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2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata finally has a great pair of seats

We all know the 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata is a truly wonderful car. It takes everything delightful about cars and driving and distills it into a compact and lightweight package. It's a car anyone can enjoy. My wife, who until recently has shown no real interest in sports cars beyond their design, wants one. I want one, too, but I couldn't get past the Miata's terrible seats. For 2018, there's finally an alternative. The 2018 Miata got a number of minor updates. Most people I know were fawning over the new cherry-red top, but I was far more interested in the leather-wrapped Recaro seats. These are now included in the $3,770 Brembo/BBS package. Previously, that package just added a set of two-piston Brembo front brakes and black BBS wheels. Having put thousands and thousands of miles on various NDs, I didn't think it was really a worthwhile option unless you were planning to track the car regularly. These seats have changed my tune. The standard seats in the Miata are bad when new and get progressively worse as they break in. I'm a big guy (6-feet tall and about 220 lbs.), but I know I'm not alone in the assessment. They're thin, unsupportive and wrapped in some cheap fabric. Just look at this photo from our old long-termer. The seats kill any real desire to own one. These Recaros are different. Yes they're still thin, but they have bolstering and padding in all the right places. I no longer feel like I'm riding along on a cheap, worn-out couch. Plus, they're heated (though you can now get heated cloth seats), making the brisk Michigan-morning commute far more comfortable. Now all the Miata needs is a slight bump in power. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Design/Style Mazda Convertible Performance

100k Mazda6 sedans recalled over tire-monitoring systems

A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is, as you might have guessed, designed to monitor the air pressure in the tires, and alert the driver if pressure drops. But a problem found in the Mazda6 could keep the system from doing its job. According to the recall notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the TPMS in the Mazda6 might not recognize a loss in tire pressure if all the tires slowly deflate at the same time. Under-inflated tires, it goes without saying, could increase the risk of a crash. As a result, Mazda is recalling 99,711 examples of the 2014-2015 Mazda6 to have the system's software updated. RECALL Subject : Tire Pressure Monitoring System/FMVSS 138 Report Receipt Date: OCT 27, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V675000 Component(s): TIRES Potential Number of Units Affected: 99,711 Manufacturer: Mazda North American Operations SUMMARY: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured October 25, 2012, to October 10, 2014. If the pressures of four of the tires on an affected vehicle gradually drop at the same time, the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) may not warn the driver of the drop in pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System." CONSEQUENCE: A vehicle that is driven with under inflated tires may experience a sudden tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on December 10, 2014. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

2020 Mazda CX-30 First Drive | The middle way

JULIAN, Calif. — An Aveo wanders in the lane ahead, its gas flap open and waving in the 30-mph slipstream as it creeps along some of the best roads in all of Southern California as swiftly as a retreating glacier. The 2020 Mazda CX-30Â’s speedometer needle quivers and then falls. The longing for a passing zone becomes unbearable. Even with a merely adequate 186 horsepower and a standard automatic, I canÂ’t wait to smoke this Aveo as I arc into another corner, tap brakes to transfer weight, and scoot into the next. And then a sort of calm washes over, provoking the slightest smile. The smile is a realization that, short of a few performance models from the German brands, most compact crossovers donÂ’t beg for this sort of action. The CX-30 is not most crossovers – itÂ’s built on the bones of the dynamically overachieving Mazda3, making it legitimately rewarding to drive. Think of it more as a car that happens to be marketed as a crossover. The careful attention to vehicle dynamics means it doesnÂ’t wallow like you might expect a jacked-up 3 might. What it feels like is a 3 variant, not an entirely different vehicle — analogous to the Subaru CrosstrekÂ’s relationship to the Impreza, albeit with greater visual differentiation and a much more sophisticated driving experience. ThatÂ’s a very, very good thing indeed – and letÂ’s take a moment to review the virtues of the 3 to explain why. ThereÂ’s nothing in its class that nails its brief so well. The interior looks exceptionally premium in higher trim grades, it drives better than anything in its class, and the sheetmetal “oozes sex appeal,” as contributing writer Jason Cammisa put it – although less oozing is present in the awkward hatchback. ItÂ’s even available with all-wheel drive. However, I respectfully disagree that the engine is refined – the Skyactiv-G 2.5-liter inline-four, a carryover from the last generation and shared between the 3 and CX-30, is harsh and clattery. In both vehicles it gets the job done. That 186 hp is backed up with 186 pound-feet of torque, channeled exclusively through a six-speed automatic in the CX-30. Front- or all-wheel drive is available in every CX-30 trim. And while thereÂ’s roughly a 200-lb weight penalty over the 3, the CX-30 manages to feel perky, not porky. Nor is the fuel economy hit as much as you might imagine.