2003 Mazda Protege Dx Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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2019 Toyota Corolla vs. compact hatchbacks: How they compare

So you've read what we thought about the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Oh, you didn't? Well, click to your left, we'll still be here. Just made some coffee, we're good for a while. Welcome back! Wasn't that riveting? The blue paint sure is bright, eh? Well, now you must be wondering how that new 2019 Corolla stacks up with all the other hatchbacks. And, despite long thinking that hatchbacks were doomed, there are actually quite a lot of them these days. So many, in fact, that we couldn't fit them all in our space-limited comparison chart. So, with apologies to the Hyundai Elantra GT, Kia Forte and the dead-man-walking Ford Focus, these were the cars we chose based on sales and competitiveness: the Honda Civic Hatchback, Mazda3 5-Door, Volkswagen Golf, Chevrolet Cruze and Subaru Impreza. We also included the outgoing Corolla iM for reference. If you think we've left something of interest out, you can always create your own comparison. Performance and fuel economy There is but one king here, and its name is Civic. While the sedan and coupe come with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter 158-horsepower four-cylinder that's less potent than the Corolla's, the hatchback comes standard with the 1.5-liter turbo that aces the segment in terms of both acceleration and fuel economy. The Golf's acceleration should be comparable, but as you can see, it trails on fuel economy (still not bad, though). The new Corolla ends up being better than the rest with its new 168-hp four-cylinder paired to novel transmissions: a six-speed manual with rev-matched downshifting (!) and a CVT that mimics the actions of a 10-speed automatic. The Corolla does weigh more than everything else, though, so that could hamper its acceleration. Fuel economy data also wasn't announced, but Toyota indicated it would be a bit better than the old Corolla iM. Something akin to the 2.0-liter Mazda 3's numbers seems likely. As for the Mazda, its top two trim levels actually come standard with its bigger engine. In any event, despite its ample power, testing has often showed that the Civic is still the quicker car from 0 to 60 mph. And finally, let's not leave out the two on the end. The Subaru is the only car in the segment that offers all-wheel drive (the Focus RS and Golf R don't count), but is also the segment weakling now that the Corolla iM has been discontinued.

2014 Mazda3 configurator zoom-zooms to life

The 2014 Mazda3 is probably going to be on a lot of shopping lists, thanks to its striking good looks, clean interior treatment, fuel economy and driving character. If it happens to be on your personal list of new cars to test, you'll be happy to see that the configurator for Mazda's newest product has officially gone online.
In terms of build-your-own web items, configuring a 3 isn't much of a departure from the rest of the Mazda range. Most of the work comes from choosing one of the three trim levels - Sport, Touring and Grand Touring - and selecting either the 155-horsepower, 2.0-liter, Skyactiv four-cylinder or its larger sibling, the 184-horsepower, 2.5-liter, Skyactiv four. From there, a simple range of color and interior finishes are available, before a slim list of packages, options and accessories. Really, Mazda's made it easy to get through this build process.
Click on over to the configurator and take a look at the options, colors and prices for Mazda's newest five-door hatchback.

Mazda recalls 2019-2020 Mazda3 for errant activation of emergency braking system

The newly redesigned Mazda3 has been subject to numerous recalls since it went on sale for the 2019 model year. Today brings news of another such occurrence, as Mazda recalls 35,390 2019-2020 Mazda3s (sedans and hatchbacks). This recall is related to the automatic emergency braking system equipped to certain models. According to Mazda, affected vehicles may “unexpectedly stop while driving due to inadvertent activation of the Smart Braking System automatic emergency braking system.” The programming of the systemÂ’s software could cause the Mazda3 to “falsely detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle while driving.” In response to that detection, the software may automatically apply the brakes despite no collision being imminent. We donÂ’t have to explain how dangerous that could end up being for the driver and those around them. Your car slamming on the brakes for no reason could easily be the cause of an accident. As of now, Mazda says no injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of the defect. In case you havenÂ’t experienced the system in your Mazda3 yet, there is something to look out for. Mazda says a warning alarm will sound and a warning message will appear in the instrument cluster and head-up display when the car is about to perform an emergency stop. Mazda said that itÂ’s reported the defect to the NHTSA, but it hasnÂ’t been posted on the website yet. The fix is easy for some, but more difficult for others. Vehicles with early build dates will need the whole instrument cluster replaced or reprogrammed, as these cars have a different procedure for "temporary manual deactivation of the Smart Braking System." These early build cars will also receive a new owner's manual to reflect the revised procedure of temporary manual deactivation of the system. Later cars will only need the Smart Braking System software reprogrammed with an improved version. Mailings to owners for notification purposes should be completed on or before February 17 next year.