No huge surprises at Mazda's press conference today. You know, just another small car that will deliver 40 mpg. In this case it's the Mazda 3 with the company's new 2.0-liter four-cylinder fortified with "Skyactiv" technology. That's a fancy name for Mazda's collection of fuel-saving measures that includes high compression and direct injection. This Mazda 3 and its mild face-lift will hit dealers this fall.
In addition to the Mazda 3, Mazda officials reiterated their earlier announcement that the Minagi concept (pictured above) shown at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show will go into production as the CX-5. It, too, will get a Skyactiv engine and will arrive in dealerships in the spring of 2012.
Mazda officials also confirmed that the company will bring a diesel engine with Skyactiv technolgy to the U.S. in the spring of 2013.
dougtheeng says:
01:16 PM, 04/21/11
The Minagi concept looks great - much better then any of their current S/CUVs. The 3 looks tired already. I think in a few years that design will look extremely questionable. The first 3 is aging very well.
roadburner says:
01:47 PM, 04/21/11
"direction injection"...
I assume that helps the car corner faster?
roadburner says:
01:50 PM, 04/21/11
"The first 3 is aging very well."
I agree. No way would I have considered -much less actually purchased- an MS3 styled like the current version.
stovt001 says:
03:21 PM, 04/21/11
Love the Minagi concept. I'm still not interested in a CUV (not as long as there are wagons left to buy) but this one at least looks decent.
I have high hopes for the new engines. That really isn't Mazda's strong point, so hopefully they stepped their game up a bit. The design tweaks to the 3 surprisingly improve things a little bit.
blueguydotcom says:
08:09 PM, 04/21/11
I find it nigh impossible to believe a Mazda would get MPGs that good. Mazda seems opposed to good gearing and in the few I've owned their engines have been...um...rough. Reliable as hell, but man those are coarse engines.
litewerk says:
10:00 PM, 04/21/11
Despite how much that many people rave about how great an inexpensive driver's car the Mazda 3 is, have yet to ever drive or ride in one. The much improved gas mileage will now get my attention enough to definitely check out the 3 before I decide what my next car will be.
windsor5 says:
03:13 AM, 04/22/11
The reason I have looked at 3's in the past was how much they shared with the euro focus in architecture. And with sportier gearing. Now that we have the euro focus I am less interested (mainly the gaping smile) kinda creepy almost as bad as the infamous acura beak.
jaeger1 says:
04:40 AM, 04/22/11
Facelift? This thing needs a face transplant.
bonzjr says:
08:21 AM, 04/22/11
Decent visual upgrades. But I agree with the others above: the first-gen 3 was a better looking car. I'm looking forward to the next design language. The Minagi/CX-5 looks far better. And it banishes the shiny-happy-people front end.
The SKYACTIV motors appear to be a big improvement. Real world we don't know yet. Will they really get 40 on the highway? I'm not sure they'll be smoother either. But they're power compeitive (155 @ only 6000 -- it's not "peaky" -- from 2.0L is good and it finally fas some 'torques' as JC would say). I agree with BGDC above. Mazda does not make smooth or sonorous motors (ignoring the rotary), but they are ridiculously reliable (also ignoring the rotary).
thejoshdude says:
08:22 AM, 04/22/11
I always thought the old 6's were hideous, and I know I wasn't alone at the time. But they look great now and have aged very well. Same thing with the 3 although I know more people liked the look of those than the 6's. So I wouldn't write off the future attractiveness of the smiley 3's so quickly.
cwc1 says:
02:18 PM, 04/23/11
Mazda's 2.5 V6 introduced in the early '90s was quite a smooth and great sounding engine and was widely praised in the car mags at the time. So I would not say that all their engines are coarse.
I am looking forward to their Sky D diesel - hopefully it will be a great motor.
richml says:
12:43 PM, 04/25/11
I'm driving an 05 Mazda3 5-door and I'm more than happy with it's look and handling. I don't feel that the engine is coarse at all, though you do get plenty of road noise. Isn't that what after-market stereos are for?
Our daughter has a 10 Mazda3 4-door, and the ride seems a bit improved from the prior version. It's lots of fun to drive.
Mazda consciously doesn't try to blend in with the boring look of some of the other automakers. They ask recent buyers on the after-purchase questionnaire if they like the fact that their autos look different. I think the smiley face complaints are overplayed. Our daughter's car is pretty sweet-looking to these eyes.
cr_driver says:
07:01 PM, 04/25/11
Wow, going from 33 MPG Highway to 40 MPG Highway is quite a big step for them.
Hopefully the new CX-9 will improve dramatically as well in that department. (city MPG as well).