What’s in a name? Clearly much more than Mazda had anticipated, because in 1992 it launched a car whose name nobody could pronounce: the Xedos 6.

Maybe the inability of both salespeople and customers to say Xedos (it’s “ker-say-dos”, says Mazda) contributed to its disappointing sales. Maybe it was Mazda’s expectation that its new car, with no prestige heritage to draw upon, could be put head to head with the BMW 3-series and beat it.

Before we mock Mazda, let us remember that it was also in the early 1990s that the firm decided to make a two-seater sports car. It was called the MX-5, which was easy to spell and impossible to mispronounce.



And just as the MG had done in the 1960s this little car made open-top motoring sexy for a whole new generation.

Prepare to be surprised again by Mazda. It is set to turn the motor industry on its head with the brilliant new Mazda 6. Great packaging and a tempting price tag are going to panic Mr Mondeo and Mr Vectra the length and breadth of this land.

So what of the Xedos 6, was it really a bad car? The answer is no. If you need a reliable family car that’s more than three years old, with a good specification and a strong dealer network, for less than £8,000 then the Xedos 6 could fit the bill.

You can find an early car for as little as £4,000 but the best cars are from 1997 onwards. These are fitted with a silky smooth 2 litre V6 engine, which sounds nice and gives good fuel economy; you can average around 30mpg in mixed motoring.

Choose from either the four-speed auto or a five-speed manual. Both are agreeable and the combination of auto box and power steering will make it a lovely town car if you spend too much of your time in traffic queues.

After 1997 the car came in two trims, Sport or SE. The SE is your best bet; it came with leather upholstery, air conditioning and cruise control as standard. Another neat touch was the electric driver’s seat adjustment, which is a real boon if you share the driving with someone of a different size or shape.

The Sport model shares the 141bhp V6 engine with the SE but is distinguished by different alloys. Unfortunately, the Sport loses out on most of the goodies, although you do get an electric sunroof as compensation. The good news is that when it was new most customers chose the SE, despite a premium of £2,000, so you stand more chance finding one second-hand.

The Xedos 6 went out of production in 1999, when it was retailing for more than £22,000, the same as the BMW 320i. But unlike a second-hand BMW, which today would cost about £12,000, you can pick up a Xedos 6 for just £7,000.

Which means that you will have £5,000 left in your pocket, leather seats under you bottom, cruise control at your fingertips and air conditioning gently blowing across your face as you beam a great big satisfied smile.



Jason Dawe is joining the BBC’s Top Gear this autumn

Vital statistics

Engine type 2 litre, V6
Transmission Five-speed manual
Max power 141bhp @ 6000rpm
Acceleration 0 to 62mph: 9.4sec
Top speed 134mph
Fuel 31.1mpg (combined)