1995 Mazda Mx-5 Miata With Hardtop on 2040-cars

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10 most memorable cars and SUVs of 2019

It's no surprise that a car reviewer will drive a large number of cars over the course of a year. Indeed, when the clock strikes midnight on Dec 31, I will have driven 75 new cars, trucks and SUV this year (and one old Peugeot) over the course of weekly evaluation loans and first drive events. That sure seems like a lot. Some definitely got more attention than others, and some came and went without leaving much of an impression – I completely forgot I drove a Kia Forte. Yet in the spirit of this day, I thought I'd pick the 10 that I would love to see under the Christmas tree tomorrow morning. You know, just in case you were looking to get me something. I'll also throw in a couple disappointments that were memorable for the wrong reasons. They'd get sent back to the store on Boxing Day. Lexus LC 500 Pictured below and resplendent in its Flare Yellow metallic paint, the car that would reach highest on my list is the divine Lexus LC 500. As a devout lover of GT cars, the LC ticks all the boxes. Muscular and characterful engine? V8, check. Beautifully made and memorable interior? It's gorgeous, to hell with Remote Touch. Check. Comfortable and reasonably practical? Superb seats and, uh, yeah. Makes me want to stand there and stare at it? You bet. Though I long figured my heart would say LC but my head "Porsche 911," after this go-around, that's no longer the case. LC, pretty please. 2020-lexus-lc500-f34-2 View 19 Photos Polestar 1 I actually feel lucky that I got to drive the Polestar 1. Only 150 will be produced each year, and it's a far more special thing than it would initially appear. And that's despite initially appearing to be a beautiful, classic two-door GT car with a roof so rakish it's only possible because it's made of carbon fiber. That itÂ’s a massively powerful plug-in hybrid with more all-electric range than any other PHEV is a thick dollop of whipped cream on a slice of Toscakaka. You know, Swedish dessert, Swedish car. Fine, I'll stick to Ikea references.  Polestar1_Launch_SanFrancisco-0014 View 44 Photos Volvo V60 Cross Country Speaking of Sweden, did I drive this car off the road there? Sure did! And despite this, the V60 Cross Country scratches that certain wagon itch and looks sensational to boot. I wish it were available with the T8 plug-in hybrid powertrain, but it's best not to get greedy at Christmas.

2018 Mazda CX-5 Buying Guide | Specs, safety, expert reviews, and more

Crossovers are all the rage these days, and spunky Mazda devotes half of its six-vehicle portfolio to the segment. The compact CX-5 slots right in the middle of its crossover lineup, size-wise, and outsells all other Mazda vehicles by a country mile, with sales continuing to climb so far in 2018. The CX-5 was the first car to feature Mazda's KODO design language, which has given its vehicles a more premium appearance and made the CX-5 longer-looking and more taut. Now in its second generation, Mazda offers the CX-5 in Sport, Touring and Grand Touring trims, with the option of front- or all-wheel drive configurations. This Autoblog buyer's guide is aimed at helping you to make an educated decision about whether to buy the 2018 Mazda CX-5. We'll summarize safety and reliability ratings, engine specs and horsepower, fuel economy ratings and pricing. We'll also touch on what Autoblog's professional reviewer thinks of the crossover. Is the 2018 Mazda CX-5 safe? Based on its crash tests, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gives the 2018 CX-5 a four-star overall rating. It awards five stars for frontal- and side-crash protection, and four of five stars for rollover crashes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety further vouches for the 2018 Mazda CX-5, giving the crossover its coveted Top Safety Pick + award — at the time of this writing, the only compact crossover to get this rating, thanks to available adaptive headlights. It also has good ratings for all of its crash-test metrics and headlights, a superior rating for front-crash avoidance, with optional equipment, and an acceptable rating for the ease of use of the child-seat LATCH anchors. We encourage you to visit the NHTSA and IIHS websites to review ratings on the specific vehicle you're researching. Is the 2018 Mazda CX-5 reliable? J.D. Power gives the 2018 Mazda CX-5 an overall score of 75 out of 100, considered average. On its 10-point scale, it rates the vehicle an 8 on overall quality, which is in the average range, and 9 — considered among the best — for overall performance. It rates an 8 for overall depreciation. As is customary, we note that Autoblog has raised concerns about the way J.D. Power weights serious and less-serious reliability issues. You can read more about that here. According to NHTSA, there has been one recall involving 682 models of the 2018 CX-5 because the side curtain airbags may not properly deploy following a side-impact or rollover crash.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2.0L First Drive [w/video]

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is easy to comprehend. It is an enthusiast roadster in its purest form. There's no need for any sort of sales pitch. You don't have to ramp up in order to get people excited about it. Say the words "new Miata" to anyone who cares about cars, and you've immediately got their attention. And now that I have yours, I'll to cut right to the chase. It's brilliant. That's a fact I've known for a while. I drove the Japanese-spec ND Miata in Spain earlier this year, with the 130-horsepower, 1.5-liter engine that we aren't getting in the United States. The new Miata is a modern day reincarnation of the original NA that stole our hearts in 1989. It's smaller and lighter than the outgoing NC, yet boasts more interior room. It's comfortable. It looks great. And it drives like a Miata should. In other words, it's perfect. So what about this US-spec car, then? It's got more power – 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque from Mazda's 2.0-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder engine. But it's also heavier. Our car weighs 2,332 pounds, compared to the roughly 2,200 pounds of the 1.5-liter car. Yes, the ND Miata loses 12 hp compared to the outgoing NC, but it's up 8 lb-ft of torque. Plus, according to Mazda, because of the improved powerband, anytime you're under 5,700 rpm the new Skyactiv engine is stronger than the old MZR mill. It's more efficient, too. With the manual transmission, the Miata is estimated to achieve 27 miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg highway. That a jump of six mpg in both categories compared to the old six-speed. Consider this: The Japanese-spec car uses a 130-hp engine, which I found to be perfectly adequate. The increase in power for the US-spec car mostly just balances out the extra weight, but it also improves performance on the highway. Hit the throttle in sixth gear with the 1.5 and nothing happens. Do the same with the 2.0, and there's movement. Low-end power is far more important in the US than it is in other markets, and that's why our car has the larger engine. "North America is why the two-liter car exists," engineer Dave Coleman told me. Plus, 155 hp power means you eke out the Miata's dynamics at legal speeds. 45 miles per hour in an MX-5 is a far more exhilarating experience than that same speed in any supercar. So yeah, it's not powerful. But to paraphrase Jay-Z, the MX-5 is a super car, not a supercar.