For your $21,460 ($20,695 + destination) you get a Sport trim CX-5 which, unfortunately, is the only one available with the 6-speed manual transmission. Besides the shift-it-yourself gearbox you get 17-inch alloys, DRLs, power mirrors, automatic headlight shutoff, cloth interior, cruise control, a four-speaker stereo with AUX and USB inputs (take that, Mazda 3) and the 2.0-liter, 155-horsepower Skyactive four-cylinder motor powering the front wheels.
This package seems like a good deal, but then things get unfortunate (for enthusiasts)...
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Categories: Mazda,SUVs
The Chicago Auto Show is a special place for Mazda. That is where, in 1989, they first showed off the Mazda Miata. Since then they've gone on to sell some 900,000 of the tiny two-seat roadsters.
And so it should be no surprise that Mazda has chosen Chicago to show off a new special edition Miata. The Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition will have a black power retractable hard top (PRHT in Mazda speak), two new exterior colors, black gunmetal alloy wheels, black exterior accents, black heated leather seats and piano black interior finishes. The Premium package and the Suspension package will be standard -- that means sport-tuned Bilsteins, Bluetooth and Sirius. They will be offered with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic.
450 of the Special Edition Miatas will be produced. Pricing was not announced.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Convertibles,Mazda,Sports Cars
If you've got a spouse and a bouncy castle full of kids, the siren call of a minivan can be a tempting one. Still, minivan ownership need not be as inevitable as some would have you believe.
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Categories: Buick,Chevrolet,Dodge,Ford,GMC,Mazda
First press conference of the morning (yep, morning here) saw the unveiling of the Mazda Takeri. This car is the scale of the Mazda 6 (111.4-inch wheelbase, 190.9 inches long overall), and if the next-generation sedan looks anything like this concept, we'll be very happy. The tail is particularly well resolved.
Mazda reiterated its commitment to diesel with this press conference, as the Takeri is said to feature the company's excellent Skyactiv-D 2.2-liter diesel four-cylinder plus the sharp-shifting Skyactiv six-speed automatic. The company also announced today that when the 2013 CX-5 launches in Japan in spring 2012, it will come with both the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G gasoline four-cylinder and the diesel 2.2-liter. This is no small thing in this country, where diesels historically aren't any more popular/tolerated than they are in the U.S.
The Takeri also has the company's latest brake regeneration technology plus idle-stop. The steering uses electric assist. The wheels are 20s; we hope these will go down to at least 19s for the production car.
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Categories: Concept Vehicles,Mazda,Sedans,Tokyo Motor Show
Mazda unveiled the 2013 Mazda CX-5 at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show. Now we know that this future CR-V rival will come to market in February 2012 with a direct-injected 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 155 horsepower.
Find out what James Riswick is smiling about after the jump.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Mazda,Videos
Disappointing news for all you who are pre-emptively calling the 2013 Mazda CX-5 slow and weak: Mazda's 0-60-mph estimate for a front-drive CX-5 with the six-speed automatic transmission is 8.6 seconds. With AWD, that claim increases to 8.8.
If true, that's quicker than every other non-luxury four-cylinder crossover out there, save for the VW Tiguan (8.4 seconds) and the turbo Kia Sportage (haven't tested one yet) -- and the manual-shift CX-5 should be quicker still. In any case, our own Chris Walton recently spent some time in a U.S.-spec CX-5, so you'll get his take on the acceleration before long.
We also spoke to Mazda engineer Masuhiro Mora, who told us that although the American CX-5 is tuned to run right as rain on 87 octane, there's likely to be at least a modest performance benefit to filling it up with 91 when we eventually test it. "With 91, you should have slightly better torque in theory," he said.
He added, "Yesterday, I got 31.2 mpg in the CX-5 when I drove for about 2 hours (100 miles), and that included city driving and a traffic jam."
Look for the 2013 CX-5 to go on sale the second or third week of February 2012. We're told pricing will be released in late January, and will be right in line with the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, both key rivals.
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Categories: Crossovers,Future Vehicles,LA Auto Show,Mazda,SUVs
Mazda finally released hard numbers on the U.S.-spec 2013 Mazda CX-5 today at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show. Now we know that this future CR-V rival will come to market in February 2012 with a direct-injected 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 155 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 150 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm on 87 octane.
