Mazda Xedos 6 (1992 - 1999)
BY JONATHAN CROUCH
For years, the idea of a Japanese sports saloon with the kind of prestige and status of a BMW or an Audi was a contradiction in terms. The Germans offered the class, the Japanese the value. Mazdas Xedos 6 changed all that when it was launched in 1992 but how does it stack up as a used buy? Thanks to the relatively small numbers brought into the country, the answer is very well. Sales were limited to just 1500 cars each year, making second hand Xedos 6 models sought after on the used market, the result being that their residual values hold up reasonably well.
A Xedos 6 is a decent investment in automotive terms and a surprisingly fine compact executive saloon.
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Mazda even supposed that some customers would prefer to look at the car as a four-door sports coupe. You could not fail to ignore it either way. The boot was huge, the cabin airy and inviting and the handling taut and responsive. In this respect, it helped that the manual gear change was also excellent and the power steering quick and communicative, lacking the anaesthetic applied to the helm of most expensive Japanese saloons.
Equipment levels were extensive in the plusher versions as you might expect. Alloy wheels, anti-lock brakes, tinted glass, electric headlamp levelling, central locking, front fog lamps and powered sunroof, windows and mirrors were all included, for example, on the V6 Sport model.
The earliest K-registered 2.0 V6 Xedos 6 models start from around £1,200 and range up to about £1,900 on 96N plates. The plusher SE version commands a £200-£500 premium and is your only choice from 97P to 99T at prices from around £2,500 to £3,625, the latter is a big saving on the £22,000 new price. The short-lived Sport model can be found between £2,700 and £3,000.
If you'd be satisfied with one of the rare 1.6-litre models, the earliest L-platers cost around £1,000, with later M to P-platers between about £1,700 and £2,600.
Ordinarily, Xedos 6 buyers tend to be picky, so if you're thinking of one, you'll need to be too. Avoid cars that are less than pristine and have incomplete service records. Check for electrical faults and minor bodywork and trim damage.
(based on a 1995 Xedos 9 approx. exc. Vat) A full exhaust system is around £1080 (including the catalyst) and front and rear brake pads are about £70 and £50 respectively. An alternator is around £285 and a starter motor around £235.
While on the subject of the electrics, a complete headlamp unit is £275. When a major service is due budget in the region of £600.
On the road, don't expect it to be a BMW 320i, a Golf VR6 or an Audi A4. It isn't but the gap is narrower than you might think, thanks to handling characteristics which Mazda said were tuned more to European tastes. New shock absorbers coupled to larger front and rear stabiliser bars were said to be responsible. The Hiroshima-based manufacturer was particularly proud of its sophisticated four-speed automatic gearbox which automatically selects 'economy' or 'sports' mode depending on your mood. To make sure that gear changes are imperceptibly smooth, the same computer enters into conversation with the one controlling the engine to cut torque at the moment of change. Refinement, in fact, is one of the key features of the car; those sculptured lines help, of course. So does the impressive build quality.
You could criticise the embossed plastic logo on the steering wheel or the slight lack of legroom in the back, but not much else.
The Xedos 6 may not have the image of a BMW 3 Series or a Mercedes C-class but its not far off. A pity that the dull interior doesn't match the eye-catching bodywork but you can't have everything. At least it should be reliable (a claim the German competition can always make) and you're likely to be the only one in your road to have one. That and those strong residual values might swing the balance Mazda's way.
