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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.

Mazda6 diesel may finally launch this year according to CARB certification

For close to a decade, Mazda said it would bring its latest generation of diesel engine, Skyactiv-D, to the United States. And for most of that time, it said that engine would appear in the Mazda6. Last year Mazda finally brought us the engine in the CX-5, and it looks like this year, the 6 will finally get it, too. This seems to be the case based on a CARB certification posted on January 31 specifically for the midsize family sedan. The CX-5, in both front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive variants, is listed in a different certification, so it's not a case of a blanket certification for every vehicle the engine could appear in this year. As expected, the document lists the 6 as having a 2.2-liter turbocharged engine with a six-speed automatic, though it doesn't say whether the model is front-wheel-drive or all-wheel. Either is certainly possible, since all-wheel drive, in particular with the diesel, is available in overseas Mazda6s. Like in the CX-5, the engine will probably make 168 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque. While this certification tells us the diesel 6 will probably launch this year as a 2021 model, we're left to estimate the reveal date. Midway through the year, or possibly at the start of the next auto show cycle would seem likely, which would coincide with a model year update. Mazda has stated it will only be offered on the top-tier Signature trim, which starts at $36,345 with the standard turbocharged gasoline 4-cylinder. Looking at the price difference between a turbocharged Mazda CX-5 Signature with all-wheel-drive and the diesel CX-5, the price difference is about $4,000, so it would seem reasonable to expect the Mazda6 diesel to ring in at about $40,000. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lexus tops Consumer Reports reliability rankings, unseating Mazda

Lexus is back on top of Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings. Toyota Motor Corp's luxury division dethrones last year's winner, upstart Mazda, to second place, while the Toyota brand itself rounds out the podium in third place. In general, while Asian brands topped the list, Europeans ranked second, and domestics brought up the rear.  Lexus' high marks stem from the Land Cruiser Prado-based GX SUV, which got a perfect score of 100. Mazda's second place finish was the result of strong showings by the Miata, CX-9, CX-5, and CX-30, but dragged down by the Mazda 3's mid-pack score. Likewise, nearly all of Toyota's lineup, from Prius to Avalon, all had very high marks, but the RAV4 and Corolla Hatchback brought down the class average. Like last year, the only American brand to break into the top ten was Buick, which ranked 5th thanks to good scores for the Envision and Encore (though the Enclave ranked sub-par). Eight of the top 10 brands were Japanese, with Infiniti in 4th, and Honda, Subaru, Acura and Nissan following Buick in that order. Mini, in 10th place, was the only European brand in the top 10. The bottom spots went to Jeep, Tesla, and once again Lincoln in dead last. While all Lincolns received poor scores, the Aviator was notable for getting only 3 points out of 100. Similarly, last year's lowest-scoring vehicle was the Ford Explorer, with which the Aviator shares a platform. It wasn't all gloom from the domestics, however. The Chevrolet Trailblazer tied the Lexus GX with a perfect score, but overall Chevy brand ranked 14th, pulled down by the Corvette, Silverado 1500 and Tahoe. The Tahoe tied with the GMC Yukon with the lowest scores this year, just 2 points each. Both the Silverado 2500HD and the nearly identical GMC Sierra 2500HD were among to top scoring American vehicles, along with the Ford Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach E, Ranger and Chrysler 300. Consumer Reports also points out that the oft-said line that electric vehicles are less prone to problems due to fewer moving parts isn't necessarily true. The Audi E-Tron and Tesla Model X each got a score of 5, the lowest of their respective brands, due to more and more technology being crammed into these higher-priced EVs. For a complete list of rankings by company and of individual models, check out the full study at Consumer Reports. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.