The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

It almost happened.

In the wake of the Japanese onslaught on the luxury car market, Mazda was attempting to establish its own luxury marque in the image of Lexus, Infiniti and Acura. Mazda was well on its way to developing the entry-level model, to be called Amati.

Then someone applied the brakes, totaled up the cost and canceled the whole affair. Not long after, the Japanese economic bubble burst, and the one who called a halt to their luxury car division was probably hailed as a visionary.

Things haven’t gone that well for Mazda since, and top executives of Ford, which owns part of Mazda, now have been called in to help straighten out the company.

But what of the would-be Amati?

Named the Millenia, it’s now top dog at Mazda and shows why the company is such a great automaker.

Japanese cars are generally derided as having little passion or soul. It’s that intangible feeling that begs the driver to push the car to its limits — not a problem with the top-of-the-line Millenia S.

This is a four-door with a mistaken identity. It drives like a sports coupe. The front-wheel-drive platform will plunge through corners at obscene speeds with aplomb. It’s fairly well balanced and has excellent grip in turns. You will notice bumps, as the ride is sporty and biased toward the firm side. Couple the ride with a slight snarl from the engine and variable-assist power rack-and-pinion steering, and you have a car that will carve up the corners and look good at the country club.

You’ll get there in a hurry, too.

The base Millenia and Millenia L both feature a 170-horsepower, 2.5 liter, DOHC, 24-valve V-6. Certainly acceptable, but if you can, spring for the Millenia S. It features a 210-horsepower, 2.3 liter, DOHC Miller cycle engine. This makes the Millenia move and features good mid-range response. Yet there’s no torque steer on hard takeoffs. The four-speed automatic transmission automatically selects between normal and power modes, depending on the driving style of the one behind the wheel.

When it comes time to cool off, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, standard on all models, will bring you back to Earth with little muss, fuss or bother.

Other standard features on all Millenias include dual airbags, automatic climate control, automatic transmission, alloy wheels, anti-theft alarm, power driver seat, power windows, power door locks and AM/FM-cassette-CD player.

Jump up to the L and you get a power passenger’s seat, power moonroof and keyless entry. The S adds electronic traction control, 16-inch alloy wheels and Miller-cycle engine with dual intercoolers. Heated front seats and rear seat heat ducts are optional.

The interior, full of beautiful detailing, acts the part of a luxury car. The steering wheel is satisfyingly thick. Wood accents the center console, and the hand brake resides immediately to the driver’s right at seat level . Two big knobs govern the radio and climate control, and the dash is sculpted in a flowing contour. A simple light bar on the vanity mirror shows the fine artistry at work.

Some will find the interior tight, but this works to the car’s advantage, given its sporty nature. The truly tall will want to try this car before buying — there could be more seat travel. The moonroof opens wide, but tends to be boomy at speed. The trunk has ample space and a low liftover.

The only real down note was a door that seemed to close with a cheap-sounding clang. Not a big deal, but little things matter in this class.

What Mazda has accomplished is to create a car that stands apart from its Japanese counterparts. Despite having four doors, its accommodations and driving feel make it seem like a coupe. And this is a coup for Mazda.

Let’s just hope the rest of the car buying public knows it.

MAZDA MILLENIA S Standard: 2.3 liter DOHC V-6, four-speed auto atic transmission, power steering, power four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, cruise control, alloy wheels, fog lights, power moonroof, heated power mirrors, power windows, power door locks, AM-FM-cassette-CD stereo, automatic climate control, power driver and passenger seats, leather upholstery, dual airbags, anti-theft alarm, electronic traction control. Options: Four-seasons package (heated front seats, heavy-duty starter, heavy-duty windshield wiper motor, heavy-duty battery, large-capacity windshield washer tank). Base price: $34,395. Total price: $35,145. EPA rating: 20 mpg city, 28 mpg highway. Warranty: 36-month/50,000 mile bumper to bumper.