This might give the impression that Mazda's first all-Skyactiv vehicle (featuring the full suite of the company's efficiency-enhancing engine, transmission and chassis technology) is a letdown in the power department -- seeing as how the 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv uses a lower-compression version (12:1 vs. 13:1) and still makes 155 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. (The European-spec CX-5 prototype we drove last summer was rated 162 hp/155 lb-ft with 14:1 compression on 91 octane fuel.)
But not so fast, man. Mazda engineers have tuned the 2.0-liter to give you a broader, flatter torque curve in the heavier CX-5 (3,208 pounds with front-drive and the new six-speed manual gearbox, 3,426 pounds with AWD and the six-speed automatic). They tell us there's 50 percent more torque from 2,500-3,500 rpm in the CX-5 versus the Mazda 3. As evidence, we offer a torque curve graph after the jump.
First Drive: 2013 Mazda CX-5 Prototype
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Categories: Crossovers,LA Auto Show,Mazda,SUVs
Here's your Mazdaspeed 2: Senior Editor Josh Jacquot tells you all about the Mazda Turbo2 Concept, the Mazda 2 with the Mazdaspeed 3 drivetrain stuffed into it.
Unquestionably, Mazda won't ever bring this car to series production, especially now that the MS3's turbocharged, direct-injected DISI 2.3-liter engine is on its way to obsolesence with the birth of the Skyactiv engine family -- but in the event of a blue moon, I'd be first in line to buy this MS2.
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Categories: Hatchbacks,Mazda,SEMA Show,Tuners and Modifications
Here's a random, end-of-the-day video find: Mazda of Australia shows you how it conducts simulated animal-impact tests to ensure that its accessory bull bars for the BT-50 are up to snuff. (The BT-50 is of course one of those cool, world-market compact pickups that would cost over $30,000,000 if Mazda decided to absorb the chicken tax and sell it in the U.S.)
Crashing into animals is a real possibility in Australia, or at least we imagine it is after reading what Bill Bryson has to say about this country-continent, and to that end, the bull bars for the BT-50 are engineered to ensure "the vehicle remains mobile even after a heavy animal impact" -- you know, in case said heavy animal tries to come back to finish off your BT-50.
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Categories: Mazda,Trucks,Tuners and Modifications
The first email I got regarding the new Mazda Takeri simply said, "Whoa." Mazda is known for some spectacular concepts (Furai, Shinari, Taiki) but they're all very clearly concept vehicles with no chance of production. This concept, however is different. Yes, the Takeri, which will debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, is a concept car with giant wheels, tiny headlights, a too-low front fascia and silly little fig-leaf mirrors. With some careful tweaks, though, this could easily be the next Mazda 6 -- due sometime in 2013.
The Takeri shares more than its face with the CX-5, it also uses Mazda's new Skyactive Technology which will be first released on the CX-5. Use of a production engine and platform is another sign that this is a thinly disguised production car.
Whoa or no?
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Categories: Concept Vehicles,Future Vehicles,Mazda
Most of us know how enjoyable it can be to row our own gears, and there are some cars whose manual transmissions turn this exercise into a brilliant high point of the driving experience.
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Categories: Ford,Mazda,Porsche,Suzuki
The steering wheel is one of the first things you see when you enter a car's cabin, and it's a part of the car that you constantly interface with during the driving experience. The best ones look great and feel even better, working in synergy with the car's themes and motifs to present a consistent message.
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Categories: Audi,BMW,Honda,Lamborghini,MINI,Mazda,McLaren,Mercedes-Benz,Volkswagen,Volvo
We all know that Mazda and Honda are into this B-Spec racing thing and earlier this week we got word that Kia would be playing along, too with the Rio 5. And now, thanks to Mazda's Facebook page, we know that Fiat and Ford will be joining the action, too.
The gallery posted on the Mazdaspeed Motorsports page, shows a welcome amount of gamesmanship between teams with pro-level touring car drivers playing multiple cars with everyone testing and talking in a very open area. The test day is most likely to set ballast and ECU calibrations for a more level racing series. A dyno on hand would confirm the ECU part of this guess.
The presence of the BFG trailer isn't surprising either, the spec tire for the series is the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 Comp in P205/50R15.
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Categories: Fiat,Ford,Honda,Mazda,Motorsports
Mazda is sending off the RX-8 in style with the just-announced Spirit R. This special edition will be the last rendition of Mazda's RX-8 and will go on sale in Japan in late November with production wrapping up officially in June.
