Lantis Engine Mazda 2.0L V6 KFZE

Andrew shows me the high-revving Mazda 2.0L V6 KF-ZE engine that powers his Lantis Race Car.

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[LethalJizzle]

This guy knows his engine. Awesome to see.

[moeezahmedshahaab]

This guy is honestly as unique and cool as his car, he’s such a nice guy too

[Arbok]

The KL-DE engine is actually pretty nice. It only sits around 165 hp and 160 lb/ft of torque, but it's got a Variable-Length Intake system (VRIS) that keeps the the torques within a stone's throw of max power all the way from 3000 to ~6000 RPM, so it'll pull real good. Plus, from what I hear, the JDM engine, while it does have 35-40 more horsepower, the torque is about the same and the bottom-end is actually a bit weaker. It's certainly faster, but I don't know if it _feels_ faster. The ZE is higher compression engine and is optimized for higher revs and a higher redline, which is where it probably gets most of its extra power (peak power comes at around 6500 RPM on the ZE, whereas the DE peaks somewhere from 5600-5800 RPM), and even the VRIS is setup differently. If you put a DE's ECU on a ZE engine, or vice versa, you'll lose a good chunk of power off of your peak.

The Probe used it, and it's also available in the second-gen MX-6 (though good luck finding one; they seem to be even rarer than Corrados these days), which is what I drive, and the engine feels much bigger and stronger than it actually is. I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I've driven my dad's '06 Mustang GT, and that didn't feel nearly as lively, though the extra 800 pounds of car could've had something to do with that. All the same, it pulls good, sounds good, and is reasonably compact. It's a solid engine in a very nice car.

Interestingly, the base engine for the second-gen MX-6 was the KF-ZE in Japan, but elsewhere in the world, it used an I4, the FS-DE, which only produced 130 horsepower and 135 lb/ft of torque. Additionally, the MX-6 had a 4 Wheel Steering system that was only available in Japan, Australia, and continental Europe. The option was never available in the American or British versions of the car.

[brandonhightower]

I had a '93 Mazda mx-6 with the KL-DE 2.5 v6 / 5-speed manual back in the late 90's, it was a good engine and loved to rev...well, it had to rev to go anywhere.

[JackstandJohnny]

Much respect to this dude for really knowing His engine.

[safetytfh]

This car sounds so sick. Small V6s and V8s always sounds like old racecars

[Jamesbond]

It would be really cool if you would review the MX-3, MX-6 or Ford Probe when you get back stateside. I’ve been waiting a long time to see how you would react to the KF/KL/K8, this video is GREAT!

[Slaxbox]

Best part of NZ. All of the weird cars and engines!

[chadm]

13 years ago I had a Probe GT I swapped a KLZE into. The ~200HP 2.5L version of this engine. I love all the versions of this engine. They can sound so good with a proper exhaust and they rev so freely. The US Market got the 1.8L version in the MX-3 GS.

[jmzba]

Nice review.
And happy to see that in 2019, I'm not the only one to still revs up this engine in this (pretty) frame.😎😉

[MyCatInABox]

When I used to be a Probe owner (albeit first gen...I had the awesome F2-T) all the guys would talk about the JDM only "KL-ZE"= 200+ HP.
This bloke knows his stuff.

[skuzzyj]

There used to be a guy that I would see driving around in a black V6 MX3 that had clearly done a muffler delete or straight pipes or something of that nature and that little car sounded absolutely freaking fantastic.

When I first saw/heard it going down the road, I immediately went home and started looking into the engine and then wondered why they never stuck that little 1.8 V6 in the MX5. Even in US trim, 130 hp and a conservative 7000 RPM redline seemed like a no-brainer in a roadster.

[mauricio]

In the US they also came in the 1.8L V6 version in the Mazda MX-3. Slow as shit but sounds nice and loves to rev.

[thisguy]

Love y'all do more rcr stories! They make my week when y'all upload a new one!

[Ben-Rogue]

I miss my Lantis Type-R. Had a full exhaust done too and it sounded epic! Though, I'm not particularly tall for a guy, basically average height and with the optional sunroof and the seat as far back as possible, my head was touching the roof. Might buy another one day, they're so cheap in NZ!

[veyso]

Did you experience/review any mighty Australian cars like a Dunnydore or Falcon maybe a ute while in NZ? I'm Australian & would be interested in what you think of them. Cheers 'n' Beers,

[dakotanewcombe]

We also got that KL-DE in the Mazda Millennia's, MX-6, and 626. I love my Millennia, such a smooth car.

[danjim]

just put my probe back on the road for summer today! It feels fam good to drive again.

[charlesjames]

I had Probe GT with the KLDE 2.5L. A great little engine; very smooth. It needed better cams and the better intake to get much power, but it was vastly overbuilt for the 165 hp it put out. I drove it for 14 years until the strut towers rusted away.

[Neoblitzkrieg]

I had two versions of these engines, I did have a KLDE in the Probe. But I also had the K8-DE in the Mazda MX3 which was lots of fun.