1999 Mazda Miata Mx-5 Convertible 97,345 Miles Manual Nardi Torino on 2040-cars

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Mazda CX-5 diesels get discounts up to $10,000 off MSRP

When Mazda positioned its long-awaited and oft-delayed CX-5 diesel crossover as the “premium” option in the CX-5 trim structure, we were skeptical. After driving one last fall with a $42,045 sticker price, our eyebrows furrowed even deeper. Today, to nobodyÂ’s surprise, Mazda dealers are slapping massive discounts on the Skyactiv-D. CarsDirect initially reported on the discounts, pointing out that some dealers are slashing prices by $10,000. We took a spin through Autotrader to see what was out there, and the results were shocking. There were pages of CX-5 diesels with prices in the low-to-mid $30,000 range. We asked Mazda what kind of incentives it was currently offering on the 2019 CX-5 diesel. Since December, Mazda has offered a $5,000 cash rebate, alongside a 2.9 percent APR for 60 months. However, the other several thousand dollars worth of discounts weÂ’re seeing listed — as much as $5,000 more — are not being accounted for by Mazda.  Just as CarsDirect found, the largest discounts we could find on the web are for a cool $10,000, bringing the price down to $32,045. At that price, youÂ’re looking at a 23.8 percent discount. ThatÂ’s a discount of nearly a quarter(!) of the carÂ’s original asking price. We thought the Skyactiv-D was overpriced originally, but at this price, weÂ’d strongly consider it as the CX-5 to buy. Since the diesel is only offered in the top-of-the-line Signature trim, it has every gizmo and gadget Mazda offers in addition to the most premium interior materials. ItÂ’s also offered in all-wheel drive only, leaving every box with a checkmark in it.  Compared to the gas-engined CX-5 Signature that starts at $38,100 for the 2020 model year, these diesels are a steal. In fact, this price hierarchy makes a lot more sense than the way Mazda had it organized in the first place. The more powerful 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the gas-engined Signature can easily be marketed as the most “premium” option in the CX-5 lineup since itÂ’s the fastest and most enjoyable to drive. Moving the slower diesel with the same equipment below it on the food chain sounds like the right move to us. At around $33,000-$35,000, the diesel isnÂ’t such a bad buy anymore. Fuel economy still isnÂ’t where weÂ’d like it to be, but as we opined in our First Drive review, itÂ’s still a wonderfully pleasant car to drive. Related Video:    

Mazda Miata 'fathers' Hall and Case offer a tour through the roadster's history

The original Mazda Miata broke onto the automotive scene in 1989 and was a huge success. However, the convertible's genesis goes all the way back to the early '80s. Bob Hall and Dean Case were among the inside men of the program on the US side, and they were on hand at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the recent MX-5 event there to tell some of their stories about the project's beginning.
Hall was on the Miata project from very early on, and one of his most fascinating stories is how the convertible got its shape. The droptop wasn't necessarily going to be a rear-wheel drive roadster. There were both front-wheel-drive coupe and mid-engine concepts being considered. In fact, the classic look of the NA generation was the least favorite of the three at the sketch stage.
Hall comes off as a jokester hiding a genius mind. He has a fountain of information in his head about what a Miata should be, but it all comes down to "less is more." However, he admits that it's easy to conceive that idea, but it's much harder to actually execute it well.

Fiat 124 spied with top down

With fall officially here, the days are rapidly running out for much of the country to put the top down and enjoy a convertible. Fiat apparently wants to take advantage of the good weather while it lasts, given these fresh spy shots of the 124 Spider testing with the roof down. In terms of styling, these photos show the droptop with an extremely similar look to the ones from July. The roadster still appears to have rounded headlights and a wide grille up front, which the kidney-shaped cladding does nothing to hide. The hood bulge continues to be there, too, and so is the spiderweb-pattern camouflage. However, these new shots let us check out the roll hoops that are visible with the top out of the way, and we even get to see the manual roof in operation. Also, note there are now dual exhausts at the rear, rather than the quad tips from before. Underneath all this camo and cladding, we know that the 124 Spider shares underpinnings with the new Mazda MX-5 Miata. The engine remains a mystery, but competing rumors suggest the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the current 500 Abarth or the 1.7-liter turbo four from the Alfa Romeo 4C. Thankfully, an answer might not be too far away because the roadster is mooted to debut this year, possibly at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. With the latest Miata receiving high praise from critics, the motoring world soon gets to find out whether Fiat can find any room for improvement. Related Video: