2003 Mazda 6 Black. Automatic on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Sweating the small stuff | 2017 Mazda CX-5 First Drive

The 2017 Mazda CX-5's door handles got their own design study. They got their own graphs, maths, and a team of people scientifically analyzing how humans interact with them. There was a whole to-do. And yet, you look at them back-to-back with their predecessors, a Spockian eyebrow reaching to the stars, and wonder what all the fuss was about. But apparently they're better. They're also perfectly illustrative of the entire effort to re-engineer and improve Mazda's best-selling model. At first, the 2017 Mazda CX-5 seems like a sensible evolution of its well-loved predecessor – there's sexier styling, a more premium cabin, and additional features, but the dimensions and engine specs look awfully similar. It certainly looks like one of those "the old car's great, let's not overthink the new one" redesigns. Except it isn't. Dig deeper and you'll see just how much meticulous work – from the door handles to the throttle response – went into making the new CX-5 a crossover that thoroughly trounces the majority of its competition. Take the efforts to make it quieter. According to Mazda's internal measurements, the sound-quelling improvements made for the CX-5's 2016 refresh already made it one of the quietest compact SUVs on the market. That apparently wasn't good enough. To what seems like an absurd degree, Mazda's engineers obsessively examined every nook, cranny, corner, and crevice to sniff out noise and eliminate it. Gaps were filled, insulation was injected, seals were added, air was redirected, glass was double glazed, and carpet replaced plastic coverings. It would seem that the Society of Persnickety Engineers is well represented at Mazda HQ. "I'm not sure how they found some of these," said Mazda vehicle development engineer Dave Coleman with a shake of his head, almost amused by the obsession and dedication of his colleagues across the proverbial hall in the sound-deadening department. (He goes over many of their enhancements in the video below.) And it worked. The new CX-5 is indeed incredibly quiet, even on San Diego's notoriously loud corrugated concrete freeways. It is quiet for a Mazda – a brand previously known for the exact opposite – and the entire segment. Even the fairly quiet 2017 Honda CR-V we drove on the same freeways on the way to San Diego couldn't match it. Actually, much of the driving experience can't be matched by a competitor.

Mazda starts production of new MX-5 Miata in Japan

We often regard a new model as having arrived when its manufacturer reveals it for the first time. But you might argue that nothing is official until actual production gets underway. And that's just what's happened now with the new Mazda MX-5. The fourth-generation Miata was unveiled a few months ago, and now the first examples have begun to roll off the assembly line at Mazda's Ujina plant in Hiroshima. The first ones are set to stay in Japan, where the new roadster is being introduced initially. Deliveries are set to launch in June. After that, we can expect the new MX-5 to proliferate to markets around the world, including our own. To date Mazda has sold more than 950,000 of its little roadsters, making it the best-selling two-seat sports car in the world. It shouldn't be long, then, before the new model tips it past the million-unit mark. 2015/03/05 Mazda Starts Production of All-new Mazda MX-5 HIROSHIMA, Japan-Mazda Motor Corporation today began production of the all-new Mazda MX-5 two-seater lightweight sports car (known as Mazda Roadster in Japan) at Ujina Plant No.1 in Hiroshima. The first models produced are destined for the Japanese market. Sales of the all-new MX-5 will begin in Japan around June this year and interested buyers can make an appointment for pre-sale discussions through a dedicated website from noon on Friday, March 20. Following sales start in Japan, the MX-5 will be progressively rolled out to overseas markets. The MX-5 is an iconic model representing Mazda's vehicle engineering philosophy: the pursuit of driving pleasure. With production exceeding 950,000 units as of the end of January 2015, the MX-5 continues to hold the Guinness World Record for the world's best-selling two-seater sports car. In order to respond to ever increasing demands for safety features and environmental performance while maintaining the element of fun that has always defined the model, development of the fourth generation MX-5 was carried out under the motto "innovate in order to preserve". In addition to incorporating SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and KODO-Soul of Motion design, development focused on enhancing the senses and sensations through which people enjoy cars. Moving forward, Mazda will continue to enrich the lives of its customers through a variety of touch points including the production of high-quality vehicles, and become a brand that maintains a special bond with its customers. Related Video:

Mazda3 celebrates 10 happy years

Mazda is on the cusp of unveiling an all-new Mazda3, but the compact will mark an important milestone before that happens. The very first Mazda3 rolled off of the assembly line on June 25, 2003. A decade later, the little car has snagged some 136 awards. The first generation sold 2.2 million units over the span of six years, and the second has smiled its way into the hearts of 1.4 million buyers since 2009. Mazda notes the machine even took the honor of being the top-selling passenger car in Australia in 2011 and 2012.
So, what will the future bring? The Japanese automaker is keeping the details to itself for the moment. From the spy photos we've seen, it looks as if the new design will fall under the company's new Kodo design philosophy. That same language brought us the perilously sexy Mazda6, and the new Mazda3 should be no less attractive. You can check out those photos here.
You can also read the full press release on the compact's 10-year anniversary below.