the maximum amount of fuel and air for the best combustion. The result is 210 hp, the same as a high-strung V6 or small V8, but with a good 15 per cent bet­ ter fuel consumption. As for quick, the Miller Cycle-equipped S can go from 0- 100 kmh in 8.2 seconds and has a top speed limited to 230 kmh, although it is probably closer to 250 kmh in unrestricted form. I once asked the Mazda engi­ neers why they didn't do a Miller Cycle version of the standard 2.5-litre V6. One of them smiled a long smile and said it produced too much power to be considered as part of a luxury car. If that was the case, I asked, then what about a 2.5 or 3.0 Miller for a super car? He grinned a very much wider grin then walked away. Note here that Mazda has recent­ ly been playing around with a new sportscar code named the RX-01. And if Honda is going to have a new sportscar like the S2000, well..... Anyway, back to here and now and the Millenia which for 1999 has seen a redesign of the front grille plus new flush- mounted, clear lens halogen headlamps. The Leather is now fitted with 16-inch allow wheels as standard while the S gets 17- inchers. Inside there are detail changes like new wood grain trim to the centre console and armrests plus chrome plating on the transmis­ sion console, parking brake han­ dle, ventilation louvers and door handles. The rest includes seats that are just about perfect for me and the automatic climate control (in half-degrees) is located a hand's width from the steering wheel right at the top centre of the instrument panel. It's a big rotary knob, easy to find and adjust even with heavy gloves. Other standard features included power tilt steering wheel with memory, eight-way driver's and four-way passenger's heated front seats and heated remote mirrors which were to prove invaluable to me. About the only negative is that the slippery shape means six-foot plus back seat passen­ gers might feel cramped in the headroom department. The Detroit Auto Show tradi­ tionally starts the first full week after New Year's Day. For 1999, that meant Sunday, Jan. 3 for the concept cars. As we all know that big storm hit Saturday literally at the same time I arrived in Detroit. All went well until Wednesday, the time to drive back. Thanks to the traction control, the antilock brakes and the big 17-inch tires, the ride from Windsor to Toronto in a second snow storm was not a lot of fun but I did have a feeling of being in control. I counted three SUVs and up to seven cars and light trucks in the ditch or parked off to the side of the 401 along the way. By driving at a sane speed and keeping in the tracks, the Millenia was safe and secure. Part of that was due to the fairly wide track at 1520 mm ffont/rear combined with a wheelbase of 2750 mm that makes for a square-footed tread patch. Believe it or not, another good thing was the low drag coeffi­ cient of 0.29 that made seriously gusting side winds less of a haz­ ard for me than some of the SUVs with their flat sided bodies perched higher up from the sur­ face of the road on those knobby tires. The bottom line was getting home in under five hours, a bit white knuckled, but soothed all the way by a superb sound sys­ tem. When automotive journalists write about cars like this, they tend to focus on luxury and pres­ ence. The Mazda Millenia has all of that, but when it comes to facing some of the worst weather Mother Nature has dished out this century, the Millenia S for 1999 is a very nice place to be indeed. PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: www.mazda.ca ASK YOUR DEALER ABOUT MAZDA'S UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE GRADUATE PROGRAM. T Offer available on retail purchase of new 1999 Mazda 626 LX (model#F4LS79 AA00), for a limited time only. License, insurance taxes and admin charges extra. "Purchase price does not include freight and POE of S795. Dealer may sell for less. Mazda personal lease n offer available on retail lease only. "Lease rate based on 48 mo., ALR 6.3%. Other lease terms available. Downpayment or equivalent trade ins. first monthly payment and security deposit due on delivery. Total lease obligations for 1999 Mazda 626 LX Si 5.862. OAC, 20,000 kms per year, mileage restrictions apply. Additional 8cAm. Dealer may seil/lease for less. Lease, finance & purchase offers cannot be combined. TFinance OAC. Finance example; for SIO.OOO at 3.9% APR: 60 months at S184,68 per month. COB Is S1079.60. See your dealer for details. Get in. Be moved. THE O N LY / 1999 m a : STAR 6 2 6 LX *Power Windows / *Tilt Steering ^Remote Trunk Release *Power Mirrors *Air Conditioning / *Cruis£^tfntrdf *Auto Transmission ^Intermittent Wi *Power Door LgtkswitlfKeyless Remote *Am/Fm Stere^With CD L e a s e a 1 9 9 9 L X f o r o n l y M A R C H S^EaseL A g l W M 4 8 m o n th s " ■ ■ ■ Freight & PDE Financing up to 48 mo. 3 .9 ° " p j P u r c h a se fro m 21,995 EXCEPTIONAL WARRANTY 3 - Y E A R / 8 0 , 0 0 0 k m Where Good Seruice Is 0 Fact. Hot Just A Promisel O a k v ille m a z D a 1291 SPEERS ROAD North side between 3rd Line & 4th Line 905-827-4242 < s > SPEEHg RP AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR JAGUAR OWNERS For a limited time, and by appointment only, Budds' Imported Cars are offering Jaguar owners a Complimentary Jaguar Customer Appreciation Clinic During this special event, Budds' Im ported Cars skilled Jaguar technicians will thoroughly inspect and road test your vehicle at no cost to you. A written assessment o f your Jaguar's condition will be provided, w ith an estimate o f the cost, if any remedial steps are required. Ask about our clinic specials. The Clinic will be held on Saturday, March 27th and Monday-Wednesday, March 29th-31st, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at our N EW LOCATION. Book your appointment today. (Refreshments will be served.) 2430 SOUTH SERVICE ROAD, OAKVILLE (905) 845-1443 FAX: (905) 827-3377 1 9 9 9 JEEP 7J SPORT 4 W D 0 R JEEP SAHARA Dual tops, a ir condition ing, 5 speed transmission, fog lamps, tinted glass, mats, tire and wheel group, a m /fm stereo cassette. fIf STOCK NOW! 1 9 9 9 JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT 4 X 4 4 door, a ir conditioning, automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, tinted glass, 4 .0 L 6 cylinder engine, 15 "x7 " aluminum wheels. INSTOCKHOW! 1 9 9 9 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO 4W D Power windows, power locks, am /fm cassette, too many options to mention. Various models to choose from, 6 cylinder or the rare 8 cylinder. Must be driven to be appreciated. M A N Y IN STOCK TO CHOOSE FROM FOR IM M EDIATE DELIVERY! 17 5 W YECROFT RD„ OAKVILLE 845-6653 (BETWEEN KERR & DORVAL) www.lockwoodchrysler.com -'Copyright 0. Beaver 99 http://www.mazda.ca http://www.lockwoodchrysler.com