Mazda 6 2013

Mazda 6 2013 - The latest Mazda6 sedan with a name will get a concept coupe version Takeri. Currently, Mazda has considered the plan. According to the plan, the Mazda6 will be launched in 2013 and the coupe version was launched in 2014. In addition, for the new sedan although no complete specification data, the Japanese manufacturer will equip with the new Mazda6.

Mazda6 exterior design is now more daring when compared with the previous generation. Comes with a new grille design and a leaner, more technical headlights and body lines more sharply.Regarding the kitchen runway, Mazda6 will be equipped with the latest Active Sky 2.2-liter turbodiesel which is claimed to spewing power of 173 hp and torque of 310 lb lf. Although it has great power, but Mazda Mazda6 is claimed to still have enough fuel-efficient, while the emission CO2nya produces only 104 g / km.

Has a length of 4850 mm, 4-door sedan is equipped with a new 2.0-liter diesel SKYACTIV-D with a 6 speed automatic transmission. The Takeri is also equipped with Mazda i-stop idling stop system and regenerative braking system is unique and is called 'i-ELOOP' (Intelligent Energy Loop). I-ELOOP is the first in the world energy system that uses the kinetic energy recovery system of a capacitor from 25V to 12V alternator, unlike the traditional battery.

Mazda claims the solution to be introduced gradually to all the models are not equipped with an electric motor in 2012, has many advantages over the combination of a conventional electric motor-battery.Research conducted by Mazda engineers showed that the average deceleration cycle only lasts about 10 seconds.Therefore, the ability of the capacitor to recharge more quickly than batteries, and profitable.

In addition, while full-capacitor charging takes about one minute, in urban driving conditions, sometimes not fully replenished when exhausted. In this case, the capacitor has advantages other than batteries, and power do not decrease even if used within a period of time.

Mazda says, is like a battery-based systems, i-ELOOP not use the internal combustion engine to charge the capacitor, which will lead to increased fuel consumption.

According to Mazda, the combination of all the technology in new diesel engines offer up to 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption than the conventional model of the same size and power cruising can reach 1,500 km.

Mazda RX-8 R3 2009 - Short Take Road Test

New sports coupes arrive like summer lightning and depart like uneaten guacamole: ignored, slowly fading to brown, awaiting the inevitable flush. The six-year-old Mazda RX-8 languishes through 2008 with sales the Hubble telescope wouldn’t register: just 2591 units through the end of August.

Mazda isn’t giving up, however. The Hiroshima headquarters considers rotary engines integral to its identity, so the RX-8 stays, a place keeper for a future all-new rotary engine currently code-named “16X” and due perhaps by 2012.

Meanwhile, the RX-8 gets a little stir to keep it green. Most obvious is the new front bumper that flares the grille and brake-duct openings for a more dangerous, grinning-cobra menace. Four glassy robot eyes now fill the taillight teardrops, the exhaust tips are bigger, and fresh wheel designs adorn the various trim levels.

Underneath, Mazda adds chassis stiffeners to further tighten an already athletic platform, and tweaked rear-suspension geometry settles the back end and helps sharpen steering response. The prop shaft also has been strengthened to reduce driveline vibration and noise.

Also new for ’09 is the R3. At $32,600, the RX-8 R3 is priced just $930 above the luxury Grand Touring and trades a few of the GT’s comfort bits—heated mirrors, automatic climate control, power seats—for go-fast bits such as 19-inch forged aluminum wheels, Bilstein shocks, and Recaro-brand leather-trimmed buckets. A spoiler, side-sill extensions, fog lights, and an even angrier front bumper also ride along, as does a 300-watt Bose stereo.

Steering that answers to palm twitches remains the RX-8’s best selling point, the R3 cruising flat and neutral through the wiggles without tire squeal or shimmy. Call us surprised that our skidpad runs were lower, generating 0.87 g to our previous 0.92. Brake performance stays about even, and the R3 impresses as every bit the joy toy its predecessors were.

The six-speed-only R3 runs on the same 232 horsepower and 159 pound-feet of torque as other RX-8 manuals (autos have 212 horses) but has foam-filled front crossmembers linking the front-suspension pickups for better sound-and-vibration damping. At 3060 pounds, the R3’s curb weight exactly matches that of our last RX-8 test car [“Four of a Kind,” June 2007].

The low-torque RX-8 was always tricky to get rolling without a stall. A shorter rear-end ratio in all 2009s—4.78:1 versus 4.44—means less revving and clutch slip in everyday driving. However, the second-to-third shift is now perilously close to 60 mph, which likely slowed the acceleration runs (6.7 seconds to 60 mph versus 6.5). Fuel economy isn’t helped or, apparently, hurt. We averaged 15 mpg, same as before.

