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The Mazda MX-5 Miata and saving a marriage

I've had the privilege of knowing Zach Bowman – former Autoblog scribe, now penning great things over at Road & Track – for nearly a decade. We met at the Detroit Auto Show when we were both relatively new to the business, and joked about how someday, we'd work together and eventually conquer the world as big shots in the industry (we're still figuring that last part out, by the way). Thus, I was thrilled when Zach joined Autoblog in 2010, just a couple of months after I was hired, and was equally saddened when I learned he'd be leaving us. Zach is someone I'm proud to call a colleague – nay, a friend – and I've enjoyed the voice he's brought to this line of work. I tell you this on a personal level because Zach has just published what you could arguably consider his most heartfelt piece of automotive work to date. It's a charming, emotional story about his relationship with his wife, and how they, like so many young couples, learned to make marriage work through the many ups and downs found in any solid relationship. I call this "automotive work" because Zach intertwines this tale into a story about driving his 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata across the country, his wife by his side, learning about love and life from the cockpit of a two-seat roadster. I can honestly say it's one of the best things I've read in a long while. Rather than continue to wax poetic about Zach's latest piece, I'll let his own words speak for themselves. Head over to Road & Track to read the full piece.

2018 Mazda6 gets more power, efficiency to go with updated looks

The 2018 Mazda Mazda6 will debut at the L.A. Auto Show later this month, and the company released teaser images of the exterior and interior Wednesday – both of which tell us a lot about the new car. Mazda also said the sedan will have more efficient and more powerful engines. Starting with the visuals, the car doesn't look extraordinarily different from the current model, but there are notable changes. Up front, the Mazda6 now has a deeper-set grille with a 3D mesh instead of slats. The chrome strip that wraps around the lower part of the grille extends across the width of the headlights, too. Both of these cues are pulled from the Mazda CX-5. From what we can tell in the image, it looks like most of the sheetmetal along the sides and top are roughly the same as the current model. The interior also isn't a major departure from the current car, but the changes do make it cleaner and more elegant. All of the air vents sit along one slender plane that stretches across the interior. It leaves the top of the dash uncluttered and makes the vents look like a more integrated part of the design. Below the vent strip is another line of what appears to be vinyl or leather trim, and below that are the climate controls. The updated looks are accompanied by significant mechanical upgrades. While the current model offers just one engine, a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder, the new car will have two options. The first is again a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine, but it now has cylinder deactivation, allowing it to run on just two cylinders at times. For those who prefer power to efficiency, the Mazda6 will also be available with the turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder from the CX-9 crossover. In that application, it makes 250 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The full reveal of the car happens on November 29 at the L.A. Auto Show. Be sure to check back then for more photos of and details about the car. Related Video: Image Credit: Mazda LA Auto Show Mazda Sedan

Mazda Miata livery design contest in Forza Horizon 2

If you're into video games, creativity, the Mazda MX-5 Miata and South by Southwest, then there's a contest in Forza Horizon 2 you'll want to know about. Called the Livery Design Contest, your job is to head to Xbox Live sometime before midnight on January 4, 2015 and design a paint job for the 1994 Miata in the game. A panel of judges will evaluate designs for originality, aesthetic design and technical proficiency, and settle on up to five semifinalists who will regroup in the next round, which is public voting. Come January 26, the public can begin voting on its favorite design until February 12, to narrow the semifinal pool down to two. Those two will be flown to South by Southwest in Austin, TX – which happens from March 13-22 – and one of them will be crowned the winner. Said winner will lumber away from the event with $3,500 worth of prizes, including a 55-inch curved-screen television, and their livery will be free to all of the minions playing Forza Horizon 2. There's also a Mazda hub on Xbox Live for everyone to take an in-depth look at the 2016 Miata, if you just like to watch, in which case you may also want to see the related videos joining the press release below. MAZDA TEAMS UP WITH XBOX TO LAUNCH 2016 MX-5 - Mazda MX-5 Livery Design Contest Now Live in Forza Horizon 2 - - Branded hub allows Xbox users to virtually tour 2016 MX-5 and enter MX-5 design contest - Winning design to be featured in Forza Horizon 2 and gifted to all players IRVINE, Calif. (December 4, 2014) – For the second consecutive year, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is teaming up with Xbox, this time to promote the launch of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 and give Forza Horizon 2 players the chance to enter the Mazda MX-5 Livery Design Contest. An interactive experience with the 2016 Mazda MX-5 and information on the design contest will be available through the Mazda branded hub on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The Mazda MX-5 Livery Design Contest, which is now live through January 4, 2015, will give Forza Horizon 2 players the opportunity to design the livery for the 1994 Mazda MX-5 currently available in-game. Two finalists will be awarded a trip in March to South by Southwest 2015 for the final design showdown. The winner will walk away with a new 55-inch curved TV, audio music system, Xbox One Kinect console and one MadCatz Racing Wheel estimated at $3,499.95.