2007 Gray Grand Touring! on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1985 Mazda 626 Sedan

Mazda began selling cars in the United States all the way back in the late 1960s, with the Cosmo Sport 110S, and many interesting(ly strange) Wankel-powered machines followed, but they eventually gave way to much more conventional piston-powered cars such as the the original 626 that the ex-cork-making company from Hiroshima offered here starting in 1979. That car didn't sell so well, though it looked good and boasted build quality as good as the better-known Japanese brands. Starting with the 1983 model year, a new 626 with front-wheel-drive appeared here, with production continuing through 1987. That car did a better job at luring buyers away from Nissan and Toyota showrooms, but examples are nearly nonexistent today. Here's one of those cars, found in a Colorado yard overseen by Pikes Peak. Just as the GLC became the 323, which became the Mazda3 (after first dabbling with the Protege name), the 626 eventually became the Mazda6 (with coupes badged as MX-6s or Ford Probes for a while in the late 1980s through middle 1990s). The last year for the 626 name here was 2002. This one made it well past the 200,000-mile mark, which was serious stuff for a mid-1980s car (yes, I've found some Toyotas of the same era that doubled that figure and a couple of Mercedes-Benzes that tripled it). The 2.0-liter straight-four in the 1985 626 made 84 horsepower. Not great, but good enough for a 2,500-pound car in that period. Once BMW started adding the "i" to the designation of fuel-injected cars during the late 1970s, everybody else jumped on board the moment they ditched the carburetor. The 626 and subsequent Mazda6 held onto the manual transmission all the way until the 2018 model year, though finding a 6 from the last decade with three pedals in North America is an unusual happenstance. This car even has the optional air conditioning, something that was still considered a rich-people-only luxury by a large swathe of the American car-buying public in 1985. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Do you think the only way to get into a serious road car is to empty your bank account and buy something from the Black Forest? Not so, according to James Garner! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In its homeland, this car was pitched as highly opulent. This content is hosted by a third party.

Mazda delays US launch of Skyactiv-D engine

Japanese automakers haven't lead the charge towards diesel power in the same way as, say, the Germans have. But Mazda is out to change that. It has been following Audi's lead on the racetrack with oil-burning racecars right here in America, and will soon translate that excitement to the road by introducing its Skyactiv-D engine in North America. It just won't happen as soon as we expected.
Mazda announced today that, while its diesel engine meets current emissions requirements, the company has decided once again to push back an introduction originally slated to kick off in the Spring. According to the brief statement below, Mazda wants to take more time to find "the right balance between fuel economy and Mazda-appropriate driving performance."
In other words, the Zoom-Zoom brand apparently thinks its diesel engine doesn't deliver the zoom-zoom American drivers would expect, so we'll have to wait just a little bit longer. Details to follow closer to launch, whenever that will ultimately take place.

Miata is always the answer, but not always the best one

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a surprisingly versatile car. Not only is it hilariously fun on back roads and closed courses, it can also be a decent daily driver thanks to its solid gas mileage and usable trunk. But, it doesn't excel in every driving situation. Specifically long trips at high speeds, and those involving canine companions. This weekend, I did a roughly 500-mile round trip to my parents' home in Indiana to pick up my recently adopted dog. The trip was 90-percent highways, and I heard every single mile. Our MX-5 Miata Club has the minimally insulated top also found on the base level trim, and at highway speeds the wind and road noise fills the cabin with a loud, steady roar. This likely won't be a problem for fans of white noise, and it can be overcome by the stereo. However, over a few hundred miles, it starts to get old. The suspension, while superb for carving corners, also gets tiresome. On rough Rust Belt highways, it would become a bit overwhelmed, and the whole car would shiver and shake. On the plus side, nothing squeaked, rattled, or fell off in these instances. There are a few other quirks that show up on long trips. The small pedal box and floor-mounted throttle means that there isn't a particularly comfortable place to rest your right foot when the cruise control is set. Neither the door nor the center console have much padding either, so leaning your knees against them for long periods of time isn't advisable. The good news is that the seat itself was surprisingly comfortable, and never once was I feeling any back pain. Plus, when not using the cruise control, the seating position is great, allowing me to stretch out and relax. When I picked up my four-legged compatriot (a 7-year-old mix of unknown breeds named Ruby, pictured above), things became a tad tight. Standing up, she thoroughly filled the passenger compartment. For reference, she's a little over 50 pounds and stands a little more than 2 feet tall. Much bigger dogs, like my family's coonhound and German shepherd mix, won't really fit. This also made her prone to nearly face-planting on the dashboard anytime the car slowed down. She eventually figured out that simply curling up on the seat bottom was the best choice, and then slept for most of the trip. So it worked out, but I think I may have found the limit of a Miata's dog capacity. Would any of this make me want a Miata less? Certainly not. That is if I had a second car.