With fewer than 8000 miles to go before the conclusion of its stay, our Mazda 2 continues to serve primarily as a spunky ’round-town runabout. The car has racked up nearly 10,000 miles since September, most of which were turned within the borders of our home state; a sprint to Virginia accounted for the rest.
Keep Reading: 2011 Mazda 2 Touring – Long-Term Road Test Update
A Mazda with a diesel engine finally will arrive in the U.S. in early 2013, spokesman Jeremy Barnes tells us. “It’ll be here between 15 and 18 months behind the launch of the Skyactiv-G gasoline engine in the Mazda 3.” That car hit the market in October of last year, so the math says to expect a diesel Mazda between January and April of 2013. This is just a few months later than originally projected.
Even though Mazda is describing the timing based on changes made to the Mazda 3, we shouldn’t expect that particular model to go diesel just yet. Our guess is that the compression-ignition engine will arrive first in the CX-5; the 3 and 6 are strong possibilities for diesel power in the following year or two. Mazda’s higher-spec 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D diesel four is the best candidate for U.S. service; in Europe, it makes 173 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. We did a deep dive on this engine when it first debuted, so check out our full rundown for more details.
Okay, we promise this is it. (There’s a good chance we break that promise.) Here, taken from an Italian website that apparently has good Japanese sources, are what appear to be two images of the Toyota FT-86’s actual, final, production sheetmetal—er, one image showing two views of the car. We will do our damnedest to make this the last time we report on the Toyota/Scion/Subaru rear-drive coupe until the official debut at the Tokyo auto show. That’s less than two weeks away; how many more opportunities could there really be?
After two years of concepts, design studies, chassis and drivetrain bucks, and spy shots, we can’t say there are any surprises in this photo. Squat bodywork, airy greenhouse, fairly simple design (we feared that last bit in particular after learning that Toyota penned the shape). It’s certainly less aggressive than the many concepts that preceded it, but it does seem to be doing a little flexing around the rear wheels, producing a bit of a bulge that flows into the trunklid. And really, as we learned on our recent drive of a camouflaged Subaru prototype, it drives well enough that it won’t matter what it looks like. Heck, the Mazda Miata looks like a sausage that someone stepped on, but that hasn’t stopped us from loving it.
You can check out the original post on the Italian website here, although we’ll tell you now there’s nothing more for you there unless you want to post comments in Italian. You’re welcome to do that here, too.
Today, Mazda tweeted “Sneak a peek at some #Mazda @SEMASHOW cars: MX-5 Spyder & Turbo2,” and included a link to images of the two Vegas-bound cars. What’s an MX-5 Spyder and a Turbo2? Mazda offered just a single image of each car along with a brief caption, but here’s what we’ve ascertained.
Mazda MX-5 Spyder
The MX-5 Spyder (pictured above) has a skimpy bikini top in place of a normal folding roof. The move should save some weight, which, combined with Brembo brake calipers and a clearly lowered suspension, implies a harder-core take on the regular car, in the spirit of the similarly Spyder-ed Porsche Boxster. Aside from the minimalist top, the Spyder has a unique, streamlined front fascia with a larger central intake, a lower spoiler, and cooling ducts for the front brakes. As to power, we don’t know squat at this point, but we’re going to pretend it’s a quad-rotor Wankel just for funsies.
Mazda Turbo2
As its name suggests, the Turbo2 is a turbocharged Mazda 2—but which engine is under the hood isn’t clear. The car’s supplied caption reads: “One of our most powerful turbocharged engines in our lightest platform. ’Nuff said!” Mazda’s most powerful turbocharged engine is the 263-hp, 2.3-liter four that lives under the hood of the Mazdaspeed 3. The CX-7 crossover uses a 244-hp version of the same engine, but either seems wildly over the top for the featherweight Mazda 2. (Let us be clear: We’re totally game for a 2 with between 140- and 160-percent more power—our long-term 2 could certainly be quicker.) The least-likely but slightly more sane engine candidate would be the 178-hp, 1.8-liter turbo four from ye olde Mazdaspeed Miata; maybe there was one sitting on a shelf somewhere. Engine talk aside, the Turbo2 looks track ready—even more so than Mazda’s B-Spec racing 2—with its jaunty rear wing, cool graphics package, and sticky track rubber.
The rotary engine is dead! Long live the rotary engine! A tweet from Mazda’s Japanese PR department confirms that the company is working on a next-generation rotary engine, which we hope means a replacement for the late RX-8 isn’t far off. If you can’t read the Japanese above—and really, shame on you if that’s the case—here’s an English translation:
We really appreciate all the support we’ve gotten for the RX-8 and rotary engine. All of us are deeply moved. Mazda aims to make breakthroughs in our Skyactiv technology, and we are currently devoted to developing new cars with next-generation rotary engines. We look forward to your continued support!
