91 Mazda Miata on 2040-cars

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2021 Mazda6 gets small price increase and updates, and that Carbon Edition

Mazda's blowing a soft breeze of change over the 2021 Mazda6. We already knew the Japanese automaker has included the sporty sedan in its batch of Carbon Editions, along with the 2021 Mazda CX-5 and Mazda CX-9. The trio feature an exclusive Polymetal Gray exterior hue with blacked-out trim and a black metallic finish for the wheels. while the interior shouts in red leather with black accents. We now know the Carbon Edition is based on the fourth-highest trim, the Grand Touring Reserve, adding just $275 to the price of that trim in standard guise. Pricing for the entire 2021 range and differences to 2020 after the $945 destination charge are: Mazda6 Sport $25,270 ($225) Mazda6 Touring $27,870 ($225) Mazda6 Grand Touring $30,970 ($225) Mazda6 Grand Touring Reserve $33,470 ($225) Mazda6 Carbon Edition $33,745 Mazda6 Signature $36,695 ($350) Two of the three premium paint choices go up in price as well. Snowflake White Pearl Mica will cost $395 instead of $200, Machine Gray Metallic goes from $300 to $495. Soul Red Crystal Metallic holds steady at $595. At the entry-level, the Sport adds Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to its list of standard equipment, meaning the infotainment feature is now standard across the lineup. Everything holds steady until the Mazda6 Grand Touring, which adds a "Turbo" badge at the back for distinction, and wireless Apple CarPlay inside. Mazda didn't say so, but we're guessing wireless Apple CarPlay will be available on trims above the Grand Touring as well. Under the hood, the 2.5-liter turbocharged Skyactiv-G four-cylinder gains 10 pound-feet of torque when filled with 93 octane, producing the same 250 horsepower but an improved 320 lb-ft. On 87 octane, the engine makes 227 hp and 310 lb-ft.  The 2021 Mazda6 misses out on the new infotainment system shared with the Mazda3, CX-30, and CX-5, and the diesel and all-wheel drive options still haven't decided to come out of their hiding places. The sedan is expected on dealer lots later this month or early next. Related Video:    

Here are your 2016 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists [w/polls]

The 2016 Detroit Auto Show will kick off with the announcement of the annual North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards, and the three finalists in each category have just been revealed. Following this announcement, the jury – which includes Autoblog editor-in-chief Mike Austin – will re-evaluate each candidate before casting a final vote for the winner. This year's finalists are: Car of the Year Chevrolet Malibu Honda Civic Mazda MX-5 Miata Truck/Utility of the Year Honda Pilot Nissan Titan XD Volvo XC90 The 23rd annual awards will be announced on the morning of Monday, January 11. For now, we want to know where you stand. Let us know which vehicles you think should win, by voting in the polls below. Chevrolet Honda Mazda Nissan Volvo north american car of the year NACTOY

Mazda CX-9 Luggage Test | How much fits behind the third row?

We recently tested the luggage-carrying capability of one of the most spacious three-row crossovers, the Hyundai Palisade, and now it's time for one of the smallest. The Mazda CX-9 may look terrific and drive even better, but that zest comes at the expense of cargo capacity, as we're about to see. The big culprit is that rakish liftgate, which not only robs the CX-9 of luggage space, but third-row headroom as well. It's pretty dungeon-like back there despite competitive legroom, and there aren't any air vents or USB ports, either. But this is about cargo capacity, so let's see how much luggage will fit inside. According to the specs, the CX-9 has 38.2 cubic-feet with the third-row lowered. That's far less than the Palisade's 45.8 and Honda Pilot's 46.8. It's actually even less than the five-passenger Honda Passport (50.5).  The test car came with a $100 cargo mat, which is velcroed to the seats and folds OK with it, but the carpet also takes up some extra space ... and the CX-9 needs as much as it can get.  To raise the seats, lean inside and pull up/back on those two handles. There is 14.4 cubic-feet of space behind the raised third row. On paper, that is indeed one of the smaller amounts in the segment, but in practice, it seems even smaller.  You can free up space by removing the rigid floor panel. If you need to carry multiple pieces of luggage, it's almost a necessity.  OK, so I have two midsize roller suitcases, both of which would need to be checked. Then there's two larger carry-on roll-aboards and one smaller one. As a bonus, there's my wife's quasi-fancy weekend bag. It was a struggle to fit three of them aboard, and Tetrised together two formations. The first uses all three carry-on bags with the cargo floor removed. And no, the fancy bag won't fit atop the blue one because it'll run into the liftgate window. A smaller tote would definitely fit, however.  This is how I could fit one of the bigger check-in bags. The liftgate just barely closed. Again, you could fit a small tote atop the blue bag, plus some other items in the lower outboard regions.  OK, so how could you fit everything aboard? Lowering half of the 50/50-split third row is a must, obviously. Both big check-in bags then stack atop each other, and then stack the other four atop each other with the cargo floor in place.