2005 Mazda 6 S Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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This California rally is vintage Japanese car heaven

What's so good about the future? This is what I was thinking when some folks at Mazda invited me and a handful of other journalists to join them on the second-annual Touge California. It's a rally for classic Japanese cars that covers a huge chunk of Southern California's twistier roads, where fans get to test their beloved machines. Oh, and it attracts swarms of admirers with cameras. "It is not a race. It is a vintage touring rally," said Ben Hsu, editor in chief of Japanese Nostalgic Car, and one of the coordinators of the event. "In Japan, touge most definitely refers to racing, whether timed, in touge battles, or drifting antics. Touge California was created to give drivers of Japanese classics a taste, as close as possible, of the types of roads their cars were forged on." Touge California was created to give drivers of Japanese classics a taste, as close as possible, of the types of roads their cars were forged on. We started the day on a mundane stop-and-go freeway drive from Mazda's Irvine headquarters to Escondido, me riding shotgun with my journalist co-driver in a 2016 Miata. But Mazda also brought along three heritage products on this trip – a 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE, a 1978 GLC three-door hatchback, and a 1975 REPU (rotary engined pickup) – serving as reminders of the company's history in the U.S. The group of Mazdas was joined in Escondido by many more Mazdas. And Toyotas, Hondas, Datsuns – so many 240Zs – and the odd Subaru and Mitsubishi. In total, 28 cars were at the start line. "We doubled the field this year, and made the route longer – 200 versus 120 miles," Hsu said. "We separated the cars into two run groups based on speed and a mix of makes and models." I spent the first part of the rally in the Mazda pickup to get a taste of rotary power. It was my first experience behind the wheel of a Wankel-powered vehicle, my first time driving a small Japanese truck from the '70s, and my God that thing has a lot of power. I had a few scares when I had to stand on the brakes, and I found the shift throw's immense length disconcerting – it felt like third gear engaged somewhere in front of the dashboard, with fourth somewhere in the bed. The truck was a great introduction to the rotary, however, and to '70s Japanese cars. Especially in Southern California, old Japanese cars aren't as novel to casual observers as they might be in other parts of the country.

Lexus, Mazda win KBB 5-Year Cost To Own Awards

We focus a lot on what new cars are like to drive, but it's difficult on a one-week loan to really get a sense of what a car is like to live with. Sure, we try to recreate that sense with our long-term vehicles, but even after a year, it's impossible to know fully learn about a car, particularly in terms of reliability and cost of repairs. For 2014 model year vehicles, Kelley Blue Book has put together a list of the most affordable vehicles over a five-year period.
At the tippy top of the list are Mazda and Lexus, with the Zoom-Zoom automaker winning the award for best non-luxury brand. Lexus, meanwhile, was the most affordable luxury marque over a five-year period. It's interesting to note, though, that not a single Mazda won its segment in this year's awards.
General Motors did quite well, taking eight segments, including both the subcompact and plug-in segments, with the gas-powered Chevrolet Spark and Spark EV. The Chevy Camaro SS and ZL1 took the high-performance car award. Toyota was well represented, with five winners split between the main brand (Corolla, Prius C and Tacoma) and Lexus (LS and RX).

Mazda Koeru concept forecasts next CX-9 in sleek form

Mazda rolled in to the Frankfurt Motor Show this year with the Koeru concept you see here. The showpiece is the latest embodiment of the Japanese brand's Kodo design language, applied with dramatic effect to a large crossover shape. Could this preview the next CX-9? The Koeru takes its name from the Japanese verb for "going beyond," and the reason is plain to see: though created by a mass-market brand, the concept could easily belong to an upscale marque like Infiniti (which offers a range of crossovers), Jaguar (which just revealed its first), or Maserati (which is preparing to get in on the action as well). It strikes us as aggressive as it is elegant, with taut lines and sporty details from the sharp lights to the muscular wheel arches. Few technical details as to what lies underneath it all were made available. And these show cars often lack working underpinnings to speak of anyway. But Mazda says that, beyond the styling, it optimized the aerodynamics over the upper body as well as underneath it to reduce turbulence and "enhance vehicle stability when driving at speed." It's also said to encompass the company's latest Skyactiv, i-Activesense, and Mazda Connect technologies. Which is all well and fine, but we're looking forward to seeing what innovations the company might incorporate if and when the Koeru (hopefully) transitions from concept to reality. In the meantime you can scope it out in the live and stock image galleries above and below. MAZDA KOERU The all-new crossover concept proposed by Mazda Mazda Motor Corporation is unveiling the all-new crossover concept Mazda KOERU for the world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year. The Mazda KOERU demonstrates Mazda's unique and daring interpretation of a crossover vehicle, proposed for the fast-growing crossover market. Featuring the full suite of Mazda's new-generation SKYACTIV technologies and designed under the KODO—Soul of Motion design language, the concept offers sporty yet delightfully refined styling and driving performance. The name "KOERU", which literally means "exceed" or "go beyond" in Japanese, comes from Mazda's aspiration to deliver value that goes well beyond the existing category norms and standards. As the latest incarnation of Mazda's new-generation products, the Mazda KOERU crossover concept offers styling that exudes power, vitality and a new level of polished refinement.