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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

Red Bull RX-7 goes drift crazy on New Zealand's Crown Range

For the first time ever, the Crown Range, New Zealand's highest paved road, was closed off for the drifting pleasure of one man. That man is Mad Mike Whiddett, and the machine he's piloting is a heavily modified Mazda RX-7 sponsored by the energy-rich crew from Red Bull and powered by a 750-horsepower quad-rotor engine. There will be smoke. Lots and lots of smoke.
Mad Mike hits speeds in excess of 140 miles per hour over the course of the road's six and a half miles, which boasts 47 individual corners at over 3,500 feet of elevation. Scroll down for all kinds of fire-belching, tire-squealing and smoke-inducing action. Or, as Mad Mike himself puts it, "A dream turned into reality."

Autoblog's Editors' Picks: Our complete list of the best new vehicles

It's not easy to earn an “EditorsÂ’ Picks” at Autoblog as part of the rating and review process that every new vehicle goes through. Our editors have been at it a long time, which means weÂ’ve driven and reviewed virtually every new car you can go buy on the dealer lot. There are disagreements, of course, and all vehicles have their strengths and weaknesses, but this list features what we think are the best new vehicles chosen by Autoblog editors. We started this formal review process back in 2018, so there's quite of few of them now. So what does it mean to be an EditorsÂ’ Pick? In short, it means itÂ’s a car that we can highly recommend purchasing. There may be one, multiple, or even zero vehicles in any given segment that we give the green light to. What really matters is that itÂ’s a vehicle that weÂ’d tell a friend or family member to go buy if theyÂ’re considering it, because itÂ’s a very good car. The best way to use this list is is with the navigation links below. Click on a segment, and you'll quickly arrive at the top rated pickup truck or SUV, for example. Use the back button to return to these links and search in another segment, like sedans. If youÂ’ve been keeping up with our monthly series of the latest vehicles to earn EditorsÂ’ Pick status, youÂ’re likely going to be familiar with this list already. If not, welcome to the complete list that weÂ’ll be keeping updated as vehicles enter (and others perhaps exit) the good graces of our editorial team. We rate a new car — giving it a numerical score out of 10 — every time thereÂ’s a significant refresh or if it happens to be an all-new model. Any given vehicle may be impressive on a first drive, but we wait until itÂ’s in the hands of our editors to put it through the same type of testing as every other vehicle that rolls through our test fleet before giving it the EditorsÂ’ Pick badge. This ensures consistency and allows more voices to be heard on each individual model. And just so you donÂ’t think weÂ’ve skipped trims or variants of a model, we hand out the EditorsÂ’ Pick based on the overarching model to keep things consistent. So, when you read that the 3 Series is an EditorsÂ’ Pick, yes, that includes the 330i to the M3 and all the variants in between. If thereÂ’s a particular version of that car we vehemently disagree with, we make sure to call that out.