Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpapers

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

Mazda MX-5 HD Wallpaper

New Gen Y Buyer Survey Spells Trouble for Detroit

Auto pricing website TrueCar studied the car buying behaviour of four million Gen Y (18 to 27 year-old) over a twenty-four month period and here’s what they found.
Scion took the crown for top brand, with 37.4% of the market and for top model (the tC coupe), with 21.2%, while second place went to Mitsubishi (32.1%) and their Lancer sedan (20.3%).
Mazda was the third most visited brand for Gen Y buyers, though only 17th in terms of model. The top four vehicle choices were Japanese, with a German in seventh place and a South Korean in ninth.

The...Lime Lantern: Mazda’s Special Edition MX-5 Roadster Coupe Karai

Another week, and rather than just another Mazda, it’s another MX-5 special edition. This one is called Karai, which according to the company is Japanese for ‘sharp’, and it comes to us from Mazda’s European division.
The Karai is based on the MX-5 Roadster coupe, which means it is fitted with a retractable hardtop. It boasts a unique lime-green paint called “Metal Green Metallic” for the body and contrasting glossy black finish for metal top, exterior mirrors, trim accents such as the front grille and fog lamp surrounds, as well as the 17-inch multispoke alloy wheels that are shod in low profile performance tires.

Refreshed Mazda Demio goes on Sale in Japan

Mazda announced today that sales of the facelifted Mazda Demio, or Mazda2 as the rest of the world knows it, have begun in Japan. The new Mazda2 is the company’s supermini and the target sales for its home market is 6,000 units per month.

A Mazda MX-5 On Steroids: Australia’s V8 Engined Bullet Roadster

In the late ‘90s, Australian John Bettini unleashed onto the word the Bullet Roadster. What begin life as a heavily modified Mazda MX-5 with an RX-7 13B powerplant gradually evolved into a V8-engined monster like the one you see here that we found for sale in Queensland, Australia.
According to the seller, this was the fifth Bullet Roadster built and the first V8-engined one to roll out of the company’s then new Chinderah, NSW factory. It’s all hearsay, of course, but I’m willing to believe the words of a 62yo motoring enthusiast with arthritic knees. So here goes...
Bullet No. 5 was a special order from a man named George Covacic who supplied a 4.6-liter all-alloy, fuel injected V8 crate motor along with a Tremac 5-speed manual transmission and the differential from a Holden Commodore SS. Like all Bullet supercars, the brakes and suspension came from the Mazda RX-7.

Mazda’s Legendary 787B Le-Mans Winner to Race at Goodwood

It’s been 20 years already, yet it feels like yesterday when Mazda in 1991 became the first, and to date, the only Japanese manufacturer to win the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. The weapon of choice was the rotary-engine-powered 787B, which sported a carbonfibre body, an output of 700 PS and a 210 mph (338 km/h) top speed.

2011 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring AWD Review

Pros

• Spacious interior for 7 passengers + luggage
• Sliding second row seats that recline
• Standard equipment list longer than Snoop Dog’s rap sheet

Cons

• Exterior is too similar to the less expensive CX-7
• Interior materials and designs are boring
• The nav screen is hard to read in sunlight
• Improved MPG, but not stellar

I always thought the pair of Mazda crossover SUVs, the CX-7 and CX-9, to be some of the most handsome ones on the market when they were introduced back in 2006 as 2007 models. Even in today’s crowded crossover SUV market, the Mazdas are still lookers although the styling is getting a little long in the tooth. While the larger CX-9 shares styling cues with the CX-7, it shares almost nothing else with its smaller sibling. The CX-9 is based on the same platform and shares the same 3.7 liter V6 engine as the Ford Edge/Lincoln MKX, an example of the long-term partnership between Ford and Mazda, which continues even after Ford reduced its stake in the Japanese car maker back in 2008.