Sporty cars come and eventually go, but for now, Mazda’s entertaining eccentric is signing up for another rotation.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2+2-door coupe

PRICE AS TESTED: $32,600 (base price: $32,600)

ENGINE TYPE: 2-rotor Wankel, aluminum rotor housings with iron liners and end plates, port fuel injection
Displacement: 80 cu in, 1308cc
Power (SAE net): 232 bhp @ 8500 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 159 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.4 in Length: 175.6 in Width: 69.7 in Height: 52.8 in
Curb weight: 3060 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.7 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 17.7 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 40.3 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.1 sec @ 93 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 141 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 152 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.87 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 16/22 mpg
C/D observed: 15 mpg

(BY AARON ROBINSON, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN SEGAL)

Mazda Five 2011

The bulk of the Mazda lineup has recently been updated, and the Japanese carmaker will bring its Mazda 5 small minivan in line when it unveils the new 2011 model at the Geneva auto show in early March.

The update represents the model’s first major freshening in a while, and the first since going on sale in the U.S. in 2005. The 5, which is known as the Premacy in Japan, takes on styling cues from the Mazda 3 on which it’s based, in particular the smiley-face grille and pronounced fenders. Moving aft of the A-pillars, Mazda says the new 5 is the first production model to fully adopt the wind-blown, swooping styling language the company has refined on several stunning concepts, starting with the Nagare in 2006 and including the Furai racer from 2008.

Inspired by the beauty of flowing elements in nature—nagare means “flow” in Japanese—the design language is most evident along the sides of the 5, where swooping creases between the beltline and rockers appear to be sculpted by the wind, lending a sense of motion. These particular elements can be found in all the previous concept vehicles and, according to Mazda, help the 5 achieve improved aerodynamic efficiency with less drag and more optimal lift characteristics. The result definitely is striking—think BMW’s flame surfacing on magic mushrooms. A more-sculpted rear fascia with revised taillights rounds out the major tweaks to the body.

We have yet to learn the extent of the interior changes, but the layout will remain a spacious and flexible place for six, complete with dual sliding doors for easy entry and exit. Improved materials and revised equipment are expected in order to keep the 5 on par with the updated-for-2010 CX-7 and CX-9.

The 2011 Mazda 5 will go on sale in Europe in the fall of this year with several powertrains, the most notable of which is a new, direct-injected 2.0-liter inline-four with the company’s “i-stop” stop/start technology. When equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, the new 5 is said to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, which are directly tied to fuel consumption, by 15 percent. A 1.8-liter four and a small-displacement turbo-diesel also will be available.

The current U.S.-market 5 sports a 153-hp, 2.3-liter four mated to either a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearbox. While we don’t expect performance to match that of, say, our Mazdaspeed 5 Boss Wagon, the fitment of the redesigned-for-2009 Mazda 3’s optional 2.5-liter mill, which makes 167 hp and is paired with either a six-speed manual or a five-speed auto, seems likely. As is par for the course these days, expect a slight bump in fuel economy over the current car’s city/highway ratings of 22/28 mpg with the manual and 21/27 with the automatic.

(BY MIKE SUTTON)

Mazda MX-5 2.0 RC long-term test review

CAR's Mazda MX-5 roadster is such a joy to drive, even in the creeping clutch of winter. It feels so alert, so tail-up and feisty – an engaging effervescence that makes every mile something to be enjoyed, no matter what the road or the weather.

Still fresh and still relevant 20 years after the launch of the original, the MX-5 has adhered tenaciously to its straightforward but hugely effective dynamic recipe of mixing rear wheel-drive, low weight and modest power mantra. Our extended tenure of our 2.0-litre facelifted model is a great reminder of its inherent strengths.

The MX-5 has never been about outright speed. Its relatively modest performance – 158bhp, 132mph and 7.6 seconds to 60mph – belies its ability to make you feel like you are absolutely caning every road. It’s not just alfresco driving that heightens the impression of speed; it’s the way the little Mazda responds with such immediacy and clarity to the smallest of throttle, gear, steering and brake inputs.

The controls are such a delight to use. If only every car had the Mazda’s quick and mechanical-feeling gearshift, instant throttle response, direct and chatty steering and dynamic poise and balance. They easily add a perceived 20mph to your actually speed. Useful in these speed camera-laden times.

Long-term test hello – 28 October 2009

A few months ago Mazda gave its evergreen MX-5 the subtlest of refreshes, which in turn gave us an excuse to get one on to our long-term fleet for six months. Like the rest of the motoring world we love Mazda’s perky little roadster. Over 20 years and three generations – think of this latest iteration as Mk3.5 – the MX-5 has remained unerringly true to its front-engined rear-drive roots. At 1098kg it’s still light, with just 158bhp on hand it’s still about momentum rather than big speeds, and with perfect balance and impeccable poise, it’s still about driver engagement rather than posing performance.

So what has changed? Well, below the intricate headlamps sits Mazda’s new five-point grille (the folding metal-roofed versions, like ours, get theirs framed in chrome) and below that sits a pair of redesigned foglamps. At the back there are new taillights and bumpers front and rear are new, too. Minor changes, but collectively they inject a dash of athleticism into Moray Callum’s excellent design work.

The cabin gets a set of smarter dials, grippier sports seats, a punchier Bose sound system recalibrated for roof-down driving, and the kneecap-killing cup holders in the door panels have been ditched.

