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2016 Mazda CX-9 starts at $32,420 with standard turbo engine

The 2016 Mazda CX-9 will start at $32,420 (including $900 for destination) when it arrives at dealers later this spring. The base price is just slightly higher than competitors in the three-row CUV segment like the 2016 Ford Explorer for $31,995 and 2016 Honda Pilot for $31,045. The new model is also more expensive than the 2015 CX-9, which had a $30,865 starting price. All versions of the 2016 CX-9 use Mazda's new 2.5-liter turbocharged engine with 250 horsepower (on 93-octane fuel) and 310 pound-feet of torque, which routes through a six-speed automatic. The combo returns an EPA-estimated 22 miles per gallon city, 28 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined in front-wheel-drive form. All-wheel drive adds $1,800 to the price of most trims. We found the powertrain to be fantastic during when driving the CX-9 prototype. Even the base CX-9 Sport trim has amenities like LED headlights and taillights, a backup camera, trailer stability assist, and a seven-inch infotainment system. An optional Sport Package for $950 adds a power driver's seat, heated front seats, and heated side mirrors. Customers can really load the CX-9 with tech, though. The Touring model for $36,870 has Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, keyless entry, a power hatch, and an eight-inch infotainment system. The optional Touring Premium Package for $1,745 also adds automatic headlights, LED fog lights, navigation, and Smart City Brake Support. If that's not enough, the Grand Touring for $41,070 features a head-up display, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and radar cruise control. The top spec CX-9 Signature for $44,915 includes all of these features and comes standard with all-wheel drive. It also has Nappa leather upholstery, rosewood trim, LED lighting around the gearshift, and LED accents on the grille. Related Video: 2016 Mazda CX-9 Priced from $31,520 MSRP[1], Elevates Midsize, Three-Row Crossover Experience - Class-Leading EPA-Estimated Fuel Economy, Elegant, Upscale Interior and Spirited Handling Dynamics Make CX-9 a Standout - IRVINE, Calif., March 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) has today released pricing and packaging information for its all-new 2016 Mazda CX-9 midsize, three-row crossover SUV. Offering a premium experience, fun-to-drive handling dynamics and bold KODO—Soul of Motion design, CX-9 represents a compelling offering in its class with a starting MSRP from $31,520.

Recharge Wrap-up: Renault-Nissan hits 250,000 EVs, will the next Toyota Prius be an SUV?

Will the next Toyota Prius be an SUV? Mazda and Toyota recently reached an agreement to share powertrain technologies, which will help Mazda comply with California's tightening ZEV restrictions with a plug-in vehicle. On the flip side, Toyota will have access Mazda's Skyactiv diesel powertrain, which a source tells Motoring will be used in an SUV based on the Toyota Prius (and, as Hybrid Cars suggests, on the Toyota C-HR concept). Interestingly, the collaboration will also give Mazda access to Toyota's fuel cell technology, which could mean more hydrogen powered cars on the road and the subsequent expansion of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Could it also make way for a long-awaited hydrogen powered rotary-engine sports car from Mazda? Read more at Motoring. Samsung SDI unveiled two new lithium-ion stationary batteries at Intersolar Europe. In doing so, Samsung throws its hat in the ring with the likes of automakers Tesla and Mercedes-Benz, using knowledge from electric vehicle batteries in the arena of home solar energy storage. In addition to its 3.6-kWh battery, its new 5.5-kWh and 8.0-kWh batteries offer storage solutions at a larger, more practical scale for solar customers. Called the All-in-One, the battery system, borrowed from electric vehicles, is made up of a photovoltaic inverter, battery PCS and lithium-ion battery, and promises efficiency, compactness, fast installation and an affordable price. Read more from Samsung SDI. The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 250,000th electric vehicle. The quarter-millionth EV was a white Renault Zoe sold to a French computer engineer from Bordeaux named Yves Nivelle. While he credits a government program offering a ˆ10,000 rebate for EV buyers trading in an older diesel vehicle for helping him make the decision to pull the trigger on the new Zoe, "I have to say, I was convinced the first time I drove the car. It's a real pleasure to drive and it feels good to do my part for the environment," says Nivelle. The Alliance had sold around 31,600 EVs from January to May this year, up 15 percent from the first five months of 2014. See the video above, and read more in the press release below. Renault-Nissan Alliance sells its 250,000th electric vehicle • Historic EV milestone reached in early June • Alliance sells half of all EVs globally • EV sales up nearly 15 percent through May vs.

Autoblog editors choose their favorite racecars of all time

If you like cars, there is a good chance that you like racecars. There's something about the science and the art of going faster, of competition, of achievement, that accelerates the hearts of enthusiasts. It doesn't matter the series, the team or the manufacturer – there's something about racing that stirs emotions and lifts spirits. It's that way with many of you, and it's that way with our editors. With that in mind, we offer a list of our favorite racecars of all time. Of course, we'd like to hear some of yours in the comment section below. 1970 Porsche 917 Compared to some of the obscure choices by my colleagues, I feel like the Porsche 917 is almost so obvious a pick as to not be worth mentioning. Still, when coming up with my answer, my mind invariably went back to this classic racer – specifically in its blue-and-orange Gulf livery – while watching Le Mans on DVD and later Blu Ray with my dad. Long, low and curvaceous, few vehicles have ever looked sexier lapping a track than the 917. More than just a pretty face, this beauty had speed, too, thanks to several tunes of flat-12 engines over the course of its racing life. In the early '70s, Porsche was a dominant force throughout sports-car competition, and the 917 (shown above at the 1970 24 Hours of Daytona) was the tip of that spear, including back-to-back victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Largely without dialogue or really much of a traditional plot, Le Mans is like a tone poem of racing goodness. While the 917's importance to motorsports history is undoubtedly fascinating, it's still this cinematic depiction of the Porsche racer that draws me in most, especially with the volume cranked. – Chris Bruce Associate Editor 1964 Mini Cooper S How could everyone not be selecting the 1964 Mini Cooper S piloted by Paddy Hopkirk and Henry Liddon? That car, 33 EJB, took the first of British Motor Corporation's four Monte Carlo Rally wins (it should have been five, but French judges got the British Minis [and Fords] disqualified on a technicality regarding headlights... which its own car, the winning DS, was also in violation of). The tiny red car and its white roof beat out Ford Falcons, Mercedes-Benz 300SEs and scores of Volvos, Volkswagens and Saabs. This, along with the several years of dominance that followed, cemented the idea that not only could the tiny, two-tone Mini be a real performance vehicle, but that family-friendly city cars in general could be fun.