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| Mazda Lantis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Mazda |
| Model code | CB |
| Also called |
|
| Production | 1993–1998 |
| Assembly | South Africa:Silverton, Pretoria (Samcor) |
| Designer | Ginger (Arnold) Ostle |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports compact |
| Body style | |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Related | Mazda Familia |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,605 mm (102.6 in) |
| Length | 4,245 mm (167.1 in) (hatchback) 4,490 mm (177 in) (sedan) |
| Width | 1,695 mm (66.7 in) |
| Height | 1,355 mm (53.3 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,210 kg (2,668 lbs) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Mazda Familia Astina |
TheMazda Lantis (Japanese: マツダ・ランティス) is a series of twosports compact cars sold in Japan from 1993 to 1998. In the rest of the world it was also known as 323F, Astina, 323 Astina, Allegro Hatchback or Artis Hatchback.[1]
The Mazda Lantis used Mazda'sCB platform, which means close relations to theEunos 500/Xedos 6 and the 1994-1997Mazda Capella. It was anFF layout car with atransversely mounted engine and either a 5-speedmanual or 4-speedautomatic transmission.[2]
The body variant is what Mazda called a "4-doorcoupé", which in common terminology is a 5-doorhatchback. In Europe the 5-door hatchback was designatedBA, but was actually almost identical to theCB, and had little to do with otherB platforms.
The 5-door was sold as theMazda 323F in Europe, Artis in Chile and Allegro Hatchback (HB) in Colombia and a few other countries ofLatin America. This model was penned by Ginger (Arnold) Ostle, who worked forPorsche before arriving atMazda. He was the Chief of the Porsche Design Office and also assisted in the design of thePorsche 944, which has been referenced as an artistic inspiration for the design of the Lantis.[3]
The Mazda 323F weighs in at just 1,210 kg (2,668 lbs) and came standard with anaturally aspiratedDOHC1.5L,1.6L or1.8Linline-four engine withVICS paired with a 55-litre fuel tank. It features a single driverairbag,power steering, disk-brakes all-round although the front were ventilated, electrically adjustable mirrors,central locking and power windows. Standard suspension had independentwish-bone springs at the front and rear as well as 14-inch rims with a tyre offset of 185/65. Another noticeable feature are the frameless windows, similar to theNissan Presea. Additionally, there existed optional factory upgrades such as the sportier n/a DOHC2.0L24-valveV6 withVRIS, which existed in multiple states of tune,ABS, a passenger airbag, a modestrear spoiler and a glasssunroof. The V6, specifically, sports an extraordinarily rigid yet smoothsuspension setup to ensure exceptional handling with longer-than-usualsuspension arms and the front dampers including built-in rebounding springs for stability, as well as 16-inch rims with a low-profile offset of 205/50 allowing for excellent cornering and grip.[4]
By the time the cars premiered in August 1993, Mazda's multi-brand strategy had become difficult to sustain, so both Lantis variants were released to Mazda,Efini andEunos dealerships. Sales in Japan were lacklustre throughout the Lantis' production run, with only 45,000 of the 230,000 Lantis' produced staying in Japan which caused domestic sales to halt in 1997, but the 323F proved to be immensely popular in Europe and some Latin America countries, where it sold in reasonable numbers right until it was discontinued in 1998.[5] TheJDM Lantis was a popular used export toNew Zealand.
The Lantis' 1.8L four-cylinder variant had 4-valves per cylinder, acompression ratio of 9:1 and featuredmulti-port manifold injection. It made 133ps (98 kw; 131 bhp) and 152Nm (112.11 lb-ft) oftorque @ 5,000rpm, giving it a power-per-litre of 71.2 bhp/L, a power-to-weight ratio of 112.9 bhp/tonne and a torque-to-weight ratio of 131 Nm/tonne.[6] The manual transmission was markedly more fuel-efficient, having a fuel-consumption rating of 8.3L/100km in the city and 5L/100km on the highway making for an average fuel rating of 6.8L/100km. In comparison, the automatic transmission had an average fuel rating of 9.4L/100km.[7] Although electronically capped to 180km/h in Japan due to law, it had an actual top speed of 190km/h and the manual transmission recorded a 0-100kmm/h time of 9.6 seconds.[8] It's optional V6, however, was more substantial and existed in three states of tune depending on the market and year. The V6 had a compression ratio of 10.1 from 1993-1994 and 10.5:1 from 1994-1996 when the engine ceased production. In 1993-1994 the engine made 146ps (107 kw; 144 hp) and in 1994-1996 162ps (119 kw; 160 bhp).[9] In exchange for its higher power the V6 was less fuel efficient than the 1.8L with the manual transmission recording a fuel rating of 8.7L/100km and the automatic 10L/100km.[10][11]
The rare Type-R version of the Mazda Lantis was exclusively sold in Japan and could only be obtained in Europe and other parts of the world through import. The Type-R features a 170ps (125 kw, 168 bhp) 2.0L (122 ci) KF-ZE 24-valve DOHC V6 engine with 180 Nm (133 lb-ft) of torque @ 5,500 rpm, alimited-slip differential and appearance options like a front lip spoiler,side skirts, floating rear spoiler, coloured front indicators and other modifications known collectively as theMazdaspeed A-Spec kit. It has a power-per-litre of 85ps (84 bhp), a power-to-weight ratio of 140ps (139 bhp) / ton and a torque-to-weight ratio of 149 Nm (110 bhp) / ton. The manual Type-R completedTsukuba circuit in 1:14.17 and had a quarter-mile time of 15.9 seconds.[12] Mazda also raced the Type-R in domestictouring car racing such as theJapanese Touring Car Championship.[13][14]
The nameLantis is created from the Latin phrase "Latens Curtis", which roughly translates as "To secretly shorten".
Although the 323F lacks a badge indicating which engine is fitted, the V6 version is easily recognizable since it is the only 323F with 5stud hubs.
The South African and possibly other versions of the 323F branded as the Astina do include badges on the back indicating the engine capacity. The 1.8l is displayed with a badge reading 180 for example.
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