Category: Road Test

If you’re over a certain age, it still seems weird that an SUV from Mazda, a company with basically zero off-road cred, tears up the sales charts in its segment. You can understand the Mazda3, the Japanese company has decades of tidy, good-looking sedans and hatchbacks in the back catalogue, but an SUV? Yet, here we are. The Mazda CX-5 is a strong seller, giving the Toyota juggernaut a blood nose while fighting off cheaper Korean competition and expensive Euros. VALUE Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring is the last stop before… Read more

As cars go in Australia’s shrinking medium-car market, the Mazda6 has a hell of a lot going for it. It’s a genuinely beautiful car, well-priced, generously equipped and fitted with plenty of useful technology. It’s also pitted against terminally dull cars from Toyota and Holden that are competent and well-executed but lack a bit for driveway appeal. The ‘6 could just walk it in, really. VALUE At $37,280, the Mazda6 is competitive on price alone, but counters with a good equipment list and frugal SkyActiv engines. The 6’s key lands… Read more

The stylish new Mazda CX-3 takes an interestingly different tack in small SUV design. Whereas its many competitors have produced tall vehicles that cry out that they are SUVs, the Mazda is only a little higher than a typical small-medium hatchback. A crossover between a hatch and an SUV might be just what many buyers are asking for – indeed, Mazda CX-3 has selling its wheels off since it was launched in March. Styling is obviously a major factor in the big sales numbers, but the interesting size could also… Read more