In a conversation with Mazda engineers last year, we were told that the rotary engine would need significant efficiency improvements (think 50 percent or so) to be viable. If work continues, it may mean the company has pulled it off, and that we can expect a sports car with better fuel economy than the outgoing RX-8, which was rated at 16 mpg city and 22 highway.
Mazda announced earlier this year that the 2012 3 would have stylistic updates and a significant addition to the engine lineup: the 155-hp, 2.0-liter Skyactiv direct-injection four-cylinder. As the photos here show, the aesthetic changes are minor, but the new engine is big news in terms of fuel efficiency. A four-door Mazda 3 i with the Skyactiv 2.0-liter—it’s available in the i Touring and i Grand Touring models—will deliver an EPA-certified 40 mpg on the highway, while a five-door i with the same engine just misses that mark at 39 mpg.
The adoption of the Skyactiv engine (the port-injected 2.0- and 2.5-liter engines carry over) has compelled Mazda to reshuffle its model and trim lineup for 2012, as outlined in the table below. (New additions are in blue.)
Pricing for the revised 2012 lineup is as follows, starting at the cheap end: The 3 i SV, which uses the old 2.0-liter, drops by $600 to $15,995. The next highest trim, the i Sport, also has the old 2.0, but its price rises by $140 to $17,640. Both are offered only as sedans.
At $19,245 and $19,745, the i Touring sedan and hatch are the least-expensive models to get the new direct-injected Skyactiv four. The i Touring hatch is new this year; the sedan costs $350 more than last year. We asked Mazda if the increase could be pinned on the Skyactiv powertrain being more expensive to produce, but didn’t get a concrete answer. We were assured, however, that all previous features made the move to 2012.
An s Touring replaces last year’s s Sport, and adds the following as standard: leather on the steering wheel and shift knob, keyless entry and start, and a moonroof, among other stuff. It runs $22,095 for a sedan, or $500 more for five-door goodness. There’s now also an i Grand Touring model with the Skyactiv engine; GT goodies such as leather and navigation had been limited to s four- and five-doors. (A 2.5-liter four is still the exclusive engine for s models.) This new trim starts at $23,095 for the sedan, with $500 extra required for the hatch. While we’re at it, the five-door-only Mazdaspeed 3 is $300 dearer this year, at $24,795.
So there you have it. We’re glad to see that prices didn’t change much, and offering the five-door with a smaller, more-efficient engine has been a long time coming. As to whether the Skyactiv four lives up to its efficiency claims, we’ll find out soon: We’ll have a test in the near future.
We match up six affordable athletes to find the cornering champ.
Handling, in the simplest terms, can be defined as how a car responds to driver inputs and how it communicates feedback. Are the responses and feedback smooth? Do they inspire confidence? Does the car have insanely high limits? Does it approach those limits gradually? Feel connected? We take all this into consideration with every car we test. But rarely do we isolate each individual handling trait, tear it apart, and put it back together to the degree we’re about to here.
Keep Reading: Best-Handling Car For Less Than $40,000 – Feature
Update Two: Back on track in the Deuce.
When last we checked in on our Mazda 2, it was seven months into its stay but had racked up a paltry 13,912 miles. We put the brunt of the blame on the Save the Manuals! livery, which many of our lamer compatriots felt was a bit too garish to get prime valet service at the strip joints they frequent, or even to drive at all. But it didn’t prevent longtime C/D pal Russ Ferguson from hopping into the wee Mazda for a 2000-mile round trip from southeast Michigan to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Keep Reading: 2011 Mazda 2 Touring – Long-Term Road Test Update
Beyond its role as Mazda’s anchor SUV, this new model is also the stalking horse for the brand’s future.
We could all live without another compact SUV; the dozen or more already on the market suit every imaginable purse and purpose. So what’s the Mazda CX-5’s reason for existing? The simple answer is that Mazda’s new bouncing baby bear is a smaller, cheaper model intended to round out the brand’s set of SUVs—well, and that the small-SUV category is a sales mine and no company can afford to sit it out. But proving that nothing is ever as simple as it first seems, the CX-5 embodies two ulterior motives: This is not only our first look at two major Mazda initiatives, it’s also an accurate preview of other models scheduled for near-term introduction.
Keep Reading: 2013 Mazda CX-5 – First Drive Review
Mazda CX-9 crossovers are being investigated for a faulty breaking system, according to news reports.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is investigating the braking effectiveness of 2008 Mazda CX-9 crossovers.
