Sport 1.5l Cd Front Wheel Drive Power Steering Front Disc/rear Drum Brakes A/c on 2040-cars

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2014 Mazda6 Skyactiv-D Wagon

This was sort of a quirky surprise drive opportunity. I've been over here in Italy for a while now, and Mazda Italia contacted me seemingly out of the blue to drive test some version of the Mazda6 with a diesel engine. Supremo. The Mazda6 is a sexy everyday beast and I have been digging their SkyActiv-D engines for a while now. Very spirited units.
My contact phones me the day of, and says he can come by with the car, and then we'll head off to some sort of special spot for dynamics testing and technical conversation. Nice deal, say I.
My guy Ernesto pulls up outside of the house and - lo and behold - it's a dang Mazda6 station wagon with the very most recent 2.2-liter SkyActiv-D motor good for 148 horsepower and healthy 280 pound-feet of torque. The wee four-banger with 14.0:1 compression ratio hauls this 3,260-pound wagon around with the best of them. A decent 0-to-60-mph time of 8.7 seconds, too.

2014 Mazda3

The Cure For The Common Corolla
I hate the Toyota Corolla. I'm not talking about the new 2014 model; I can't yet judge a car I haven't driven. I'm referring to the current, old-as-dirt sedan. As an appliance, I get why people buy it, but it represents everything that I, as a car enthusiast, dislike. I don't like looking at it, I don't like sitting in it, and I really don't like driving it. There is absolutely no amount of emotion dialed into any part of the Corolla experience and every other vehicle in the segment is a far better choice. But still, somehow, Toyota sells 'em like hotcakes.
Thankfully, there are a lot of people who agree with me. And for folks like us, companies like Mazda exist. This small Japanese automaker places emotion and driver involvement as its top priorities when creating new products, and mostly - especially in recent years - the end results have been great. The new CX-5 crossover is a doll, to say nothing of the rakish and lovely new Mazda6 that launched earlier this year. And let's not forget the Miata...

More powerful 2019 Mazda MX-5 also more efficient

Bumping the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata's power from 155 horses to 181, plus little interior upgrades such as a telescoping steering wheel were more than enough to make the appealing roadster even more so. But there's yet another bonus in store for those that pick up the new Mazda: more efficiency. As initially spotted by industry watcher Bozi Tatarevic, the EPA released fuel economy numbers for the new model, and they're better than the 2018's. And between the automatic and manual versions, the manual sees the biggest increase. Now, these are, very, very minor increases in EPA fuel economy, but any increase is welcome when nothing is lost. The automatic continues to be the most efficient. While the city and highway ratings are unchanged at 26 and 35 mpg respectively, the combined rating increases by 1 mile per gallon to 30. The manual transmission model isn't far behind. City mileage stays the same at 26 mpg, as does the combined rating of 29 mpg. However, highway fuel economy picks up 1 mpg for a total of 34. So to recap, the 2019 Miata retains its good looks, and likely its playful handling and snickety shifter. But it also gets more power, better fuel economy, a better interior, and more options to customize than ever before. This is sounding like it could be the best Miata, yet. We can't wait to try it out. Related Video: Mazda Convertible Performance