1993 Mazda Rx-7 - Veilside Fortune - 595 Rwhp 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.

Car Club USA: Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a very popular car for weekend warriors looking for the thrill of automotive racing in an affordable package. These iconic, rear-wheel-drive roadsters are lauded by enthusiasts for their driving dynamics, reasonable price, and plethora of available parts. That's why the annual Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca track event draws such a diverse cross section of drivers from allover the country. But, still, some types of drivers are more well-represented than others. "I usually am the only female signed up for the high-performance driving," said Carolyn Kulaja of Gila Monster Racing. "The car doesn't care the gender of the person driving." For Carolyn, racing Miatas is a passion that developed later in life, but she's not slowing down anytime soon. "My first racecar was car number 57, which was my age when I started racing," said Carolyn. "The 88 I decided was going to be my age when I quit racing." Young competitor Kyle Koh of Infotech Motorsports has his own reasons for racing. "Driving has changed my life in a major way," said Kyle. "It took me out of a depression." Kyle's first competitive fire was directed toward football, but after breaking his back during his sophomore year of high school, he had to find another outlet. "Kyle came to me one day and he decided that he wanted a project car," explained Kyle's father and racing partner Larry Koh. "Because the Miata community is so friendly to begin with, it becomes a big family." How will Carolyn and Kyle fare through Laguna Seca's infamous corkscrew? Find out on this episode of Car Club USA. Each Car Club USA episode features a different car club or event from across the US, where passionate owner communities gather to share automotive experiences and embark on incredible adventures. From Main Street cruises to off-road trails, catch all the latest car club activity on Autoblog.

2021 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo starts at $31,000

In our review of the Mazda CX-30, we said that this crossover is so gifted dynamically, it was practically begging for more power. Mazda answered by adding a new turbo engine for 2021, and now we know how much the extra grunt is going to cost. Mazda has released pricing for the more potent CX-30, and the Turbo model opens at $31,000 (including the $1,100 destination charge), putting it above even the top-trim base-engine version. The turbocharged 2.5-liter engine makes 227 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque on regular gas, or 250 horses and 320 lb-ft with 93-octane (against 186 hp and 186 lb-ft for the standard 2.5-liter). Besides the extra output, the CX30 2.5 Turbo also comes standard with all-wheel drive, which is $1,400 extra on the regular CX-30. Other standard features of the CX-30 2.5 Turbo include adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high-beams, and a driver alertness monitor. Also, heated seats, a sunroof, leatherette upholstery, 18-inch wheels with a black finish, a gloss-black grille and door mirrors, roof rails, LED exterior lighting, keyless entry, rear A/C vents, and an 8.8-inch touchscreen with smartphone mirroring and a Wi-Fi hotspot. That features list is considerably longer than what you'll find in the $23,000 base model and puts the standard 2.5 Turbo somewhere between the regular CX-30's Select ($25,000) and Preferred ($27,400) trims. Only the $28,550 Premium has more kit. From there, the CX-30 2.5 Turbo can add the Premium Package for $33,400, which brings leather, navigation, a head-up display, a heated steering wheel, a power liftgate, adaptive front lighting, satellite radio, Bose 12-speaker premium audio, and shift paddles. At the top of the heap is the CX-30 2.5 Turbo with Premium Plus Package for $35,000. Its finery includes a 360-degree-view monitor, parking sensors, automatic braking for the rear cross-traffic alert, Traffic Jam Assist (semi-automated lane-centering at speeds under 40 mph), auto-dimming side mirrors, and Homelink. Even with the Premium Plus Package, the CX-30 2.5 Turbo is less expensive than the CX-5 with the same engine. To get the turbo engine in the larger CX-5, you're looking at $36,385 for the Grand Touring Reserve. The CX-30 2.5 Turbo also represents a savings over the similar-sized and similarly powerful BMW X2, which starts at $37,595 with front-wheel drive and $39,595 with AWD for 2021.