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Well anyhow I have a '00 Mill_S and have had a wonderful ownership experience since day one; not one problem to date! The Mill_S,s performance capabilities are phenomenal in comparison to its competing models, it also exceeds in this arena as well.
The only performance oriented improvement that I am trying to make at this moment is reducing the S,s 0-60 time; it's "deficiency" in this respect is the simple result of the Miller Cycle being a centrifugal supercharger; but even though, I still managed to easily spank every light-weight import that invited me to a "stop-light" duo.
Well, enough about that; let me keep everyone abreast of the performance upgrade progress that has materialized on my end thus far:
Currently, I have teamed up with a VA/MD based auto-performance and tuning group that is assisting me in fabricating/tuning a cold-air intake. The prototype that was fabricated was causing the factory air-meter to go hay-wire, at times not allowing my Millenia's engine to start; and when it did work, there was a severe loss of power. Once the CAI is perfected, it will be complimented by a custom heat-shield as well.
Phase 2 will be to install a completley revamped and tuned exhaust system...........
Phase 3 will be to locate a set of compatible aftermarket H/P shocks/struts.......... to compliment my lowering springs
I order a aero-kit for my Millenia a few days ago, it should be arriving sometime soon. Once I get it painted and installed I will try to post some pics on this forum.
With the country's economy performing so poorly right now; chances are all of my performance goals may not be completley finalized until mid to late fall...........!
Regards,
According to a dealer "friend" of mine, the 626's revamp will utilize the 2.3L S/C in thier top-of-the-line model; and the Millenia will be phased out permanently after '02.
Here's my personal opinion, the sales staff at mazda are as in much of the dark as we are! If you know otherwise and can furnish evidence please share; this would be very informative.
Regards,
BMW, I just got 2001 Millenia I for USD26.5K (came with CD changer and all season pkg). I love the car - I LIKED it better than the TL-S that I test drove, better than a loaded Maxima... I think it is great bang for the buck. Discounts on Millenias (e.g. "True Market Value") is something Edmunds should take into consideration when evaluating cars, and not compare them based on MSRP, which is kind of an abstract concept in today's market.
The Millenia will be phased out completely by the 2003 model year. The reasons for this are three:
1) Mazda's new flagship will be the 2003 RX-8. The RX-8 will be a "four door sports car" powered by Mazda's legendary rotary engine with an output of 250hp naturally aspirated and the possibility of a super-performance turbo model. The RX-8 will have a "front mid-engine" powering the rear wheels and offer more room. Goals for Mazda were 0-60mph times between 5 and 6 seconds and the best handling of any Mazda ever built. I don't know if those goals have changed...
2) The Miller-Cycle engine CANNOT pass 2003 emissions. The Miller-Cycle is extremely dirty on cold start-up and revamping the engine to pass would be entirely too expensive and the market has shown no demand.
3) Millenia sales would make a small-volume manufacturer such as Lamborghini pack-up and leave the business (ok, that's an exaggeration, but any other company would have discontinued the car years ago).
The new upcoming mid-size sedan, which may or may not wear the 626 nameplate, will be powered by a 2.3L DOHC 4cyl, or a 3.0L DOHC V6 with sequential valve timing (SVT) that will easily outpower the Miller-Cycle and get better fuel mileage. This new sedan will take the place of the 626 in the line-up. This is another reason the Millenia will go away... the new sedan will be larger than the Millenia and offer better performance and more luxury (the Millenia offers the LEAST amount of interior space of any current Mazda sedan, including the Protege).
I have not heard that all 2002 Millenia's will be powered by the Miller-Cycle. Where have you heard/read that? It would be a terrible decision on Mazda's part. The Miller-Cycle engine is extremely expensive to build and the S model only accounts for a small fraction of Millenia sales. The sooner Mazda can move the Millenia off the market, the better it will be for Mazda. I love the Millenia, but this is the best financial move for Mazda. The Millenia was a great car in 1995, but where the competition has revamped their cars not once, but twice, Mazda has only done small revisions here and there. IMO, the 929 would have been the better choice to keep around...