Mechanical changes are just as minor - the frisky 2.0-litre engine delivers an unchanged 158bhp, but fitted with a new forged crankshaft and an advanced valvetrain means it now revs even higher - the redline jumps by 500rpm to a wailing 7500rpm. The intake and exhaust acoustics have also been enhanced for an even more engaging open-air soundtrack. Modifying the ball joints in the front knuckles has lowered the suspension’s roll centre by 26mm for enhanced steering feel and agility. The six-speed manual transmission has also been revised for even shorter and more precise throws.

We ran a ragtop version a while back, and this time we’ve opted for the folding hardtop variant in range-topping 2.0-litre Sport Tech guise. It’s priced at £21,570 but before you start getting all shirty about affordability, have a look at what this includes. Lovely 10-spoke 17-inch alloys, snickety six-speed box, Bluetooth connectivity with voice activation, DSC stability control, a limited slip diff, front and side airbags, a superb Bose stereo, uprated suspension with Bilstein dampers, cruise and climate controls, a front strut brace and heated leather seats. What more could you want? All we added was gorgeous £375 Copper Red metallic paint

First impressions are superb. We’ve had a few weeks of sunshine down here in the sunny south and I’ve put on almost 1000 miles, enjoying every single one. I’ll tell you more in a week or so…

(By Ben Whitworth)

2010 Mazda CX-7 2.2 MZR-CD Diesel

Well, it’s a diesel version of the Mazda CX-7, one of the sportier and better-looking crossovers on the market. Of course, this engine isn’t available in the U.S., where the CX-7 is sold with a thirsty 2.3-liter turbo four—it’s returned as low as 14 mpg overall in our hands—or a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four, the latter having been added for 2010. In Europe, the low fuel economy of the gas turbo model renders it practically unsellable. The company could have added that naturally aspirated 2.5 i SV model to the Euro lineup in an attempt to woo more buyers, but it instead went with a tried-and-true Continental formula: the diesel. And so was born the clumsily named Mazda CX-7 2.2 MZR-CD, which uses a 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel. This was probably a wise choice; the 2.5 is really only thrifty on paper, since it has to be squeezed to the max to get the five-passenger crossover to move with any alacrity.

The good news is that fuel economy takes a huge jump. The U.S.-spec 2.3-liter turbo four—lifted from the Mazdaspeed 3 but with a different tune—is rated at 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway with all-wheel drive and 18/25 with front-wheel drive. The turbo-diesel, by contrast, has a combined rating of 31 mpg in the European cycle, and we believe you can realistically expect 26 mpg in everyday driving. The CX-7 2.5 i SV is rated at 20/28 mpg.

The diesel also is equipped with a selective catalytic reduction system for reducing emissions. A four-gallon tank holds an AdBlue urea/water solution, which is then injected into the exhaust downstream of the soot-collecting particulate filter, and the complex and costly technology virtually eliminates oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions. Although the system isn’t necessary to meet the strict Euro 5 regulations, Mazda added it anyway. Very nice.

How Does It Drive?

With 170 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque versus the gasoline turbo four’s 244 hp and 258 lb-ft, we initially weren’t thrilled with the oil-burner’s performance. Mazda claims 0 to 62 mph takes 11.3 seconds, which is significantly slower than the 7.8-second, 0-to-60-mph run we’ve recorded for the gasoline turbo four paired with a six-speed automatic, the only transmission offered in the U.S. But the turbo-diesel gains velocity with far more authority than the base 2.5-liter engine. It is effortless cruising where the diesel excels. Hills are neutralized by the amount of low-end torque, and you almost never need to downshift once at highway speeds. The diesel comes only with a smooth-shifting six-speed manual, as an automatic is still being developed. Top speed is sufficient at 124 mph.

The Mazda's four-banger is clearly audible, more like the unit in the Volkswagen Touareg TDI. It's not unpleasant, but you’re never in doubt as to its diesel-ness. While all-wheel drive is standard, the diesel’s added weight—about 130 pounds more than the gasoline turbo four—takes away some agility.

How Does It Stack Up?

European models come with the same face lift that graces 2010 U.S. models. The dashboard has traded its futuristic edge for a softer look, while the pseudo-aggressive fog lights add a cartoonish quality to the front end. Portions of the exterior also are ladled with the inevitable chrome decorum. Nevertheless, the CX-7 still is one of the sharper-looking utes.

Were the CX-7 diesel sold in the U.S, it would compete with a diverse group, including the Audi Q5, the Ford Escape hybrid, and the Toyota RAV4, among others. We think it would hold up well and it would be a better choice than the entry-level CX-7 2.5, even if it can’t deliver the fun of the 2.3-liter turbo four. The turbo-diesel would be a worthwhile addition to Mazda’s North American lineup—well, if it could be homologated to meet the stricter U.S. emissions regulations. It would put Mazda ahead of the eco-curve in the segment, and the engine burns clean enough to enhance the company’s green credentials. Too bad we expect it to stay on the other side of the Atlantic.

Where Can I Get One?

Europe. As to cost, in Germany, the base turbo-diesel costs several thousand euros less than the €36,990 2.3 turbo, which also has the same six-speed manual but includes more equipment. It’s no wonder that Mazda Europe now expects the gasoline model to account for less than five percent of CX-7 sales.

(BY JENS MEINERS )