The Spirit R -- named after the final edition of the RX-7 -- gets special Recaro seats, colored alloy wheels (with 225/40R19 tires on the manual and 225/45R18 on the auto), unique badging, blacked-out headlights, red brake calipers, and standard side and side-curtain air bags. Mazda will produce 1,000 units of the Spirit R at a cost of $40,675 for the 6AT and $42,400 for the 6MT.
While this signifies the end of the RX-8, Takashi Yamanouchi, Mazda's President and CEO confirmed that the rotary was not dead, "Although the RX-8 production is ending, the rotary engine will always represent the spirit of Mazda and Mazda remains committed to its ongoing development."
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Categories: Mazda,Sports Cars
You can talk in general terms about lighter bodies in white and reduced frictional losses, but there's a lot going on with the new Skyactiv chassis architecture and gasoline/diesel engine family that's launching in the 2013 Mazda CX-5. So part of Mazda's advertising strategy is to release videos (and eventually apps) that try to explain all of it (well, some of it) to us.
Here are the first couple, as Mazda's lead chassis man Norihiro Tomita and powertrain expert Susumu Niinai spend about a minute and a half each describing some of thinking behind the new chassis and engines.
First Drive: 2013 Mazda CX-5
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Categories: Crossovers,Future Vehicles,Green Tech,Mazda
The Japanese market is about to get another special edition car we won't see here in The States. This is the Mazda BLACK TUNED Roadster and unlike so many of the other black editions these days, this one is a bit bland.
Based on the Roadster RHT (retractable hard top), the BLACK TUNED edition comes in either RS trim (6MT) or VS trim (6AT) and comes with a black roof, black wheels, black grille, black rear roll bar garnish, black leather seats, black door trim, fog lights and Bose stereo. It's available in three colors of which two-- Velocity Red Mica and Spirited Green Metallic -- are exclusive. Crystal White Pearl Mica is the other option.
So how much does all this paint cost? $39,700. Yikes. This is one of the few times we're not jealous of a limited release not crossing the pond. Feel free to throw us a few buckets of that Spirited Green Metallic paint, though.
Categories: Convertibles,Mazda
How's this for irony? The Frankfurt Auto Show is, obviously, all about cars. But to see them all, you'll probably wind up doing more walking than you've done in your entire life, since the event occupies a network of halls that's as vast as the Fatherland itself. Happily, all that schlepping was more than worth it this year, thanks to the prime examples of automotive excellence on display.
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Categories: BMW,Mazda,Porsche
By now, we've driven Mazda's new SkyActiv drivetrain technology a number of times. Here's what we said last time, "As for me, ever since this drive, I've been fantasizing about a Skyactiv-D-equipped MX-5. If that doesn't tell you that Mazda's on the right track with this Skyactiv stuff, nothing will. "
Yeah, we're fantasizing about a diesel in a roadster. We're 'that guy.' Well, that and the SkyActiv engines, despite being fuel efficient, aren't focused solely on fuel economy, they're made by Mazda after all and Mazda still, thankfully, has its head on correctly.
And if you don't believe us, here's an ad for Mazda's SkyActiv made by Mazda.
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Categories: Car Tech,Mazda
In what's surely a blow to rotary fanatics and apex-seal manufacturers worldwide, Automotive News is reporting that production of the Mazda RX-8 has finally ceased.
Sales of the rotary-powered RX-8 have been declining steadily, Mazda sold only 1,134 last year and sales are down 21 percent this year. Recently, the 1.3.-liter twin-rotor was dealt a blow when it was removed from the European market due to stronger emissions regulation.
Rumors of course abound that Mazda is at work on a new rotary with lower emissions, better fuel economy and more power. (And, of course, that it'll end up in the Miata -- it's as frequent a rumor as the mid-engine Corvette.) Jim O'Sullivan, CEO of Mazda North American Operations, is only fanning those flames, "the rotary is alive and well within Mazda. We are studying what's the best way to come back to the market with the rotary."
U.S. dealers have a 118 day supply left, so act fast!
(Auto News)
Categories: Mazda,Sports Cars
On the one hand, fears about the impending extinction of the manual transmission aren't entirely unfounded. Fewer and fewer people are feeling the love for the stick; for the last few years, the take rate in the U.S. has been less than 10 percent, down from around 22 percent in the mid-eighties.
On the other hand...
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Categories: Ford,Honda,Mazda,Nissan
