Category: Mazda

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MAZDA RX-2

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The Mazda RX-2 was launched in Japan in May 1970 but on release it was not called the RX-2 but rather the R612. Thirteen days later, and without any explanation, the public relations people at Mazda’s head office issued a further press release announcing that the R612 name had been dropped in favour of RX-2. No reason for the change was ever offered. The RX-2 replaced the R100 which constituted the modest beginning of Mazda’s mass production of rotary engined models. The RX-2, however, was considerably more serious. Compared with… Read more

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MAZDA CX-3 JOINS THE COMPACT SUV FRAY

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Any all-new entry into the fastest growing of all sales areas is sure to grab attention. None more so than the stylish new Mazda CX-3 when we drove it on an extended introductory drive program from Canberra to Sydney. Many along the way, on foot or in other vehicles noticed us as we passed by or stopped at traffic lights. Australia is one of Mazda’s biggest markets and we have been given the honour of being the first country outside Japan to receive the new CX-3. Mazda’s general manager of… Read more

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MAZDA3 DIESEL IS AN EXCELLENT ALL-ROUNDER

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The Mazda3 keeps pounding away on the sales charts, regularly duking it out with the i30 and Corolla and frequently coming out on top. With last year’s brand spanking new third generation 3 came a bit of a reshuffle. Gone is the fast but ill-mannered MPS3 and up to the top of the range goes the diesel, now known as the XD, topping even the warmish SP25. VALUE The Mazda3 range starts way down at around $22,000 plus on roads, right up to the $42,190 Astina-only XD. Based on the… Read more

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OIL-FIRED POWER IN UPMARKET MAZDA3

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It’s a measure of the worth of diesel power in passenger vehicles over the past decade that Mazda has anointed its popular Mazda3 with an oil burner, the XD Astina. Powered by a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine mated with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, the hatchback offers an attractive combination of performance and fuel efficiency – all at a cost of $940 below last year’s launch price. With class-leading power output of 129 kW, and 420 Nm of torque, the diesel engine also takes i-Stop and i-Eloop, Mazda’s regenerative… Read more

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BOLD NEW FACE FOR MAZDA6

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For those who think the current batch of mid-size sedans – Mazda6, Subaru Liberty, Volkswagen Passat – may be able to capitalise on the home grown Holden Commodore’s demise, Mazda has a word of advice: that trend has already started, and it does not include the mid-size segment car in any dominant form. The question was asked of Mazda’s marketing manager, Alistair Doak at this week’s launch of the 2015 Mazda6. His response came out of left field. “Besides people coming into Mazda3 from other Mazda product, Holden Commodore is… Read more

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2015 MAZDA3 TOURING REVIEW

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When Mazda’s dumpy 323 morphed into the striking 3 everything changed in the small car market in Australia. Obviously this wasn’t Mazda’s first attempt at a small hatchback, but as reinventions went, it was a good one. Mazda’s 90s design mojo was back, it was well-equipped and the range eventually got a halo car in the form of the completely bonkers MPS. It was also noisy and thirsty. Now in its third generation, the Mazda3 has settled in at the top end of the sales charts, often right at the… Read more

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MAZDA CX-5 UPGRADED

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Always a company to look at taking its own direction, yet not hesitate to keep an eye on what other marques are doing, Mazda has taken the European route in making changes to the big selling Mazda CX-5. When we mean big selling that’s exactly the right description, Mazda CX-5 has been the top seller in the SUV field in Australia for the past two years. That’s top seller outright, not simply in its class. The SUV / crossover / 4WD market is very much alive in Australia, indeed globally,… Read more

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MAZDA CX-5 CROSSOVER WORKS BRILLIANTLY

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When it first arrived in Australia in 2011 the Mazda CX-5 was praised for its styling and general liveability as a crossover wagon, but we weren’t impressed by the performance of the only engine on offer at the time. Quoting the Mazda marketing slogan we said the petrol unit was more Zoom than Zoom-Zoom in the way it performed. That criticism was answered a few months later when Mazda offered the CX-5 with the option of a turbo-diesel – we soon announced the Zoom-Zoom was back. So in the interest… Read more

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2014 MAZDA MX-5 25th ANNIVERSARY

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It’s hard to believe that in twenty-five years we’ve had just three iterations of the MX-5. You could say that it’s just the Japanese manufacturer resting on its laurels, pointing to healthy sales as reason enough to leave it alone. This third generation MX-5 is about to bow out and just in time for its twenty-fifth anniversary to be appropriately and tastefully milked by its maker. VALUE At $48,380 for the six-speed manual or $49,990 for the six-speed auto, things start fairly expensively. The 25th Anniversary does come with a… Read more

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NEW MAZDA CX-3 – FIRST DRIVE

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If you haven’t heard of the new Mazda CX-3, you soon will. This SUV crossover is set to become the next big thing on the Australian motoring landscape by shaking up the booming small SUV segment. How big could it become? Right now we would predict segment leadership and probably Mazda’s third highest volume vehicle behind icons Mazda3 and CX-3’s big brother, CX-5. Not since Range Rover Evoque has a vehicle yet to hit showroom floors caused such a stir. It wowed the international media at the 2014 LA Motor… Read more