They say "New features for 2001: Until this year, the Miller Cycle engine was available only on the top-of-the-line 'S' model, but it is now standard on all Millenias. The base 170 horsepower 2.5 litre V6 engine has been discontinued. "
Again, that's in Canada.
They also say "This engine has been rated more than once as one of Ward's Auto Reports '10 Best Engines', a prestigious award given annually by a U.S. trade publication". Not bad.
When it comes to interior space - I am 6'3 and do fit comfortably in the Millenia, do not fit in 626 (center console keeps my right leg at very odd angle). In this case I guess size does not matter :-) sure I have less room around me than in my (already sold) 1995 Passat GLX, but I bought a Chevy Venture van for the wife and kids, and Millenia for myself!
I test drove Acura TL (including S), VW Passat (maintenance is $$$$$$$ after 2 yrs), Infiniti J30, Maxima, ... etc. - and for me only the Lexus GS300 was better than Millenia, but also out of my price range ($40K+). Of course BMWs are better - if money (to buy AND maintain in the long run) is no object.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying my little :-) new toy...
tomekk
Phasing out the Millenia will put the car in the Cult Car status with my J30. Hopefully, it will give as much reliability and head-turning as my J has.
Anyway, I have a question. I'm thinking my Millenia had its windshield replaced. There's a blue tinted stripe at the very top of the windshield. Is this standard? Thanks.
Alan in NJ
I am a college grad looking for a new car. I have been studying a wide variety of cars, anything from 2-door sport coupes to 4-door luxury sedans. I almost settled for an Accord EX when I noticed an ad in the paper advertising a base Milennia for $23,199. With the new grad $400 rebate, that puts it under $23k, which made me think that this might be worth looking at. I drove my dad's 95 Milennia for a while and I enjoyed the ride and acceleration, as well as the auto-tilt steering wheel. Alas, I have never purchased a car before and would love some advice on the 2001 Milennias. I've been hearing about a lot of problems, most stemming from the 95 production run. How do the newer ones hold up? Thanks for all your help.
Richard in VA
Richard, most of the problems people have are with the 95 Millenia, especially the S model, not the base model with the 2.5V6. After that first year of productions, it seems like Mazda fix all the bugs on the car and I don't see many compaint/problems with the '96 and up Millenia. I personally would love to swap my black on grey 2000 Millenia S with a 2001 Millenia. Actually we almost bought a 2001 Millenia Premium last month to replace my wife's '95 beemer. We ended up getting a 2002 Protege5 for $20500 beacuse it's cheaper; what a fun car to drive. If I'm comparing a Millenia to an Accord, here's my take:
-Millenia is a class above the Accord (more in the Acura TL class)
-Millenia looks classier and sportier
-Cool looking interior, especially with the new instrumentation.
-More standard features for your money
-Easier to find in Malls parking lot, where you probably see Accords left and right
cheers
The '98 GS300's are priced at or slightly under $30k, if in good condition; if you didn't already do the pricings on the pre-owned GS's.
I can't wait until the VW-W8 hits US shores, this car would definatley be worth test-driving! To bad for all the people who went off and purchased the 2001.5 Passats GLX's..........
Tomek K
I forgot to mention in my previous post that my 98 Millenia came with the Bose stereo upgrade. I'm only seeing five speakers with no amp or subwoofer. Does anybody know what the Bose upgrade is supposed to have? Thanks.
csuftitans - thanks for the info on the windshield.
Since we are on this topic, how does the '01 Millenia Bose stereo sound in comparison to the '00?
When I test drove the 2001 Millenia, I played around a bit with the 9-speaker BOSE sound system. I have to say that this one sounds a lot better and cleaner than the one in our Pre-2001 Millenia. First, they took out the center speaker and replace it with two tweeters on each side; which helps a lot with the highs. Then they also add a sub on the back (I didn't see it, but I heard it's an 8" subs) for the lows. Overall, it's a step above the Pre-2001 Millenia's BOSE system, but that's just my opinion.
BTW, the best BOSE sound system for any Mazda before the new Millenia comes out belongs to the RX-7's BOSE system. It only got 5 speakers, two on the front door, one on the center dashboard and two small 6" subs in the trunk. I can turned the volume knob almost to the top and it still produces nice un-distorted sound. The bass is pretty deep for a sub that small and the center speakers helps to bring the sound up to you ear level, unlike our Pre-2001 Millenia's center speaker which I think isn't helping much.
