The Mazda MX-6 is probably no longer very clear on the minds of many and has always been a relative rarity in the Netherlands. All the more reason to put this remaining copy from the first full year of sale in the spotlight.
As well known as the Mazda MX-5 is, the MX-6 is so unknown to the general public. A pretty flashy coupé for its time, which was nevertheless not a great success here in the Netherlands. Mazda sold several hundred of these here, of which there are now roughly 60 left in our country. In that case, we do include imported copies. However, the red MX-6 that we have here in front of us was delivered new in our country, in the first full year of sales of the MX-6, 1992.
We would like to thank AutoWeek reader Ben Helderman for sending us the photos! We can imagine that not everyone will pay attention to the perhaps somewhat inconspicuous MX-6, although its rarity will undoubtedly move car enthusiasts to a second glance. It was also a bit of a strange duck in Europe in Europe. The Mazda MX-6 shared its base with some other models that you didn’t see much here: the Mazda Xedos 6 and the Ford Probe. The similarly related Mazda 626 was much less rare.
However, the MX-6 was mainly a counterpart to its Ford cousin, not least because of the lines with the relatively far back roofline and the fairly long derrière. It was also supplied with the same engines: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder and 2.5-liter V6, although the Mazda also had the choice of a only 2.0-liter V6. Fun fact: The MX-6 platform is also related to the first three generations of the Ford Mondeo, the Jaguar XtType and even the Kia Clarus and the first Kia Carnival.
The MX-6 that Ben Helderman spotted has the 2.5 V6 in its nose. A relatively modest six-cylinder engine, which is good for a power of 165 hp. Enough for the MX-6 to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds, to continue to 220 km/h. At least, if you had the manual transmission. However, this MX-6 has the four-speed automatic transmission, which means that the 0-100 sprint takes just over 10 seconds and the top speed is slightly lower at 207 km/h. Well, the owner probably doesn’t care about that. Since 2015, the MX-6 has been with its current and only second owner, who we kindly advise to put original wheels underneath. Furthermore, of course, a big compliment for keeping this rare Japanese on the road!
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl