2009 Mazda Rx-8 R3 Coupe 4-door 1.3l 6spd Manual, Recaro Seats, Bose And More on 2040-cars

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Mazda MX-5 Miata goes Head 2 Head with Subaru BRZ

It's a battle that's been in the making for some time now: the Subaru BRZ versus the Mazda MX-5 Miata. And now that the new Miata has arrived – and in Club spec to boot – that's exactly what Motor Trend has lined up for its latest episode of Head 2 Head. Now before you go screaming that one's a coupe and the other a convertible, take a few commonalities into account. Roofs aside, both feature a 2.0-liter four mounted up front, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Both are made by Japanese automakers and cost around $25-30k, give or take. Both produce around the same amount of torque, and while the Subaru may be more powerful, the Mazda's considerably lighter. To create a more even contest, then, you'd have to line a BRZ up against a Scion FR-S, or the MX-5 against the upcoming Fiat version of the same. Of course, being that close on paper doesn't mean that it's a draw. One has to come out on top. And after taking both along country roads and the Streets of Willow racing circuit, our friends at MT have picked one over the other. You'll want to watch the 22-minute video above (or at least skip ahead to the end) to see which came out on top, but if you're as enthused by a purist driver's car as we are, you'll enjoy every minute of it. News Source: Motor Trend via YouTube Mazda Subaru Convertible Coupe Economy Cars Performance Videos motor trend mazda mx-5 head 2 head

NHTSA urges owners of recalled Takata airbag vehicles to take immediate action

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation are taking the unusual step of issuing a followup press release urging owners of certain recalled vehicles "to act immediately" to fix their cars and trucks. The problem in question concerns the repair campaigns for rupturing Takata airbag inflators issued in June and covers a long list of models from Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Infiniti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac.
While NHSTA doesn't specifically say why the recall is vital in the new release, Toyota's own explanation in its newly announced renotification campaign earlier today sheds some new light on the topic. According to the Japanese automaker, in testing, Takata found a possible link between the rupturing airbag inflators and high humidity. NHTSA is advocating that all owners pursue repairs immediately if they haven't already done so already. This is especially crucial for those drivers especially in Florida, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Hawaii because of the humid conditions there.
We don't need to tell you how dangerous an inadvertent airbag deployment could be - even in a stationary vehicle - but adding to the Takata issue is fears that the deployment could lead to shrapnel being sprayed into the cabin.

Live pics of 2014 Mazda3 from NYC, sedan on its way

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, straight from the memory cards of our own cameras. As you can see, the only version of the 2014 Mazda3 that the automaker is showing off at the moment is the hatchback, but we've gotten confirmation from Mazda that the sedan version will be shown sometime within the next five weeks.
So far, Mazda isn't commenting on whether or not we can expect a higher-performance Mazdaspeed3 version of the car, but we've got our fingers crossed. In any case, we're quite drawn to the appearance of this new hatchback from Mazda, with its flowing lines and character creases setting it apart from the rest of the compact segment in which it competes.
We also appreciate the sound engineering that went into the new 3. Despite boasting a wheelbase that's longer than the car it replaces, we're pleased to see that Mazda has kept its exterior size in check - it's actually shorter overall than the last-gen model - while also reducing weight by about 200 pounds. That's bound to be good for the new 3's dynamic properties.