I have to say that the BOSE in '95-'00 Millenia is comparable to the BOSE in '93-'97 Mazda 626, which has 6 speakers instead of 5 in the Millenia. To this day, I still wonder why Mazda didn't put more speaker on it's top of the line vehicle; which is a neccessity anyway for a car in this class. Oh well, I still Love my Millenia anyway.
cheers
Has anyone recently leased the Base Millenia? If so, do you mind sharing the price you paid for a 36 month and a 48 month lease? I'm just about to start doing my shopping and this could be a real time-saver.
Many thanks.
Alan in NJ
Thanks S
The Bose system sounds great, but is not AS loud as I expected it to be (on the other hand, I am a bit of sound freak and I am used to a nice set of big Klipsch speakers in my family room). A good thing about it is that you can crank it ALL the way up and there is no distortion. It sounds 100% clean.
In one review of the new Acura (Integra replacement) they commented that the Bose system doesn't play very loudly...
I've paid $26K for my Millenia S (stickered at 32.5) in MA, with 6CD changer and all season package.
Now I am waiting for wind deflector for the moonroof.
I test drove Acura TL-S (among other things) and found the Millenia to be much more bang for the buck. I liked the interior better - TL-s has some cheapo Civic switchgear that looks soooo out of place. Drivetrain / power / specs are all wonderful on paper, but somehow the TL-S just wasn't my cup of tea (nor was the Infinity I30). Once I test drove Millenia S I knew it is just right for me - especially for the money.
Hope this helps.
Tomek K
The Millenia will see one more year of production before being discontinued for the 2003 model year. You can read my reasons for this about 15 posts up. Another reason it will be discontinued is that it is too expensive to have a car on an exclusive platform, like the Millenia. The RX-8's platform will be shared with the 2004 Miata and possibly the upcoming Jaguar roadster. The new replacement for the 626 will sit on the Ford Mondeo platform which also provides a basis for the new Jaguar X-Type and the current Mercury Cougar.
How does the 96 compare to the 98 in terms of looks( I've yet to see the 96) and performance.
A friend (I'm a car novice) indicated that the Miller Cycle engine does not have a long life compared to a regular V6 from say a 170HP, 626 ES .
Would appreciate some thoughts on these.
S
Performance should be about the same; it's the same engine on a same car.
I personally like cars with newer year models, so I would prefer the '98 even though it has more milage. The '96 definitely has a very low milage for a '96 car, make sure you check carfax.com or something like that to make sure that the milage is original.
Good Luck
www.prism.gatech.edu/~gte054i/mazda.html
$28,505 MSRP + Destination
There is a $4,000 rebate from Mazda on the Millenia:
$28,505 MSRP + Destination
-$4,000 Factory Rebate
---------------------------
$24,505 Price After Rebate
The dealer is then discounting the car by $2,510.
$24,505 Price After Rebate
-$2,510 Dealer "Discount"
---------------------------
$21,995 Price After Rebate and "Discount"
That puts the car at $376 below invoice after.
$26,371 Invoice Price
-$4,000 Rebate
---------------------------
'$22,371 Invoice After Rebate
-$21,995 "Selling" Price
---------------------------
....$376 Below Invoice
The questions are: Does that $21,995 represent the price including the $480 destination charge? Does that price reflect the $400 factory college grade rebate?
If that $21,995 price does not reflect the destination charge and includes the college grad rebate, then the dealer is making a $504 profit.
'$880 combined college grad rebate and destination
-$376 Price Below Invoice
--------------------------
'$504 Net Profit
It is pretty common for a dealer to throw in all available rebates to make a car's price appear lower. They sometimes will not include the destination charge to make the price appear even lower. This is definitely an "ad car" designed to bring people into the showroom. However, even if you don't qualify for the college grad rebate and pay for the destination charge, it is still a good deal.