Driving Impressions
On paper the CX-9 looks like an exciting ride. A 3.7 liter V6 engine with 273 HP and 270 lb.-ft. of torque, 6-speed sport automatic transmission, and an active torque split all-wheel drive system set some high expectations. Once behind the wheel though, those expectations fell flat. The CX-9 feels sluggish. It feels heavy. Don’t get me wrong, the 3.7 liter is producing significant torque and horsepower, but the CX-9 definitely doesn’t feel like it provides a lot of zoom-zoom, as Mazda likes to say. The power eventually comes on after some hesitation once you really sink your right foot into the floor, but the response is not something you should be happy with. On the freeway, this is even more pronounced, as I accelerated on the onramp to merge with moving traffic. The CX-9 handled rather well for a vehicle this size, however, and steering feel was decently heavy at highway speeds. At highway speeds, the CX-9 feels very stable. You still get the feeling that this is a big vehicle, however.
Styling
As I mentioned, the CX-9 is still a pretty slick looker after all these years. It received the Mazda shield-shaped corporate grille in 2010 but overall appearance has not evolved much at all since the original version in 2007. The 20-inch wheels on the Grand Touring edition are massive and look great on the CX-9, but they also make the ride quality a bit rough.

Although this is a 7-passenger crossover SUV, it doesn’t have that elongated look the full-size SUVs like the Suburban do. Even the other 7-passenger crossovers like the Chevy Traverse look a bit awkward with a long body. Mazda designers managed to hide the size well on the CX-9 with a strategically-placed C pillar and the CX-9 doesn’t appear much longer than the CX-7, which only seats 5.
Its styling is too similar to that of the CX-7, however, and with the competition growing denser in the full-size crossover segment, Mazda would benefit from more aggressive and distinctive styling.


Interior Comfort and Ergonomics
The CX-9 has a long list of standard equipment that one expects on a $40,000 crossover vehicle nowadays, from heated front seats and side mirrors to steering wheel mounted controls. The 8-way power driver seat and Bluetooth® are also standard. Also standard are some not-so-common features, like the separate rear seat climate control unit with top and bottom vents, a nice touch rarely seen on a sub-$40,000 vehicle.
Keyless entry and start button is also standard, as is leather trimmed seats. The seats are comfortable and firm, and the second row seats slide back and forth to give more legroom to the third row seats. Even with the third row seats up, there is still decent luggage room in the back. It is quite easy to slide the second row seats forward to access the third row, with a huge lever on the side of the second row seats and there’s another lever to fold them flat for more cargo room.

Our tester has the optional moonroof/Bose 10-speaker package, rounding out a nice long list of amenities. The interior materials feel a bit cheap on a $40,000 car, however, and the design and layout looks just like any other Mazda. But this is the top-of-the-line Mazda. The one major complaint I have about the interior is the angle of the navigation screen. It is slanted at an angle that makes it impossible to read in direct sunlight. The funny thing is that there is a tilt option to adjust the screen, but it tilts it in the wrong direction, making it even harder to read.
Value
The CX-9 base Sport trim starts at $29k and has the same 3.7 liter V6 and has FWD. The mileage is slightly better at 17 city/24 highway, while the AWD version gets 16/22. The tester is a Grand Touring edition with AWD and the optional features MSRPs at an even $40,000. These prices are in the same range as the CX-9’s major competitors such as the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, the Chevy Traverse, and the Hyundai Veracruz. The Mazda is the best looker of the bunch, but the styling is starting to feel stale.

More Stylish Than a Minivan
If you need a 7-passenger vehicle but don’t want to the bulk and poor fuel efficiency of a full-size SUV, and you hate to be seen driving around a minivan, then a mid- to full-size crossover SUV is your best bet. You don’t get as much storage room as the full-size SUV and you don’t get the convenience of power sliding doors on the minivan, but at least you look more stylish. And if style is important to you, then the Mazda CX-9 should definitely be on the top of your consideration set.

	BUILD	INTERIOR	PERFORMANCE	HANDLING	STYLING	VALUE	OVERALL
RATING	4.5	4.0	4.0	4.5	4.5	4.0	4.25/B+

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