2024 Mazda Cx-90 Phev Premium Plus on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Patent application suggests Mazda rotary return

A recent patent application by Mazda reveals that the Japanese automaker is still working on the rotary engine. This could in fact be the Skyactiv-R engine found in the RX-Vision concept from the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. As with anything Wankel-related, nothing is certain until Mazda makes a production commitment. But this filing suggests that serious development is happening in Hiroshima. The 2011 Mazda RX-8 was the last rotary-powered car you could buy in America. Slow sales, poor fuel economy, and tighter emissions standards prevented Mazda from committing to a follow-up. But the fundamental principles of the rotary - compact size and light weight - perfectly fit Mazda's Skyactiv ethos. (For an explanation of how rotaries work, click here.) In this new engine the intake port sits at the bottom of the engine with the exhaust port on top instead of the other way around. That allows for lower mounting, which improves a car's center of gravity. This rotary is also turbocharged. Putting the turbo up high helps ensure it doesn't get in the way of any body or chassis crossmembers. The implication of those claims is that somebody is thinking about how to put this engine in a car. There are other benefits as well. The short path from the exhaust port to the turbo ensures minimal turbo lag. It also allows for a close-mounted catalyst on top of the enigne, which will help emissions. Another innovation in this new engine is a triangle-shaped rotor that covers part of the exhaust port. This allows for different exhaust flow characteristics. The filing claims that that two of the four orientations allow for less airflow resistance in the exhaust port. As in previous Mazda rotaries, there are two spark plugs to manage ignition timing and combustion. But unlike in the 16X concept, Mazda's last public display of such an engine, the new rotary uses port fuel injection. Keep in mind this is only a patent application. A Mazda spokesperson refused to comment on future product, but commented "As we stated at the Tokyo motor show, Mazda is doing all that it can to bring a rotary to the market." In the meantime, keep your RX-7 prayer candles lit and hope for the return of the rotary before the end of the decade. You can bide your time by reading the entire application here. Related Video: Related Gallery Mazda RX-Vision Concept: Tokyo 2015 View 11 Photos News Source: USPTO via autoevolution Rumormill Mazda Performance rotary mazda rx7

Watch this 1,500-hp Mazda MX-5 smoke a race track

In December 2014 we watched New Zealand drifter "Mad Mike" Whiddett assemble his RADBUL, an NC-series Mazda MX-5 Miata with a four-rotor engine aided by twin Garrett turbochargers. The Dr. Frankensteins at engine builders Pulse Performance expected their creation to be good for 1,500 horsepower. This year we get to watch Whiddett run the monster around Highlands Motorsports Park in New Zealand, brewing up enough tire smoke to set of fire alarms in the International Space Station. When the car was finished in February Pulse Performance put it on the dyno, toning down the boost because "the tires easily smoked the rollers." The result on the day was 1,032 horsepower from the 2.6-liter engine. When Whiddett campaigned it at the Forth Worth, TX round of this year's Formula Drift Pro Championship, he said tiny adjustments have a huge effect on the way the car behaves so they were still trying to find the right balance a few months into the season because of the testing limit outside of competition. Unsurprisingly, he also said the car "is so damn fast that I'm actually having trouble slowing down." RADBUL is the third in Whiddett's line of Mazda drift specials, after the RX-8 BADBUL and the RX-7 MADBUL. Check out the video above for the ballet, and for more, check out the behind-the-scenes and the 360-degree POV videos.

2018 L.A. Auto Show: 5-plus takeaways on Jeep, Honda, Porsche and more

The 2018 L.A. Auto Show is making a strong case that auto shows aren't dead. Carmakers are ladling out sports cars and SUVs featuring serious style and performance in Los Angeles, and it's a feast for the senses. We're talking the new Porsche 911, the long-awaited Jeep Gladiator and the stylish Mazda3. It's the best car show with the most important reveals since the 2018 Detroit Auto Show kicked off the year. Here are some quick reactions: The 2019 Jeep Gladiator is a rock star When the story went live on Autoblog, our traffic went straight up. I've literally never seen the graph go straight up. So yeah, you guys seem to like it. I do, too. It's everything I want in a vehicle, including enough of a retro feel that it satisfies my cravings for an old Cherokee XJ. It's more capable and likely more expensive than I originally anticipated, but Jeep is going to have to expand its Toledo factory to keep up with demand. Don't be fooled by whatever the politicians say when that happens. It's because people like Jeeps and pickups, and this is the hero sandwich of all of that. I'd likely go with the 3.6-liter and a manual transmission if I were buying a Gladiator, but the diesel is compelling, too. Gladiator is a great name, drenched in history. I like it better than Scrambler, which never felt right to me. Only issue: It's a little over-the-top. Imagine this conversation: "So, ready to go to Panera?" "Sure, let's take the Gladiator." I mean, it's a bit much to refer to your personal vehicle as the Gladiator. Unless Russell Crowe is driving it. Then it's fine. The 2020 Porsche 911 is conservatively brilliant Every time I drive a 718 Cayman, Jaguar F-Type or another 911 challenger, I wonder if the 911 may be over the hill. It's not. And it likely never will be. This latest generation, dubbed 992 in Porsche-speak, stayed the course. The back takes some Mission E stylings that give the 911 a more modern feel. The flat six gets a little more power. The digital-heavy interior looks futuristic and slick. But overall, it's a blocking-and-tackling update that should satisfy the purists and maybe draw in a few new Porsche fans. It's the right time for the 2019 Honda Passport This slots between the Honda CR-V and the Honda Pilot. That's serious segmentation, but it's another crossover, and it's undoubtedly what the people want.