Mazda Sentia (1998) – In the Wild

Mazda returns to rear-wheel drive. Recovery: Mazda has never been away from rear-wheel drive for long thanks to the MX-5, but has now again used this traditional luxury configuration for practical family cars since the CX-60. A large sedan is also on the cards again, just like in the 1990s. Then Mazda introduced the Sentia, over two generations. The second and last of these came in 1995 and this jet black 1998er belongs to that model series.

The Sentia is 4.89 meters long and therefore truly a serious sedan. For example, it is longer than the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class of the time, although it is too short to pass for a 7-series or S-class rival. The Sentia was not only the spiritual successor to the 929 that was previously available in Europe, but was also still called that in certain export markets (Australia!). The small license plates, the marker lights on the front wings and the wonderfully lavish ‘Royal Classic’ on the tailgate testify to Japanese origins on this black example. In terms of design, such a Sentia is actually quite classic, although the convex, curved flanks unmistakably belong on a car from the ‘nineties’. Also pay attention to the trunk, because it is remarkably large. Also special: the strongly rounded side window consists of glass that is not covered by a window pillar. A literally ‘styleless sedan’, although the Sentia does have a B-pillar and is therefore not a full-fledged ‘hardtop sedan’.

Anyone who thinks they have seen this specimen before may be right. Last year we were once again guests at Mazda specialist Hoebeke in Rilland, and on one of the photos we see a Sentia that looks suspiciously like this one. The rotor-shaped sticker on the back also suggests that Hoebeke had something to do with it. By the way, there is no rotary engine under the hood of the Sentia, but a neat 3.0 V6. Fun fact: the Sentia was available in Korea as the Kia Enterprise, with a slightly different nose and tail but a recognizable center section.