1994 Mazda MX3 V6 review from UK and Ireland

Absolutely solid reliability, I have not owned it for very long, but nothing has gone wrong yet. Just a few small problems that I guess any 10 yr old car may have.

Starting problems when cold, cured by magnecore leads and NGK uprated spark plugs.

Rear hatch will not stay open, I don't know how much it would be to replace the hydraulic struts so I use a piece of wood to prop it open.

Slight rattle from stock exhaust system a month or so after I got.

This car is an extremely smooth drive, and makes progress even when you're not going for it. The engines torque and ability to pull in any gear, including fifth, is surprising. It is quick, not as fast as I had expected, but to be fair I bought it for the noise!

Mine has a Green Cotton induction Kit on it and a Powerflow cat-back exhaust system with a Ractive carbon fiber back box. It sounds amazing, very loud and with a strong resemblance to an F1 car. The noise is like surround sound!

The handling and steering weight are both superb, it is soft enough to relax on long drives yet with high ability and feel when you up the pace. Accelerating out of corners in the dry the grip levels are very high, but beware it is twitchy in the wet when you back of the throttle. The gear change is snappy, but when cold it does require a positive shift between gears. Mine has just had new disc's and pads all round that are now fully run in, these are superb for standard brakes.

The interior is simple and effective, the front seats are some of the best I have sat in, because they are supportive and comfortable. The two rear seats are neither, especially if you are tall as your head will touch the roof.

I find it such a nice car to drive and just take it easy in, yet when your going for it, it's all there with the character of a racer that you just wouldn't expect.

Oh, one last comment, the fuel economy is so bad! This is my first V6, and the amount of petrol it uses seems out of proportion with the actual performance. I normally get about 20mpg-25mpg...!