Hope this bit of info gives you some parameters to work with. I personally think, leasing a Millenia is the better alternative due to its obscene depreciation rate. If you option to purchase a '00/01 Millenia S, I would recommend using no more that a 48 month finance term, in addition to obtaining a good interest rate, as well as putting down at least $5,000 to help offset some of the negative equity you will instantaneously acquire when/if you purchase a Millenia...........
Leases are based on how much of the value of the vehicle you are using over the lease period. A money factor (equivalent to an annual percentage rate (APR)) is then applied plus state sales tax to come up with the lease payment. An ex-coworker at the dealership leased a 2000 Millenia S Millenium Edition for $380/month for three years. She didn't put any money down, but she did get the E-Plan (Mazda's employee pricing plan).
Inception fees are generally the first month's payment plus title, license, security deposit, and the lease inception fee. The lease inception fee is a charge by the leasing company at the beginning of the lease and usually ranges from $500-$700. Depending on your credit, the security deposit can be waived and the rest of the inception fees rolled into the lease payment.
From time to time, Mazda will run a special lease on their vehicles. Sometimes they advertise it, but they usually don't. Either way, we always told customers that a lease on the Millenia was a bad decision and that a purchase would be more financially beneficial. And we made more money on leases!!
Besides that, lets answer your question, removal of the factory 6x9's should be relatively simple. Just remove the rear-decklid and all associated hardware, once you've accomplished that, everything else should be self-explainitory. Seems to me like you have a pair of 3 or 4 way 6x9's ready for install. I would just insure that its RMS handling capabilities are well-tuned witht the Bose headunit if you elect to continue use of it. Let me know if I should elaborate more on this topic..........
In terms of adding a subwoofer, if it were up to me. I'd simply add 2 Bazooka 10" Tubes (amplified) to the existing system. You will need to purchase an RCA add on kit if you decide to continue use of the Bose headunit though.
Now if you want to get a little more fancy, purchase a high-end 8" Free-Air Subwoofer and install it into the console between the to 6x9's and simply purchase a high-end 1-channel amp for dedicated powering. If you decide to go this route, Be sure to determine whether or not the rear-deck would require additional re-enforcement to avoid to much rattle and vibration!
You may not neccessarily like my subwoofer ideas because you stated that you wanted to install a 12" speaker, for some serious thunder! Man, I remember when I was running a pair of 15" Earthquakes powered by two US AMP, amplifiers. Those were the days! I espcially liked sitting in traffic with my stereo, as I would say then, BUMP! I'd laugh to myself when the other motorist would roll up their windows.
The best and cheapest mobile electronics shop I know of in Ma is called Cartronics, and they are located off of route 6 in Dartmouth. The guys there are accustomed to adding components to high-end factory equipment and can properly advise you on which route is most beneficial and cost-effective toward your goals and budget.
Regards,
I just bought yokohama 550 v's 225/55/16 Wow- these are really great. look good., got them at sears(yoko has special arrangement w/sears). initially ordered h's for 90/tire. Sears made a mistake and ordered V's. Got v's for the same price as the h's. saved $100.
i have the dunlop sp 5000 on my wifes acura legend ls coupe. Again, what a great tire. i paid approx 125/each 225/55/16 thru sears.
Does anybody knows how to fix this problem or do I have to bring it to the dealer? If yes, how much do you think it will cost?
Thanks for your input.
cheers
your responses will be greatly appreciated.
I bought a new 2001 White S two weeks ago. I really like the car except for the sluggish start. Often when I hit the gas from a stand still, I feel like I am driving a bus or truck and not a sedan with 210 horsepower. I also noticed that if I slow down to about 20 MPH and then put gas, the car often hesitates for a few seconds before it pickup the speed. Once the car gets to 40 MPH and above, it runs quietly and smoothly. I am getting only 17 MPG (mix of city/highway). I mentioned this to my dealer and he said it takes about 3,000 to "break" the car. I read most of the messages in this forum and noticed that some people had similar experience with their cars. I don't expect my Millenia to have a super fast pickup speed but it's slower than my old Subaru 92 with only 120 horsepower. Should I worry something is wrong with my car or should I wait a few more weeks to "break" the car? Any ideas/suggestions is greatly appreciated.
Richard