"What's so special about this sedan?" You may ask. Nearly ALL sedans I know of lean toward function than style. And this is one of a few sedans which I can define as stylish (others are Nissan Gloria, BMW E36 3 Series.). Most people confuse her with her sister Eunos 800. Of course they are two difference class of sedan.

Eunos, a prestige brand name of Mazda cars, was introduced in 1989 with Eunos Roadster (MX5). Followed by Eunos 100, 300, Presso (30X), 500, 800 and Cosmo. Eunos 500 shares the same chassis as Mazda 626. It is narrowed in width and equipped with a 2.0L V6. Equipment Level is of course higher in Eunos 500. With climate control, leather seats and Alloy Wheels, Eunos 500 was sent to attack sales of Famous E36 BMW 320i.

From 1989, Mazda's designers really have the catch of body styling. Many stylish bodies like Everlasting NA6 MX5, Astina 4 door Hardtop, Mazda 929 and FD RX7 are designed, not to mention this Eunos 500 I like most. The short boot, hatchback looking rear glass design gives the car a very smooth line. The bonnet has a hidden V line to accommodate the small grille. The very narrow headlight is still a popular design trend in 2003. You will find the designer of Mazda 6 borrow a lot of ideas from Eunos 500. Maybe he is actually the same person, which I may not aware.

Upside is the body and dash design, downside should be the ride and handling. Inevitably, Eunos 500 has similar character as 626. Narrower body gives the chassis better rigidity, but you cannot read the road from the steering wheel. 2.0V6 Engine is silky smooth (almost trick you that it is a V12). The short in stoke means torque is not adequate. You always have to work the engine to around 3000rpm in order to gain reasonable acceleration. Tyre noise is too high considered her class. Front wheel drive is not my cup of tea as well.

I am lucky to locate this relatively low mileage example of Eunos 500. Most of Eunos 500s end up in "Car Graves" now as resell is poor, and parts are expensive. The last owner of this Eunos 500 has a rear wing installed. I removed it as soon as I purchased the car. I still cannot understand why people like to put rear wing on a prestige sedan. Paint respray is done in this car. Headlights are replaced as the old headlights become dirty and cleaning from inside is difficult. Front grille is also replaced as the old one is damaged in parking accident (I presume). Hope to keep this car as long as I can!!