2000 Mazda Mpv Es Standard Passenger Van 3-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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2014 Mazda6 gets up to 38 mpg, priced from $20,880*

The 2014 Mazda6 starts at $20,880 - *excluding a $795 destination fee - and will offer buyers up to 37 mpg highway in base form. That money will fetch buyers a 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired to a six-speed manual - a setup packing 184 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque. The Skyactiv powertrain is good, Mazda says, for 25 miles per gallon in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. Stepping up to the six-speed automatic gearbox will yield an additional 1 mpg in city and highway driving for up to 38 mpg highway. Despite offering more equipment, the base 2014 model carries a modest $155 price increase over its 2013 predecessor.
Available trims include i Sport starting at $22,495 and i Touring at $24,495 (*both excluding destination charges). The latter swaps the standard car's 17-inch wheels for 19-inch rollers and includes dual-zone automatic climate control and leatherette sport seats among other niceties. Buyers can snap up a tech package that includes TomTom navigation and an 11-speaker Bose Centerpoint sound system for $2,000. Keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers and the company's Smart City Brake Support are all part of that kit as well. Check out the full press release below for more information, and look for more details on the diesel-powered 2014 Mazda6 as we get closer to that vehicle's launch.

The Miata is always the answer, but which one is the answer for you?

If you follow along with our long-term vehicles, you know that we had a 2016 Miata Club in the fleet. It's a Miata that had every sporty bit available installed, but there are other ways to spec out an MX-5. Just recently, we had the chance to sample the other end of the MX-5 spectrum, the Miata RF Grand Touring. While they're cut from the same sheetmetal, they're surprisingly different cars. So we thought we'd put together a little guide to help you figure out what bodystyle and trim level of Miata is right for you. How do you like the wind in your hair? If you're someone who loves soaking up the sun and having the wind blow through your hair, or lack thereof, there's no replacement for the soft-top Miata. The manual folding mechanism will get you out into the fresh air faster than virtually any other convertible, and it will go back up just as easily when the rain comes. Raising and lowering it is quick and easy, and can be done with one hand from the driver's seat. And with the top down, you'll be greeted by breeze from virtually every direction, and an airy, unencumbered feeling that only comes with a full convertible. However, if you prefer to keep your hair in place and just get some sun, the RF is the better choice. The retractable targa top still descends and reemerges quickly, taking just 13 seconds either way. Keeping the windows up with the targa stowed will allow in plenty of sun, but will keep wind to a minimum. But when the windows drop, you'll still get a healthy dose of airflow. It still doesn't feel as open as the soft top, though, since you'll be able to catch the fastback pillar out of the corner of your eye. But if you value protection over airflow, that won't be an issue. View 11 Photos Does your Miata need to be a daily driver and occasional road tripper? While many Miatas will be weekend toys, one of the appealing things about them is that they're reliable enough and have just enough cargo space that they can serve as an everyday vehicle. For people who want to use a Miata as a daily commuter, and even take it on road trips, we would recommend an RF with the Grand Touring trim, as seen above. Although it still isn't a quiet car in the grand scheme of things, the RF's solid top makes it more livable for highway stints both short and long. The Grand Touring trim comes recommended for these purposes for a couple of reasons. Foremost is the more forgiving suspension shared between it and the base-level Sport.

Watch what happens inside a rotary engine

Since it looks like Mazda may very well revive the Wankel rotary engine as a range extender for electric cars, there's no better time to become reacquainted with the quirky internal-combustion engine. And there's hardly a better way to become reacquainted than by peering into a running rotary engine, which you can do with the video above. The video comes to us from the YouTube channel Warped Perception. The channel has already shown what happens inside a conventional internal-combustion piston engine by putting a clear cylinder head on top of a flathead engine. This new video shows off the rotary engine by adding a clear side to a tiny model-airplane engine, something that we weren't aware existed and are glad to know about now. Despite the tiny size, the engine is functionally almost exactly like the bigger versions you'll find in Mazdas from about 1967 to 2012. It has intake and exhaust ports on the edges of the rotor housing, and the triangular rotor swings about in a peanut-shaped housing. For maximum effect, jump to right around the 7:40 timestamp. This is the point at which a bit of acetylene is added to the air-fuel mix for a brighter flame. It's at this point that you can really see when the mixture combusts and how the pressure of the flame pushes the rotor to produce rotational motion. Each stage of the video does slow things down to make everything as clear as possible. Even if you already knew how rotary engines worked, it's still fascinating to watch, first because it's something you don't get to see usually, and also because of the engine's elegant simplicity. Related Video: Image Credit: YouTube / Warped Perception Weird Car News Mazda Technology Videos rotary rotary engine