Winning Blue 2006 Mazda Mx-5 Miata 6 Speed Sport Convertible Clean Title 85k on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Mazda's game plan: Compression ignition, superchargers, EVs — and still fun to drive

Today, Mazda announced its new Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 initiative. Dumb marketingspeak name aside, this is Mazda's general plan to make its cars more efficient while still keeping Mazda's fun-to-drive character. The most notable part of this announcement is Mazda's new Skyactiv-X engines and the addition of EVs and electrified powertrains starting in 2019. As we reported back in January, this new supercharged Skyactiv-X engine family will be the first to use high-compression ignition, or HCCI, rather than traditional spark plugs. Each year, fuel economy and CO2 emissions standards grow ever tighter. Each and every automaker around is looking for ways to improve both factors. Initially, most have chosen to downsize engines and add turbochargers. That's why Mazda's new Skyactiv-X engines are going to be so special. They essentially work like a diesel engine, using extremely high compression to ignite the fuel rather than the flame from a spark plug. Adding a supercharger rather than a turbo retains a smooth and immediate engine response. Look for a 10 to 30 percent increase in torque and a sizable boost in fuel economy. Mazda's engine already have some of the highest compression ratios around, but these new engines will push well into diesel territory. The biggest issue so far with gasoline compression ignition is controlling when the gasoline ignites. Mazda claims to have solved this issue, seamlessly moving from spark to compression ignition. This new plan comes 10 years after the first Sustainable Zoom-Zoom initiative was announced. With Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030, Mazda wants to focus on the Earth, society, and people. Together with the new engines, Mazda hopes to create a sustainable future that still involves engaging and fun-to-drive automobiles. First, Mazda wants to consider emissions over the entire life of a car. That means reducing emissions generated while building the car or fueling and charging a car in addition to those released while it's on the road. The goal is to reduce emissions to 50 percent of 2010 levels by 2030, and a 90 percent reduction by 2050. New electrified models will debut in 2019 in markets that have a high ratio of clean energy for power generation. Mazda's focus on society aims to improve safety with the Mazda Proactive Safety philosophy. Like with Skyactiv, this ethos goes far beyond simply improving an engine or adding new active safety technology.

Forza Horizon G-Shock Car Pack brings Nissan IDx, Subaru Brat [w/video]

With winter's icy grip around much of the nation, now may be the perfect time to sit inside at night and enjoy some video games. The latest six-car G-Shock pack for Forza Horizon 2 on the Xbox One is now here, and it gives players a very eclectic group of vehicles to race around the game's open world. This month's group of vehicles spans the decades ranging from 2015 back to 1953. The newest and only concept of the group is the 2015 Nissan IDX Nismo. Since the production chances for this retro coupe look increasingly slim, this game might be your only chance to get behind the concept's wheel. However, if you prefer driving something a bit more classic and Italian, the 1953 Ferrari 500 Mondial is available. To add one more flavor of performance, there is the 2010 Mazda Mazdasped 3 hot hatch, which is also this month's free car for download. In addition to three takes on the sports car, Turn 10 is also offering a trio of off-roaders. The quirkiest among them is the 1980 Subaru Brat GL, which features two jump seats in the back to avoid the dreaded chicken tax. If you prefer something more boxy and American, then the 1975 Ford Bronco is sure to please. Finally, for some real power to get through the mud, there's the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor as tuned by Shelby with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 making 575 horsepower. As usual, the whole pack costs players $5 to download, or it's free as part of the season pass. Scroll down for a brief video showing all of these virtual rides off and read the press release about them from Turn 10 Studios. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. "Forza Horizon 2" G-Shock Car Pack Now Available Welcome to the New Year! Are you ready to hit the roads of "Forza Horizon 2" for Xbox One in some new rides? You better be because the G-Shock Car Pack is lighting up the new year with some amazing vehicles. Leading off the pack is a "Forza" First: the 2015 Nissan IDx NISMO is making its videogame debut in "Forza Horizon 2." The IDx prototype harkens back to Nissan's storied automotive history, with its compact size and aggressive appearance, and looks to the future with some serious under-the-hood performance. Take a spin in this gem, and you will be startled by its performance and charmed by its presence. The remaining cars of the pack also have "Horizon Festival" written all over them.