Mazda Xedos 9 (1994 - 2001)
BY GRAEME ROBERTS
A Mazda what? Thats likely to be the reaction of the pub pundits when you tell them youve just bought a Xedos 9. With sales of just a few hundred cars a year, youre guaranteed to have the only one in your street and that rarity value may well hold additional appeal. After all, who wants a BMW when theyre everywhere? Along with its smaller brother, the Xedos 6, the 9 represented Mazdas attempt to break into the world of luxury sporting saloons dominated by the likes of the aforementioned BMW. The brand never quite achieved that aim its bid to match Lexus in the States was a flop but, with top build quality and Mazdas renowned reliability, the cars make excellent second-hand buys here in the UK.
High initial depreciation makes the well-equipped Xedos 9 cracking value for money on the used car market. Early ones with the regular 2.5-litre V6 engine are a bit ordinary, but explaining how the unusual 2.3-litre Miller Cycle engine of later cars works should keep the pub experts engrossed for hours.
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3-litre V6 Miller Cycle engine whose arrival coincided with a minor styling update and improved interior. The Miller Cycle (named after Danish-born Ralph Miller) is quite a clever way of making smaller capacity engines behave like larger ones. At the beginning of the compression stroke, the inlet valves are closed later than normal, which raises the capacity of the cylinder and increases power without affecting fuel consumption. Clever stuff.
In this case, thanks both to Miller magic and the addition of a Lysholm turbocharger, the Xedos 9's 2.3-litre V6 engine has been made to behave like a 3.3, with power leaping from 166 to 203bhp and torque rising an astonishing 35% to make overtaking a cinch. Yet the kind of appalling fuel consumption you'd expect from a 143mph super saloon of this prodigious capacity simply doesn't materialise: you should get close to 30mpg in day to day use.
The earliest 94L-registered 2.5 V6 Xedos 9 models start from around £1,000 and range all the way up to about £3,800 on 99T plates (old stock of 2.5s overlapped the newer 2.3 for a year or so).
The plusher though short-lived SE version commands a £500 premium. Miller Cycle 2.3-litre cars start at about £4,300 on 98S plates and you should secure even a 00X for £5,350, an excellent saving on the £28,515 new price.
Only consider cars that are immaculate inside and out with a full (preferably Mazda dealer) service history. Theres a lot of equipment so check it all works and also look for minor bodywork and trim damage.
(based on a 1995 Xedos 9 approx. exc. Vat) A full exhaust system is around £1080 (inc. catalyst) and front and rear brake pads are £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.
There's a Jaguar-like quality about the ride, which provides smooth and unruffled progress over almost any surface. The automatic gearbox (there's no manual option) is not quite as impressive, inclined as it is to be somewhat jerky in kickdown mode. Refinement and build-quality are, along with the stylish exterior, Xedos 9 strongpoints. Mazda's body engineers originally set out to create a structure that would rival the most rigid Europe had to offer. So it is that the whole shell is heavily reinforced. For noise suppression, Mercedes was the benchmark, which meant filling all roof pillars with polyurethane and developing a secret new sound-damping material for the floor. It works too; this is an extremely refined car.
Accomplished handling, a superb ride, high levels of grip and an invitingly cosseting interior make this the best Japanese luxury saloon you can buy new for less than £30,000. Second-hand, that rather high initial depreciation and rarity value ought to make it difficult to ignore. But be prepared for a search there arent many about.