The investigation could lead to a future recall.
“The NHTSA probe will examine reports that leaking brake fluid could degrade braking effectiveness of approximately 37,000 Mazda CX-9s. NHTSA says no injuries or accidents have been reported in connection with the CX-9′s braking system, but the Agency has released this statement: ‘When brake fluid leaks into the vacuum booster the driver can experience reduced brake effectiveness which can result in extended stopping distance,’” according to news reports.
So far, Mazda has received a “high number” of warranty claims and reports related to the vehicle’s braking system, according to NHTSA.
As an Orangeburg personal injury attorney, I hope this problem can be fixed before any accidents or injuries are reported. I’m glad Mazda and NHTSA are taking these reports seriously.
While we don’t handle this kind of recall we feel that it’s important to educate the community to help protect their health and safety. If you have been injured by a recalled product, you might wish to contact an Orangeburg personal injury lawyer who can help.
Mazda CX-9 on Way to Possible Recall is a post from: South Carolina Car Accident Lawyer Blog
Related posts:
We get our first look at the new CX-5 crossover.
The Mazda CX-5 small crossover—previously seen as the Minagi concept earlier this year—will be unveiled at September’s Frankfurt auto show. (Well, at least the Euro-market version pictured here will be; our model should differ only slightly, if at all.) It will be the first Mazda to wear the company’s new Kodo styling language, which replaces the current, smile-intensive Nagare theme.
Keep Reading: 2013 Mazda CX-5 Official Photos and Info
We forgive you for not knowing the back-story about these two special Mazdas, even if we did report on their inspiration back in March. We know; a certain motorsport-oriented cable TV network has the nerve to not televise the 2011 Britcar Production GTN Championship for its countless fans here in the U.S. Anyway, Mazda U.K. has been racing a 275-horsepower, 1870-pound MX-5 this year with relative success against some tough competition from the likes of Lotus Elises, Seat Leons, and BMW M3s. So to fulfill the old “Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday” mantra, there are now special race car-inspired “Black Limited Edition” versions of not just the MX-5, but also the Mazda2, available for Her Majesty’s people.
Unfortunately, Mazda interprets the words “black” and “edition” rather differently than does Porsche, whose Black Editions of the 911, Boxster, and Cayman are loaded with awesome. In this case case, the “black” part comes into play on the roofs and wheels of both models, with the MX-5 getting a black power-retracting hard top and the Mazda2 getting a strip of black vinyl over the roof panel; each wears a set of matching black shoes. Each car also offers an option of green, white, or red paint to contrast against the dark elements.
For both models, the real changes essentially end right there. The MX-5 uses the “Sport Tech” model as its basis, so it comes with features like air conditioning, a Bose audio system, Bluetooth, cruise control, and fog lights. The engine is a 160-hp 2.0-liter four, the transmission is a six-speed manual, the price is just a fiver under £23,000, and just 500 will be built. As for Mazda2, it uses a questionably sporty 84-horsepower 1.3-liter (the black roof must add 10 more ponies, we know it) and gets content similar to the MX-5’s, with the addition of tinted windows. A total of 618 will be produced at a more favorable price of £12,395 for the red version or 420 pounds more for the premium green or white paints. Meanwhile, the one we really want—that 275-hp MX-5 GT—remains a one-off track toy.
In the last week, I reported thar New Mazda 6 is the safest car all around the world, but now Mazda is recalling more than 30,000 CX-9’s for some sort of wiring problems.
The Mazda official recall notice says, “drivers will experience certain functions that are uncontrollable, which will cause seious difficulties in driving increasing the risk of a crash.”
Engine Type
273-hp 3.7L DOHC 24-valve V6 with 6-speed Sport automatic transmission
Drivetrain Options
Front-wheel drive (FWD) or available Active Torque Split All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
Available Features
7-passenger, 3-row seating with available Bose® audio system, heated front seats, Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry & Start System and DVD Rear-Seat Entertainment system
Safety Features
5-Star government frontal- and side-crash-test rating‡‡‡, standard advanced front air bags, front side-impact air bags, side air curtains‡‡ and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)††
The the most authoritative automotive safety official website of United States announced the Mazda 6 score of the collision. The scores are highest in every tests, are much higher than a lot of the United States, Germany cars. After a few days, the new Mazda 6 won the maximum 5 Star safety rating in Euro-NCAP tests.
This marks the new Mazda 6 had been formally certified with “the world’s safest car” by two authorities from Europe and America.
Mazda designers said the new Mazda6’s R & D goal is the the highest compared with the same level cars.
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