Mazda Road Tests

As far as mid-life facelifts go, this is a radical rethink. Not visually, you understand, for aside from a new grille and other small styling tweaks about the nose and tail, this updated version of Mazda's best-selling model looks much like the neatly styled car it has replaced in showrooms since late last year.

A new chrome-accented grin and an updated more practical interior are the key features of a midlife upgrade for Mazda's road-focused CX-7 crossover.

The bad boy of the Mazda family is growing up, but don't be fooled by his more refined demeanour and flash new wardrobe; this generously powered front-drive tearaway remains a hooligan at heart.

Does the Mazda MX-5 gain more than it loses when fitted with a folding metal roof and automatic transmission in place of the traditional soft-top and manual gearbox? David Thomson tests the latest version of this iconic Japanese sports car to find out.

Utes come in a bewildering range of configurations: single cabs, twin cabs, and double cabs; wellsides and flat-decks behind; diesel and petrol engines under the bonnet; two and four-wheel-drive.

As you would expect, the vehicle that has just scooped New Zealand's premier car of the year award is rather special.

Thinking thrift? You’ll soon be expected to, if the Government moves to knobble the big drinkers on our roads.

To elevate awareness about emissions and economy, expect compulsory fuel efficiency labelling on vehicles, an emission trading scheme and a tougher line on exhaust nasties.

DRIVING onto a gravel riverbed to take the photographs that accompany this story was as close as the CX-7 came to off-roading in my hands. Decidedly lacking in rigour, this gentle traction test was selected intentionally, with the CX-7 in mind.

The Mazda MX-5 Coupe is a bit of a misnomer.

For a start, the coupe describes the steel fold-away lid that Mazda has used instead of the more traditional soft top.

It also costs more - starting at $51,900 for the six-speed manual, it is almost $7000 more than the "base" MX-5.

But, who cares? I don't - it's an MX-5 - a car I have always loved.

STANDING for Mazda Performance Series, the MPS moniker has already been applied to a turbocharged four-wheel-drive version of the larger Mazda 6 saloon. The Mazda 3 MPS uses the same hearty turbocharged 190kW/380Nm 2.3-litre engine and six-speed manual gearbox as its larger cousin, but misses out on the four-wheel-drive treatment.

Subaru, so long the undisputed king of mid-sized mainstream high-performance saloons, is facing a new performance challenge from Mazda.

Part one of that challenge, which is the subject of this test, is mounted by the turbo-charged 2.3-litre Mazda 6 MPS, which takes a serious tilt at Subaru's Legacy GT and 3.0R models.

I can remember my first drive of a Mazda MX-5 with vivid clarity. It was some 15 years ago, at the Castle Coombe racetrack in England; I was there as a very junior member on the panel deciding Britain's best-handling car.

A little over a decade ago, Mazda was producing some exciting cars.

They were different, ranging from the cheeky 121 through the Astina to the wide-bodied 626.

Then the company choked, and its cars became competent and conservative, styling bordering on the bland.

Engines of 1.6 and 1.8 litres are dropped, leaving 2- and 2.3-litre power to become the new standards in Mazda's medium-small range with this weekend's launch of the long-awaited 323 replacement.

To say Mazda's new RX-8 is innovative is an understatement. The extrovert sets a new benchmark for practicality in the sports car market.
Putting aside for a moment the motive power under the bonnet and its stand-out styling, the RX-8 is a practical alternative for a (wealthy) family to a basic fivedoor hatchback.