2012 Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed Hatchback 4-door 2.3l on 2040-cars

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New Mazda3 looks just like Mazda Kai concept in spy photos

Just a couple of weeks before the official reveal, one of our spy photographers caught the next-generation Mazda3 out testing in minimal camouflage. The car was a hatchback model, testing alongside a VW Golf and Audi A3, and was only wrapped in thin vinyl. As a result, we can clearly see that the new compact Mazda hatchback looks just like the stunning Kai concept from last year's Tokyo Motor Show. The car features effectively the same nose and profile of the concept. The main grille is larger than the current model, and it leans forward aggressively. The windshield is very low and sleek. The rear portion of the car is dominated by the very thick C-pillar that leans far forward, augmenting the car's athletic stance. The window sill at the rear kicks up sharply, and the rear window doesn't wrap around or bulge out, giving the car a very tight, taut shape. It's not just the outside of the 3 we get to see. We get a good look at the interior. It also looks very much like the Kai's interior, with the focus being the driver. The gauges are flanked by air vents that blend into the shape of the instrument binnacle. The rest of the dashboard is left as uncluttered as possible. The climate controls and vents all reside in the same long horizontal plane. The infotainment screen, which appears to be touch-sensitive based on one spy photo, is canted toward the driver. Mazda's rotary controller does return, as seen in the center console. Also in the center console is the manual shift knob, which we expect, or at least hope, will continue to be available in the U.S. We'll have answers to all our questions about the Mazda3 at the end of this month when it makes its debut at the L.A. Auto Show. We'll also see the sedan version of the car. The powertrain is the biggest mystery at the moment. Mazda showed the Kai with the Skyactiv-X engine, Mazda's spark-controlled compression-ignition gasoline engine. We've driven a development car with the engine, and Mazda seemed to intend the new Mazda3 to use it, but we're not sure if the engine will be ready for the car's launch. If not the Skyactiv-X engine, or perhaps in addition to, Mazda will probably use versions of its current engines. It could carry-over the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter four-cylinders currently used. The latter may use the cylinder deactivation now used on the Mazda6 and CX-5. We would love to see the company finally offer the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine from the Mazda6, CX-9, and now CX-5.

2014 Mazda CX-5 with 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine

Back in October, we compared the relative merits of two new and very good small crossovers: the 2013 Ford Escape and 2013 Mazda CX-5. The CX-5 we tested then had Mazda's 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine under its hood, and it managed to just edge out the EcoBoosted Ford despite being down by some 23 horsepower and 34 pound-feet of torque. Had it been available, the 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine that we recently had the opportunity to try out in the 2014 Mazda CX-5, it may have made that comparison even easier to call in the Japanese CUV's favor.
Clearly, if you're in the market for a reasonably sized crossover, the CX-5 should, at the very least, be on your test-drive list. The new engine offering will let buyers opt for a stronger powerplant, with 184 hp and 185 lb-ft on tap. On our second day in Austin's Hill Country - the first was spent quick-spinning the 2014 Mazda6 i Sport, you'll recall - we covered a couple of hundred miles and put the new CX-5 through its paces; here's what we turned up.
Driving Notes

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is truly a four-season sports car

For all intents and purposes, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is a product of California. I know it says Hiroshima on the shipping container, but the car belongs to the Golden State as it was dreamt up in Irvine and honed its driving skills on the roads near Santa Barbara. And logic would dictate the Miata would be useless in any situation other than direct sunlight. That's what drivers from other states would think, anyway. It's the time of year when those of us from the west coast fly out to places where it's snowy and icy and everyone laughs at us because the cold and white stuff essentially shuts us down. Make fun of Californians driving in the rain or freaking out when the outside temperature dips below 55 degrees. What can we say, we're just out of our element. Perhaps, then, it's surprising the Miata handles snow a lot better than I do. I found this out when Mazda sent me to Crested Butte, CO, for a little fun on a frozen track. Yes, there was a lot of sideways action, but it had more to do with the two California residents inside than with the car. The company really invited journalists to Colorado to get an idea of how its all-wheel-drive crossovers perform when things get snowy and icy. But the real show was watching how we navigated the autocross course they set up for the rear-drive Miatas that Mazda brought along. The Miata had a good heater, but it was my laughter caused by immense admiration that kept me from freezing my fingers off. Armed with a set of Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires, the Miata performs just about how you'd expect it to – if you're light on the gas and quick with the steering and have a good amount of patience in you. It all works well if you're a pro driver, less so if you're not a frequent track visitor, regardless of the weather. But fortunately we were using the fourth-generation Miata, which has to be the most forgiving sports car ever. On pavement, it behaves like a compact hatchback. Put it in sixth and it's relaxed and compliant, with a ride that doesn't beat you up and an engine that knows when you just want to get where you need to go. Provoke it, however, and it rewards you with predictable responses from the controls. It does the same thing on ice, if you have a firm grasp on how a car responds to the frozen stuff. Starts are tricky, even in second gear, if you underestimate the power from the 2.0-liter four.