1988 Mazda Rx-7 10th Anniversary Coupe 2-door 1.3l on 2040-cars

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Reminder: Come hang out with Autoblog and the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata on Tuesday, May 19

Do you love chilidogs, French fries, meeting new friends, and the world's most popular convertible? Do you live in Southeast Michigan? Do you like lists of questions? If you answered "yes" to any but the last of those, we'd like to invite you to a little get-together we're hosting next week. Driving impressions are still under embargo for the US-spec 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, but somehow we've conned convinced company PR reps to show the car to you, Joe Public Autoblog Reader. We're enthused about telling you more about the ND Miata, but before we do we'd love to share a Coke and talk about cars. Here's the skinny. A group of Autobloggers will be hanging out at the Athens Coney Island, in Royal Oak, MI, next Tuesday, May 19. We'll have the car on display from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and we'd love to see you. If you're a Miata owner, we'd also love to for you to bring your car along for the party. The more convertibles the better (just be prepared to have your picture taken). Go ahead and set your navi for Athens – 32657 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, MI 48073 ­– and we'll look forward to seeing you Tuesday. Mazda Geeks unite. Related Video:

Premium design and diesels: Mazda may be the next VW

At the Chicago Auto Show, we had a chance to sit down with Jacob Brown, a Mazda PR representative, and Jacques Flynn, a lead exterior designer at the company, to talk about design and where the company is going. One of the themes of our discussion was the company's desire to move its lineup toward a more premium, upscale feel and image – both in terms of vehicle design and powertrains. We realized the company may be looking to take a page from Volkswagen's American playbook, positioning itself as a prime purveyor of affordable, upscale – and most importantly, fun to drive – automobiles. In the case of design, Flynn talked about how Mazda's KODO design language is going to evolve; that the goal is to simplify and refine the look. We discussed the CX-5 as an example of this evolution. Flynn pointed out that the goal was to add more refinement and simplicity, and showed how Mazda achieved this on the CX-5 by straightening the curves from the previous model to give it more visual length and a more taut shape. The grille also was given more depth and detailing, which isn't simplified per se, but does provide a more premium look. View 9 Photos Mazda's upcoming diesel engines are another piece to Mazda's premium puzzle. The company will finally offer a diesel on the CX-5. While Mazda planned not to use urea-injection, it finally resorted to the system so the engine could both meet performance benchmarks and emissions standards. In addition to the efficiency of the engine, Brown said that diesel engines have a premium nature for buyers. This is due in part to the luxury automakers that mainly offer them in the US, such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and to the fact that the technology will add some cost to the product. If all of this sounds familiar, it's because you know these characteristics used to describe Volkswagen: a company known for upscale, affordable cars, providing great driving dynamics – and formerly, for efficient and fun-to-drive TDI diesel engines. While we didn't touch on the driving experience of modern Mazdas in our interview, you can simply look at any of our reviews to see that we generally like what the company builds. The only downside is that we may have to wait a while for some models, and others may never show up here. Brown and Flynn both said that the Mazda2 is unlikely to be offered in the US as anything other than the Toyota Yaris iA, since it's hard to convince people that a subcompact is premium. No surprise there.

Midsize Sedan Comparison | Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry vs. Mazda6

The rumors of the midsize sedan's death have been greatly exaggerated. The 2018 Honda Accord and 2018 Toyota Camry together moved more than 262,000 units through May of this year, which is still a ton of cars. Then again, both are down year-over-year despite being completely, and quite impressively, redesigned for 2018. So yes, the midsize sedan's grip on family transportation is weakening. Ford certainly thinks so, yet this change in consumer preferences comes at a time when the current crop of sedans is sensational. They're bigger and more powerful, yet also more efficient. Safety scores are impeccable. They even look better than ever. So before running out to score one of the bajillion little SUVs flooding the market, why not ponder this trio of midsize sedan all-stars that might actually work better? Over the course of three consecutive weeks we tested the 2018 Camry XSE V6, 2018 Accord Touring 2.0T and the perennial critical-darling 2018 Mazda6 Signature. The latter was thoroughly overhauled and, perhaps as such, bucked the segment trend by actually selling more in June this year. Each was a range-topping trim level with all the bells and whistles, plus the most powerful engine available. Really, you couldn't find cars closer in power, price and feature content. View 57 Photos Performance and fuel economy Toyota bucked the turbocharged trend by sticking with naturally aspirated engines for the 2018 Camry, and when it comes to its 3.5-liter V6, it's sure hard to argue with that decision. For starters, it produces 301 horsepower. Let that sink in for a moment. A 301-hp Toyota Camry. That crushes the others, while its 267 pound-feet of torque is only 6 less than the Accord. This is a strong, smooth engine that only gets better when you realize it matches the 26-mpg combined fuel economy of the others. Honda, meanwhile, followed the masses by switching to a turbocharged four-cylinder for the Accord's engine upgrade (and its base engine, for that matter). Though its 252 hp is considerably down on the Camry and its 271 lb-ft is only a smidgen more, the Accord's torque arrives earlier in the rev range without feeling overtly turbocharged. It also has 143 fewer pounds to contend with. When wrung out, this new 2.0-liter belts out a beautiful, typically Honda song made possible by the smart 10-speed automatic (the base 1.5-liter is paired to a CVT that results in more drone than mechanical music) that thankfully doesn't draw much attention to itself.