Mazda 6 In The Nwi And Chicagoland Area! on 2040-cars

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Farmer moves illegally parked car with tractor

Bad parking in London can get you a ticket or the boot, but bad parking in the West Country is treated in a more direct manner. One motorist learned this fact in early May when a video published by The Daily Mail showing a farmer moving a car with his tractor went viral. Lianne Dunn and Ally Boxall were out for a drive near Marksbury when they came upon a strange sight. Coming at them down the narrow country lane was a tractor with a red Mazda6 perched on its front-end loader attachment. One of the women pulled out her cell phone and filmed the odd scene while the other backed into a convenient driveway to let the tractor past. As the tractor trundled by with its load, they asked the young man guiding the driver what was going on. "They parked in this chap's drive," he said in his broad, West Country burr. "He asked us to move the car, nobody claimed it." When asked where the pair were taking the car, the unnamed farmer replied, "We're going to put it up on the main road. It's the police's problem then." The two women, obviously entertained by the spectacle, exchange a few more words with the young farmer before they finally drive off. "This is the best!" one of the women says as on the video. "Never piss a farmer off!" News Source: The Daily Mail, The Western Gazette Humor Weird Car News Mazda Nissan Driving Diesel Vehicles Sedan parking tractor farmer

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.

2020 Mazda6 starts at $24,920, $200 more than 2019 model year

Mazda increased the price of all five trims of the 2020 Mazda6 by $200. The entry-level Mazda6 Sport starts at $24,000 before $920 destination charge ($965 in Alaska), for a total of $24,920. The only changes for next year are a new key fob likely copying the black and shiny metal unit from the Mazda3, and a new Signature badge likely in the form of the elemental "Sg" pulled from the CX-5 Signature model. The three Premium Paint choices carry over, with the same prices: Snowflake White Pearl Mica for $200, Machine Gray Metallic for $300, and Soul Red Crystal Metallic for $595. Prices of the other four trims run:  Mazda6 Touring $27,580 Mazda6 Grand Touring $30,620 Mazda6 Grand Touring Reserve $33,120 Mazda6 Signature $36,220 We're awaiting word on the arrival of all-wheel drive and the 2.2.-liter turbodiesel fitted to the CX-5. In the CX-5, that engine makes 168 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque. An AWD Mazda6 showed up in paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in January 2018, spy shots of a diesel-powered sedan followed in May that year, and Mazda mentioned the oil-burner again in April this year. For the time being, power for the 2020 Mazda6 will continue to be sent to the front axle through a six-speed automatic — Mazda eliminated the six-speed manual for the 2019 model year. The Sport and Touring trims come with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 187 hp and 186 lb-ft. The Grand Touring, Grand Touring Reserve and Signature raise that to a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 227 hp on 87 octane gas, or 250 hp on 93 octane, and 310 lb-ft.