1994 Mazda Rx-7 Base Coupe 2-door 1.3l on 2040-cars

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Miata is always the answer, but not always the best one

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a surprisingly versatile car. Not only is it hilariously fun on back roads and closed courses, it can also be a decent daily driver thanks to its solid gas mileage and usable trunk. But, it doesn't excel in every driving situation. Specifically long trips at high speeds, and those involving canine companions. This weekend, I did a roughly 500-mile round trip to my parents' home in Indiana to pick up my recently adopted dog. The trip was 90-percent highways, and I heard every single mile. Our MX-5 Miata Club has the minimally insulated top also found on the base level trim, and at highway speeds the wind and road noise fills the cabin with a loud, steady roar. This likely won't be a problem for fans of white noise, and it can be overcome by the stereo. However, over a few hundred miles, it starts to get old. The suspension, while superb for carving corners, also gets tiresome. On rough Rust Belt highways, it would become a bit overwhelmed, and the whole car would shiver and shake. On the plus side, nothing squeaked, rattled, or fell off in these instances. There are a few other quirks that show up on long trips. The small pedal box and floor-mounted throttle means that there isn't a particularly comfortable place to rest your right foot when the cruise control is set. Neither the door nor the center console have much padding either, so leaning your knees against them for long periods of time isn't advisable. The good news is that the seat itself was surprisingly comfortable, and never once was I feeling any back pain. Plus, when not using the cruise control, the seating position is great, allowing me to stretch out and relax. When I picked up my four-legged compatriot (a 7-year-old mix of unknown breeds named Ruby, pictured above), things became a tad tight. Standing up, she thoroughly filled the passenger compartment. For reference, she's a little over 50 pounds and stands a little more than 2 feet tall. Much bigger dogs, like my family's coonhound and German shepherd mix, won't really fit. This also made her prone to nearly face-planting on the dashboard anytime the car slowed down. She eventually figured out that simply curling up on the seat bottom was the best choice, and then slept for most of the trip. So it worked out, but I think I may have found the limit of a Miata's dog capacity. Would any of this make me want a Miata less? Certainly not. That is if I had a second car.

Mazda teases its Tokyo-bound EV again — and it's a crossover coupe

Another 15-second teaser clip, the third so far, stars Mazda's coming electric vehicle in the role of coquette. This time we get a glimpse of the body shape, and coming as a shock to no one since Mazda practically admitted it, we'll be seeing a crossover coupe on the Tokyo Motor Show floor. Mazda says there'll be a few surprises therein, though. The overall line and detailing embody "an expansion of our renowned Kodo design philosophy" at the same time as the EV "explores new directions in design." And within the "uncompromisingly simple" form we're told to expect "a unique door concept, opening your mind." Another couplet in the press release poetry promises a "friendly expression" up front for a new segment entry embodying "futuristic values and changing lifestyles." Well then. This will be Mazda's fourth electric vehicle, but the first meant for mass production. The company built a small batch of the Mazda Demio (our Mazda2) battery electric vehicle in 2012 for the Japanese market, leasing them to government and corporate customers. The following year the automaker built a Mazda Demio EV prototype with a 330-cc rotary-powered range-extender engine. After that came the e-TPV prototype that the company's used to prove out the powertrain going into this month's show car.  The urban-focused electric runner should go on sale next year in markets like Japan, China and Europe, where dense city centers negate the need for sky-high range figures; the 35.5-kWh battery is likely to return a 150-mile range at most. As foretold in the most recent teaser, the interior will deliver an airy sense of space thanks to open spaces between the driver's and passenger's seats. Zoom-Zoom will come with EV internals, too — Autocar recently drove the eTPV prototype and lauded it for being "well-planted," "original to drive" and "more like a car in the traditional sense of the word." 

Lexus, Mazda win KBB 5-Year Cost To Own Awards

We focus a lot on what new cars are like to drive, but it's difficult on a one-week loan to really get a sense of what a car is like to live with. Sure, we try to recreate that sense with our long-term vehicles, but even after a year, it's impossible to know fully learn about a car, particularly in terms of reliability and cost of repairs. For 2014 model year vehicles, Kelley Blue Book has put together a list of the most affordable vehicles over a five-year period.
At the tippy top of the list are Mazda and Lexus, with the Zoom-Zoom automaker winning the award for best non-luxury brand. Lexus, meanwhile, was the most affordable luxury marque over a five-year period. It's interesting to note, though, that not a single Mazda won its segment in this year's awards.
General Motors did quite well, taking eight segments, including both the subcompact and plug-in segments, with the gas-powered Chevrolet Spark and Spark EV. The Chevy Camaro SS and ZL1 took the high-performance car award. Toyota was well represented, with five winners split between the main brand (Corolla, Prius C and Tacoma) and Lexus (LS and RX).