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2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2.0L First Drive [w/video]

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is easy to comprehend. It is an enthusiast roadster in its purest form. There's no need for any sort of sales pitch. You don't have to ramp up in order to get people excited about it. Say the words "new Miata" to anyone who cares about cars, and you've immediately got their attention. And now that I have yours, I'll to cut right to the chase. It's brilliant. That's a fact I've known for a while. I drove the Japanese-spec ND Miata in Spain earlier this year, with the 130-horsepower, 1.5-liter engine that we aren't getting in the United States. The new Miata is a modern day reincarnation of the original NA that stole our hearts in 1989. It's smaller and lighter than the outgoing NC, yet boasts more interior room. It's comfortable. It looks great. And it drives like a Miata should. In other words, it's perfect. So what about this US-spec car, then? It's got more power – 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque from Mazda's 2.0-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder engine. But it's also heavier. Our car weighs 2,332 pounds, compared to the roughly 2,200 pounds of the 1.5-liter car. Yes, the ND Miata loses 12 hp compared to the outgoing NC, but it's up 8 lb-ft of torque. Plus, according to Mazda, because of the improved powerband, anytime you're under 5,700 rpm the new Skyactiv engine is stronger than the old MZR mill. It's more efficient, too. With the manual transmission, the Miata is estimated to achieve 27 miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg highway. That a jump of six mpg in both categories compared to the old six-speed. Consider this: The Japanese-spec car uses a 130-hp engine, which I found to be perfectly adequate. The increase in power for the US-spec car mostly just balances out the extra weight, but it also improves performance on the highway. Hit the throttle in sixth gear with the 1.5 and nothing happens. Do the same with the 2.0, and there's movement. Low-end power is far more important in the US than it is in other markets, and that's why our car has the larger engine. "North America is why the two-liter car exists," engineer Dave Coleman told me. Plus, 155 hp power means you eke out the Miata's dynamics at legal speeds. 45 miles per hour in an MX-5 is a far more exhilarating experience than that same speed in any supercar. So yeah, it's not powerful. But to paraphrase Jay-Z, the MX-5 is a super car, not a supercar.

2020 Mazda CX-30 Review & Buying Guide | The new sporty

Is it a sporty crossover? Is it a tall hatchback? However you want to view it, the new 2020 Mazda CX-30 is a compelling new entry that delivers the sort of engaging driving experience and premium cabin environment you get in the company's 3 hatchback, but with the higher seating position of a crossover. Basically, if that Mazda3 had a child with the bigger CX-5, this is pretty much what you'd get, and we have to say it's a pretty good kid.   In terms of size, the CX-30 fits into a niche of in-betweener SUVs that slots between compact models like the CX-5 (plus the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, etc.) and sub-compact ones like the Mazda CX-3 (plus the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, etc.). If you don't have small children, and the car seats and strollers that come with them, it's a size that should make sense. The price is compelling too, especially when you consider the CX-30's high-end cabin and just how terrific it is to drive. With its tautly tuned chassis, communicative steering and sharp throttle response, the best words to describe it are "budget Porsche." Now, we should note that the Mazda3 is even better to drive and pretty much offers the same cabin space, design and quality. We also think it looks better. Nevertheless, people like sitting up high, and the CX-30 definitely satisfies that requirement. What's new for 2020? The Mazda CX-30 is an all-new model. What's the CX-30's interior and in-car technology like? Like the Mazda3 with which it shares so much, the CX-30's cabin makes you go "wow" considering its price and the vehicles with which it competes. Whatever trim level you're considering, the key to this wow factor is how Mazda's new dash design scheme removes visual clutter by reducing switchgear and effectively hiding air vents and door handles. It's then augmented by standard two- or three-tone color schemes – cars with cloth or leatherette vinyl upholstery are accented with black and blue dash/door trim, while those with leather get black and brown. For a car in the $20,000-$30,000 range, it looks and feels special. It's also of a high quality and quite functional. The steering wheel, which looks sensational, is an absolute treat to hold and has intelligently designed buttons/switches for the infotainment and cruise controls. There's considerable center console space, including a configurable under-armrest bin, and a decently sized forward bin for a smartphone.

Mazda files patent applications for inline-six technology, new transmission

We've known for some time that Mazda is one of the OEMs getting back on the inline-six engine bandwagon, and a report from Japan gives us a glimpse of some of the automaker's plans. Mazda has filed patent applications for both new exhaust components (depicted with an inline-six) and a new eight-speed automatic transmission.  The news comes from a blog called T's Media (fire up Google Translate), which located the new hardware in two separate fillings, one for exhaust system components and one for the new transmission.  Mazda's lineup has been exclusively powered by four-cylinder engines since the demise of the last-generation CX-9, which utilized a 3.7-liter V6 sourced from Ford. Since, Mazda has relied on turbocharging to get more power out of its SkyActiv four-pots, but changes may be coming. Prior reports have indicated that Mazda wants a new, larger engine architecture to power vehicles built on a new, larger platform. This new chassis is expected to accommodate longitudinal, rear-wheel drive powertrains, which could spawn larger crossovers and SUVs. It could also potentially underpin a new rear-wheel drive coupe, if Mazda decides to go that route.  While the inline engine itself is not news, what we're seeing here might actually be hints as to Mazda's approach to the next generation of its SkyActiv engine architecture. Mazda's exhaust patent seems to describe a scalable — perhaps even modular — setup intended to be used with inline and potentially even V-engines.  "Provided is an engine exhaust structure capable of securing exhaust efficiency while reducing the size of the engine by changing the structure of an exhaust port," a translation of the patent application's introduction says. "[T]here has been proposed a technique for collecting exhaust gas discharged from each cylinder inside a cylinder head without using a separate exhaust manifold with the aim of downsizing the engine." In other words, Mazda is looking for ways to make its future engines more compact, and the strategy detailed here is the use of an integrated exhaust manifold, similar to what other automakers (such as Honda and Ford) have utilized on their smaller-displacement turbocharged engines. The sketch above of an inline-six engine with just two exhaust ports illustrates this concept.  The eight-speed transmission, while noteworthy in its own right as Mazda currently relies on aging six-speeds, doesn't seem to offer us anything particularly game-changing.  Related Video: