Category: Mazda

If the CX-3 were a child, it would likely be called precocious, so full of itself is the new Mazda compact crossover. However, I mean this in the nicest possible way. The first-ever CX-3 has plenty to say in all its offerings, from the most extensive range in its segment, MZD Connect; including Mazda’s new infotainment system on Maxx, sTouring and Akari, three of its four grades. Entry-level Neo is the odd man out. Two engines – a 1.5-litre diesel and a 2.0-litre petrol – are on offer. Available in… Read more

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

Mazda’s 2 has been doing the business in the light car segment for a long, long time. The previous car felt like it had been around for yonks, almost as long as Toyota’s seemingly-unchanging Yaris. The old car was quite good, but shared the failings of its bigger brothers, namely sub-par noise suppression and some dodgy interior materials. Mazda has slowly been sorting that out across its entire passenger range, with big gains in the Mazda6, the Mazda3 and CX SUVs. The new ‘2 has to tread the line between… Read more

To be honest, at first I found the CX-5 hard to warm to. At its launch in February 2012, the Mazda sports utility vehicle showed a distinct lack of get up and go. At the time I said: “Zoom-Zoom goes the Mazda brand hook . . . but in the case of the new CX- 5, the Japanese automaker’s latest addition to the SUV jungle, maybe it should be just Zoom”. In the intervening years, however, the maker has obviously put in the work on the vehicle’s performance, because the… Read more

Launched in Australia in 2002, the Mazda6 has since become the country’s best-selling medium import. End of story. Well, not quite because a new Touring station wagon has just been added to the family. Mazda says the newborn is the result of requests from potential customers and includes both petrol and diesel versions. The oil burner is a real eye opener with a new-found vitality over the engine it replaces. The MZR-CD 2.2-litre turbo-diesel has better response and improved driving feel over the unit it replaces. The turbocharger has shrunk,… Read more