1993 Mazda Rx-7 Touring Coupe 2-door 1.3l on 2040-cars

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Most reliable cars in America

For many people, the absolute worst thing they could experience with a car is for it to break or have a problem. The good news is there are cars that will ease the anxiety of their owners with infrequent trips to the shop. According to Consumer Reports, using data from its annual survey of subscribers, the following ten vehicles are the most reliable in the country, and are ordered from most to least reliable. Any of these vehicles should be a solid choice if the most important consideration in your car-buying decision is predicted reliability. That said, they aren't all vehicles that Autoblog's editors would recommend as fun to drive. We've provided links to our own driving impressions on these vehicles where possible. Also, if you care more about overall brand reliability than individual nameplates, check out the list of most reliable car brands. 10. Mazda CX-9 This three-row Mazda straddles the line where luxury begins and ends. It’s also pretty fun to drive for a family hauler. The fact that itÂ’s reliable to boot makes this an easy SUV to recommend. 9. Subaru Crosstrek Few vehicles define a segment quite like the Subaru Crosstrek. ItÂ’s a good buy, with class-leading ground clearance, tall seating position and good visibility, a surprisingly spacious cargo area, and multiple driving modes geared toward inclement weather and dirt roads. According to CR, it also sees fewer trips to the shop. 8. Toyota Highlander It wouldnÂ’t be a reliability list without at least one Toyota on it, and indeed the Highlander isnÂ’t the sole Toyota here. We especially like the Hybrid for its excellent fuel economy, but CR didnÂ’t break out its reliability list by powertrain. 7. Honda Insight The Honda Insight is a handsome, comfortable and affordable hybrid sedan. ItÂ’s also quite safe, and, according to CRÂ’s data, reliable. 6. Mazda MX-5 Miata Any Autoblog editor will happily profess their love for this Mazda MX-5 Miata. ItÂ’s an incredibly engaging roadster — at least when equipped with a manual transmission — that behaves a lot like the classic British and Italian roadsters of yesteryear. Thankfully, it doesnÂ’t share its European forebearsÂ’ penchant for breaking. 5. Cadillac XT5 One of the newer nameplates on this list, the Cadillac XT5 is also a hot seller for the American luxury brand. ItÂ’s also CadillacÂ’s most reliable vehicle. 4. Toyota Prius The Prius has been the face of Toyota efficiency for years now.

Mazda Slovakia brochure reveals Skyactiv-X Euro power numbers

After driving a prototype of Mazda's Skyactiv-X engine in a Mazda3 in January last year, we wrote, "If you want to talk numbers, they're understandably fuzzy. The Skyactiv-X tune isn't final yet, so horsepower and torque figures are a moving target." They're no longer fuzzy in Slovakia, where a brochure for the new Mazda3 sells final figures as 181 metric horsepower and 222 Newton-meters, or 178 horsepower and 164 pound-feet. We don't know the Slovakian engine's displacement. If that Skyactiv-X is a 2.0-liter, it compares to our 2.0-liter Skyactive-G in the Mazda3 that makes 155 hp and 150 lb-ft, or the tuned Skyactiv-G in the 2019 Miata that makes 181 hp and 151 lb-ft. According to the spec sheet on the Slovakian Mazda site, their 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G in the CX-3 makes 148 hp and 152 lb-ft, and in their Mazda6 makes 162 hp and 155 lb-ft. According to the brochure, those numbers will rise to 164 hp and 157 lb-ft in the coming Mazda3. The Skyactiv-X numbers are in sight of what reps at Mazda in California gave us for output during our drive, which was closer to 190 hp and 180 lb-ft. Mazda said at the L.A. Auto Show last year that the Skyactiv-X would launch in markets with stricter emissions regulations first, so a small European market with tighter controls doesn't define what we get. Given our less restrictive environment, tuning for more power shouldn't be a moon shot. Doing so would put the Skyactiv-X in with the optional 2.5-liter four-cylinder in the U.S. Mazda3, which makes 184 hp and 185 lb-ft. The real test will be gas mileage; the purpose of the Skyactiv-X is to provide those figures in company with 20 to 30 percent better fuel economy than the Skyactiv-G. Autoweek characterized Mazda CEO Akira Marumoto's comments on the engine as, "The Skyactiv-X variant will be positioned as the higher grade. It will have the driving dynamics of the 2.5-liter gasoline setup but the fuel economy of a 1.5-liter diesel." We have questions about this strategy, but we'll have to see how the pricing works out. Since the 2.5-liter serves as the base engine on the 2019 Mazda3, buyers can expect a meaningful premium to get into a Skyactiv-X. Right now, there's a $1,495 surcharge to go from the current 2.0-liter Mazda3 hatch to the 2.5-liter.

Mazda Miata 'fathers' Hall and Case offer a tour through the roadster's history

The original Mazda Miata broke onto the automotive scene in 1989 and was a huge success. However, the convertible's genesis goes all the way back to the early '80s. Bob Hall and Dean Case were among the inside men of the program on the US side, and they were on hand at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the recent MX-5 event there to tell some of their stories about the project's beginning.
Hall was on the Miata project from very early on, and one of his most fascinating stories is how the convertible got its shape. The droptop wasn't necessarily going to be a rear-wheel drive roadster. There were both front-wheel-drive coupe and mid-engine concepts being considered. In fact, the classic look of the NA generation was the least favorite of the three at the sketch stage.
Hall comes off as a jokester hiding a genius mind. He has a fountain of information in his head about what a Miata should be, but it all comes down to "less is more." However, he admits that it's easy to conceive that idea, but it's much harder to actually execute it well.