S Grand Tour Suv 2.3l Nav Cd 9 Speakers Am/fm In-dash 6-cd Changer Low Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2018 L.A. Auto Show: 5-plus takeaways on Jeep, Honda, Porsche and more

The 2018 L.A. Auto Show is making a strong case that auto shows aren't dead. Carmakers are ladling out sports cars and SUVs featuring serious style and performance in Los Angeles, and it's a feast for the senses. We're talking the new Porsche 911, the long-awaited Jeep Gladiator and the stylish Mazda3. It's the best car show with the most important reveals since the 2018 Detroit Auto Show kicked off the year. Here are some quick reactions: The 2019 Jeep Gladiator is a rock star When the story went live on Autoblog, our traffic went straight up. I've literally never seen the graph go straight up. So yeah, you guys seem to like it. I do, too. It's everything I want in a vehicle, including enough of a retro feel that it satisfies my cravings for an old Cherokee XJ. It's more capable and likely more expensive than I originally anticipated, but Jeep is going to have to expand its Toledo factory to keep up with demand. Don't be fooled by whatever the politicians say when that happens. It's because people like Jeeps and pickups, and this is the hero sandwich of all of that. I'd likely go with the 3.6-liter and a manual transmission if I were buying a Gladiator, but the diesel is compelling, too. Gladiator is a great name, drenched in history. I like it better than Scrambler, which never felt right to me. Only issue: It's a little over-the-top. Imagine this conversation: "So, ready to go to Panera?" "Sure, let's take the Gladiator." I mean, it's a bit much to refer to your personal vehicle as the Gladiator. Unless Russell Crowe is driving it. Then it's fine. The 2020 Porsche 911 is conservatively brilliant Every time I drive a 718 Cayman, Jaguar F-Type or another 911 challenger, I wonder if the 911 may be over the hill. It's not. And it likely never will be. This latest generation, dubbed 992 in Porsche-speak, stayed the course. The back takes some Mission E stylings that give the 911 a more modern feel. The flat six gets a little more power. The digital-heavy interior looks futuristic and slick. But overall, it's a blocking-and-tackling update that should satisfy the purists and maybe draw in a few new Porsche fans. It's the right time for the 2019 Honda Passport This slots between the Honda CR-V and the Honda Pilot. That's serious segmentation, but it's another crossover, and it's undoubtedly what the people want.

2017 Mazda Model Year Preview and Updates

Driving Matters, Mazda's marketing pitch, certainly resonates with enthusiasts, although may not be relevant with the increasing number of drivers engaged in texting while steering. Regardless of that disconnect, for drivers Mazda brings to market the long-awaited Miata coupe in Retractable Fastback (RF) form, pictured above. And for those wanting/needing a new crossover, Mazda redesigns its well-received CX-5. MAZDA3: Mazda's compact sedan and hatch receive a revised front end and tweaked rear. Inside, an upgraded interior with more storage space, improved sound proofing and materials round out the enhancements. On the road, all trim levels receive Mazda's G-Vectoring Control for enhanced handling and stability. MAZDA6: G-Vectoring Control is standard across all trims. Inside, improved sound insulation, new tech (including traffic sign recognition), and available Nappa leather takes an already upscale environment a few steps further into near-luxury. MAZDA MX-5 MIATA: The RF (Retractable Fastback) is the biggest news, as it serves as the answer to the long-awaited Miata coupe. Club models receive Blind Spot Monitoring and Cross-Traffic Alert – presumably helpful when the top is up. And the RF Launch Edition (1,000 examples) delivers a Nappa leather interior and hand-painted black top. The package is further embellished by Mazda's choice of Machine Gray metallic exterior color. MAZDA CX-3: Mazda's subcompact crossover receives minor updates. The Touring trim gets 18-inch alloy wheels, while the upmarket Grand Touring's available i-ACTIVSENSE is reduced in price. MAZDA CX-5: Mazda's compact crossover is all-new and on Mazda showrooms this spring as a 2017 model. Of particular interest to diesel fans is the introduction later in the year of Mazda's SKYACTIV-D 2.2 clean diesel, which arrives just in time for your Volkswagen buyback. MAZDA CX-9: Mazda's largest crossover is unchanged for 2017.

Mazda RX-3 restomod makes Leno scream, us cheer

The Mazda RX-3 Savanna was the rotary-engined version of the Mazda 808 Grand Familia. Sold in the US from 1971 to 1978, the little Japanese fastback earned a reputation as an excellent racecar, winning events all over the world. A racing connection is how a fantastic 1973 restomod example owned by Savant Young made its way to Jay Leno's Garage. Young said that when he was a boy his uncle used to street race an RX-3, and Young liked how the RX-3 sounded and the fact that a tiny import could go up against and beat big V8s of the time. Leno admitted that he has no connection to the RX-3, saying it's not the kind of car he typically likes. But he liked Young's custom update so much that when he saw the coupe sitting outside the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, he waited for the owner to show up. Young's changes over the 15 years he's owned the car include dropping in the rotary engine and running gear from the second-generation Mazda RX-7, bridge-ported and methane injected. At 15 pounds of boost he says it's putting out about 400 horsepower. The rear end comes from a Toyota Hilux half-ton pickup, to help put all that power down in a car that weighs maybe 2,100 pounds. The color is taken from the Lamborghini palette. Disc brakes all around, 14-inchers up front, control the velocity. Nothing controls the gas mileage, said to be "maybe 12 mpg." And nothing could stop Leno from whooping it up during the driver. Check out the fun in the video above.