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2020 Mazda CX-9 gets more torque and second-row captain's chairs

The 2020 Mazda CX-9 is here, and it’s even more enticing than the 2019 model year SUV. ItÂ’s not a full redesign, but Mazda shook up the features list to make it more competitive with other three-row crossovers. Most notable (arguably) of all changes comes from a small increase in torque — the 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gets bumped from 310 pound-feet of torque to 320 pound-feet. Horsepower remains the same at 250 horses. Those figures are only applicable when using 93 octane fuel. They go down to 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque when on 87. Another new feature is an off-road traction assist button, replacing the traction control button. This new feature is meant to help when navigating rougher terrain. HereÂ’s how Mazda describes its function: “When the diagonal wheels lose traction, off-road traction assist will stop reducing the engine torque and increases the brake force on the wheels without traction. This transfers power to the wheels still on the ground to help allow the vehicle to regain traction and continue the drive.” WeÂ’ll be interested to see how this helps the CX-9 on a snowy Michigan winter day soon. The number of standard features on the base Sport trim is up, too. Now all CX-9s get heated front seats, a power driverÂ’s seat, rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated outside mirrors and auto high-beams. Additionally, Mazda made its full suite of i-Activsense safety features standard. This includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and other driver assistance niceties. Mazda is also adopting the new key fob design of the Mazda3 for the CX-9. Optional on the Touring and Grand Touring are second-row captainÂ’s chairs. Previously, Mazda only offered bench style seating for the CX-9, so this addition could be a huge turn-on for some folks in this segment. The chairs have armrests, and the lack of a center pull-down means Mazda had to redesign its cupholder layout in back. In CX-9s equipped with the chairs, the cup holders and USB ports are now integrated into the backside of the front center console. If you opt for the captainÂ’s chairs in the Grand Touring or Signature trims, the seats are heated.  Pricing does increase a fair amount for the 2020 CX-9. A base front-wheel drive Sport is now priced at $34,835 including destination, a $1,510 increase from last yearÂ’s base price. The top of the range only got $750 more expensive, though, as the Signature starts at $47,160.

Yes, the Mazda BT-50 pickup is real. No, you can't get one.

Mazda exited America's pickup segment when it deep-sixed the Ford Ranger-based B-Series after the 2009 model year, but it remains committed to the body style overseas. The third-generation BT-50 introduced online wears an unusually stylish design for a global truck, while its interior looks and feels more car-like than before. The BT-50 is based on the Isuzu D-Max, but the familiar shield-shaped grille hides the common DNA well. Horizontal slats and a thick chrome frame create a visual link between the pickup and members of Mazda's line of sedans and crossovers, while stylists gave the rear end more utilitarian-looking lines characterized by vertical lights. The variant depicted in Mazda's images is an upmarket trim built for users who need a rugged daily driver, and more basic versions that feel at home on a construction site will ship will inevitably look a lot cheaper. It measures 208 inches long, 74 inches wide, and 70 inches tall when buyers select the double-cab model and order four-wheel drive. These figures give it a footprint almost identical to the four-door Ranger's. Inside, the BT-50 shares some parts with the D-Max, including its 9.0-inch touchscreen and its HVAC controls. Motorists in global markets are increasingly using pickups as daily drivers, so Mazda chased this trend by adding more technology and safety features to the BT-50. Those willing to climb the trim hierarchy are rewarded with conveniences like an eight-speaker stereo, digital gauges, automatic headlights, parking sensors on both ends, and dual-zone climate control, among other features. Mazda wants to peg its truck a little bit higher than Isuzu's. The only engine detailed by the firm is a 3.0-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel built by Isuzu and tuned to deliver 190 horsepower at 3,600 rpm and 332 pound-feet of torque from 1,600 to 2,600 rpm. Rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission come standard, and motorists can pay extra for four-wheel drive, a six-speed automatic, or both. It's reasonable to assume a smaller, entry-level turbodiesel will join the range later on. With the 3.0-liter, the BT-50 can haul 2,347 pounds, and its towing capacity checks in at 7,716 pounds. That's more than enough to tow an enclosed trailer, your stripped-out Miata, an extra set of slicks, and a boxful of tools. Making your dreams of Mazda-Mazda towing come true will require moving far overseas, because the Japanese company isn't planning on returning to America's pickup segment.

Sweating the small stuff | 2017 Mazda CX-5 First Drive

The 2017 Mazda CX-5's door handles got their own design study. They got their own graphs, maths, and a team of people scientifically analyzing how humans interact with them. There was a whole to-do. And yet, you look at them back-to-back with their predecessors, a Spockian eyebrow reaching to the stars, and wonder what all the fuss was about. But apparently they're better. They're also perfectly illustrative of the entire effort to re-engineer and improve Mazda's best-selling model. At first, the 2017 Mazda CX-5 seems like a sensible evolution of its well-loved predecessor – there's sexier styling, a more premium cabin, and additional features, but the dimensions and engine specs look awfully similar. It certainly looks like one of those "the old car's great, let's not overthink the new one" redesigns. Except it isn't. Dig deeper and you'll see just how much meticulous work – from the door handles to the throttle response – went into making the new CX-5 a crossover that thoroughly trounces the majority of its competition. Take the efforts to make it quieter. According to Mazda's internal measurements, the sound-quelling improvements made for the CX-5's 2016 refresh already made it one of the quietest compact SUVs on the market. That apparently wasn't good enough. To what seems like an absurd degree, Mazda's engineers obsessively examined every nook, cranny, corner, and crevice to sniff out noise and eliminate it. Gaps were filled, insulation was injected, seals were added, air was redirected, glass was double glazed, and carpet replaced plastic coverings. It would seem that the Society of Persnickety Engineers is well represented at Mazda HQ. "I'm not sure how they found some of these," said Mazda vehicle development engineer Dave Coleman with a shake of his head, almost amused by the obsession and dedication of his colleagues across the proverbial hall in the sound-deadening department. (He goes over many of their enhancements in the video below.) And it worked. The new CX-5 is indeed incredibly quiet, even on San Diego's notoriously loud corrugated concrete freeways. It is quiet for a Mazda – a brand previously known for the exact opposite – and the entire segment. Even the fairly quiet 2017 Honda CR-V we drove on the same freeways on the way to San Diego couldn't match it. Actually, much of the driving experience can't be matched by a competitor.