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2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2.0L First Drive [w/video]

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is easy to comprehend. It is an enthusiast roadster in its purest form. There's no need for any sort of sales pitch. You don't have to ramp up in order to get people excited about it. Say the words "new Miata" to anyone who cares about cars, and you've immediately got their attention. And now that I have yours, I'll to cut right to the chase. It's brilliant. That's a fact I've known for a while. I drove the Japanese-spec ND Miata in Spain earlier this year, with the 130-horsepower, 1.5-liter engine that we aren't getting in the United States. The new Miata is a modern day reincarnation of the original NA that stole our hearts in 1989. It's smaller and lighter than the outgoing NC, yet boasts more interior room. It's comfortable. It looks great. And it drives like a Miata should. In other words, it's perfect. So what about this US-spec car, then? It's got more power – 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque from Mazda's 2.0-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder engine. But it's also heavier. Our car weighs 2,332 pounds, compared to the roughly 2,200 pounds of the 1.5-liter car. Yes, the ND Miata loses 12 hp compared to the outgoing NC, but it's up 8 lb-ft of torque. Plus, according to Mazda, because of the improved powerband, anytime you're under 5,700 rpm the new Skyactiv engine is stronger than the old MZR mill. It's more efficient, too. With the manual transmission, the Miata is estimated to achieve 27 miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg highway. That a jump of six mpg in both categories compared to the old six-speed. Consider this: The Japanese-spec car uses a 130-hp engine, which I found to be perfectly adequate. The increase in power for the US-spec car mostly just balances out the extra weight, but it also improves performance on the highway. Hit the throttle in sixth gear with the 1.5 and nothing happens. Do the same with the 2.0, and there's movement. Low-end power is far more important in the US than it is in other markets, and that's why our car has the larger engine. "North America is why the two-liter car exists," engineer Dave Coleman told me. Plus, 155 hp power means you eke out the Miata's dynamics at legal speeds. 45 miles per hour in an MX-5 is a far more exhilarating experience than that same speed in any supercar. So yeah, it's not powerful. But to paraphrase Jay-Z, the MX-5 is a super car, not a supercar.

Finalists for 2014 Green Car of the Year announced

The list of finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year has been announced, and in a genuinely bizarre twist, there's only one hybrid and no electric vehicles among the five contestants, despite the arrival of cars like the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S. Taking the place of the EVs are a pair of diesels, repping a technology that last won a Green Car of the Year award in 2009, when the Audi A3 TDI took the title. No diesel was in the running for last year's award.
Naturally, both of the diesel finalists are fielded by the Germans - with BMW's 328d and Audi's A6 TDI getting the nod. In the case of the 3 Series, BMW installed a 2.0-liter, turbodiesel, capable of delivering 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, while returning 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Audi and its larger, 3.0-liter, V6 turbodiesel produce quite a bit more grunt, with 240 hp and 428 lb-ft of grunt, but net a very impressive 38 mpg on the highway in the A6.
Finalists for this year's awards include two diesels, three gas-powered cars and a plug-in hybrid.

Infiniti QX60 AWD vs. Mazda CX-9 Signature

In certain ZIP codes around Dallas, Chevy's Suburban remains the Official SUV of Texas, but Infiniti's QX60 could be the Official Crossover. The Pathfinder-based three-row is everywhere. And while its popularity is based on transporting kids and their stuff, the QX60 is a more urban Suburban. Mazda's CX-9 is not as ubiquitous as the QX60 in McMansion driveways, but it has been making inroads into the near-luxury segment with its near-luxury spec. The CX-9's second generation has obviously upscale intent, in the sheetmetal and throughout the top-line Signature interior. And the prices of these two cars are surprisingly close. INFINITI QX60 AWD: The sheetmetal differentiating Infiniti's QX60 from its volume-oriented Nissan donor is attractive. The changes are subtle, and in profile the Pathfinder and Infiniti are almost identical, but the eye is drawn to the differences in the grille and D-pillar. The Infiniti has a luxury vibe with a more athletic stance. The QX60's interior surfaces seem upscale, but if you want wood it will cost you. In "building our own" and opting for graphite leather with maple trim, the wood requires another $12,000(!) of mandatory packages, including Infiniti's Premium and Premium Plus packages ($1,800 and $2,900, respectively) and $7,300 of Deluxe Tech. So, wood? We wouldn't. But if you do, know the QX60 won't match the larger QX80 in presence or passion, but it is certainly something beyond a rebadged Pathfinder. For you and your passengers, there is 156 cubic feet of interior room; with the second and third rows folded, you can accommodate 76 cubic feet of cargo. Like in most crossovers, that third row is best used by young kids, but taking six adults to lunch won't require too much gymnastics – or chiropractics. On the road, the QX60 is known more for comfort than composure; this isn't an old Buick, but neither is it a BMW. Nissan's 3.5 liter V6 produces generous power (295 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque), but it's transmitted to either the front wheels or all wheels via a CVT (continuously variable transmission). Nissan has tried to mitigate the quirkiness, but it's a CVT all the same. At a well-equipped base of $44,000, we like the QX60. But start adding options, and you can approach $60,000, which is real money even in the better ZIP codes. MAZDA CX-9 SIGNATURE: This, ladies and gentlemen, is dramatic. Mazda has absolutely nailed it. Using Mazda's KODO design language on a large platform could have gone wrong.