GT5 Transcripts/Mazda Lantis


 * The Mazda Lantis was sold as the Mazda 323F outside Japan.

When speaking of Japan's sports sedans of the 1990s, one must not forget the Mazda Lantis, which made its debut in 1993. Its tight compact body was nimble all on its own, and especially in the coupe, the short overhang gave it a very sharp handling characteristic.

The Lantis was offered in a 5-door hatchback and a 4-door hard top sedan, but aside from the luggage space these two were identical. Even the coupe packaging was essentially a 5-door sedan.

The main engine model was the 1.8L inline-4, but the sports Type R had a different engine. Amazingly, packed horizontally in the front was a 2L, DOHC V6. It was a highly-tuned engine producing 168 HP.

The greatest attraction of the Lantis was in its advanced handling performance. While being comfortable to ride in as a passenger car, the suspension still allowed the car to be driven very fast. On winding roads, it would make you wonder "where's the understeer." It was an incredible suspension setup that would pull you even in tight corners.

The V6 engine of the Type R also matched this suspension well. Though the low end torque was slightly low, once you got it above 3000 rpm, it provided an ultra smooth power feel, and it was more fun to drive than many sports cars.

The fact that Mazda introduced this sports sedan of this quality in the 90's when Honda was dominating in compact sports models, is a notable fact to bear in mind.