General Introduction
The Mazda MX-6 is a front-wheel drive compact sports car that is mechanically identical to the Ford Probe and was made alongside it. The Auto-Alliance International, Mazda's joint venture with Ford was the one who came up and built the Mazda MX-6 in America. Its predecessor was the Mazda 626 coupe.
The First Generation MX-6 (1988-1992)
Based on a futuristic concept car series in the early 1980's, the first MX-6s came out in 1988 until 1992. It is a somewhat large coupe that was powered by 2.2-liter, 14-cylinder SOHC Mazda F2 engine and produced only 110hp, it also had a 145hp turbocharged version available.
Design
This generation of Mx-6 had a number of trim levels. It was available in DX, LX, LE and GT trim levels. Dubbed as the “bare bones” model, the DX trim level offered the base 110hp/130 ft.lbf F2 2.2L engine. The LX had additional power windows, power mirrors and power locks and an optional electric moonroof.
A rare “Leather Edition”, the LE model had the same specifications with the LX, along with leather seating surfaces and a shift knob wrapped with leather that are commonly included in vehicles equipped with manual transmission.
The GT has all options included in the LX but had an F2T 2.2L turbocharged, intercooled engine that produces 145hp and 190ft.lbf of torque. Also added were 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS and 3-way electronically adjustable suspension.
In 1989, a special 4-wheel steering option was offered by Mazda in the MX-6 GTs for the US. The system is made up of a steering rack at the rear that is electronically controlled turning the wheels at the rear opposite the fronts during low speed drives for improved turning at corners. During high speeds, the rear wheels turn with the fronts to make better lane change maneuvers on the highways.
The Second Generation MX-6 (1993-1997)
The second generation MX-6, known in Canada as the MX-6 Mystere, came out in late 1992, which was the model for year 1993 in the US. Its production was between 1993 and 1997 and they came in 4-speed automatic and 5-speed manual overdrive transmission. There were two trims available for the MX-6 that had Mazda-designed engines. One was the base version or the RS that had a 2.0L FS inline 4 engine that produces 118hp and the other was the LS version. This came out with a 2.5L KL V6 engine that produces 160 to 164hp. The amount of horsepower produced by the LS depended on the year of its make though.
Owners' Reviews
Owners who submitted their critiques about the Mazda MX-6 say that it is a “strictly reliable transportation”. They are of a consensus that despite its age and even after several modifications, the car is still able to run smoothly albeit minor problems that often come in cars that have already seen long years.
Other owners bewail the fact that its production was discontinued because they found the car as sexy and sleek as well as fun to drive because of its great acceleration.
Amongst The Top In Vehicle Reliability
Mazda vehicles reign the top spot of the most reliable vehicle worldwide. MazdaNews.com reports that in one of the world's biggest reports on reliability of vehicles conducted recently, Mazda cars' reliability surpassed all other brands. Almost 92 percent of Mazda cars, between 3 and 9 years old, checked out to have not undergone any kind of mechanical failure as compared to other brands.
Independent automotive extended-warranty specialist, Warranty Direct, said in the report that they checked on more than 450,000 vehicles from 33 car makers in the US and the UK. The “Reliability League Table” showed that Mazda topped the reliability list with a of only failure rate of 8.04 percent. This is amongst vehicles aged 3 to 9 years old. The results of the table were based on the reported failures covered by Warranty Directs' policies for every 100 vehicles that they cover.
Mazda is followed closely by Honda while Toyota, Mitsubishi and Kia take the 3rd, 4th and 5th spots respectively. Subaru, Nissan, Lexus, Mini and Citroen were the consecutive placers for the 6th to the 10th spot.
