The Car Connection

Mazda 5

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:21:00 +0000

The Mazda 5 minivan is a unique vehicle in its segment–smaller than the other minivans on the market, yet more practical than most of the family-hauling crossovers available today. It's effectively a minivan at seven-eighths scale, which reduces interior space, but vastly improves the vehicle's handling. The Mazda 5, in other words, is the...

Mazda 6

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:46:00 +0000

The Mazda 6 is a mid-size, four-door sedan that's been redesigned for 2014. With fuel economy and sporty, swoopy styling on its side, the Mazda 6 competes with models like the Ford Fusion, Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonata. For more details on the latest Mazda6, including pricing, specifications, options, and photos, see our full review of the 2014...

Mazda CX-9

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:39:00 +0000

The Mazda CX-9 is the brand's largest vehicle–a full-size crossover with room for families and cargo. It's sportier than most of its taller, boxier competitors, and it looks that way, too. The CX-9 is one of very few cars crossovers on the road today that pair a usable third row with rewarding driving dynamics. For more information on the...

Mazda 2

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:30:00 +0000

The Mazda2 subcompact hatchback is the smallest car in the Mazda model range, 2 inches shorter even than the famed MX-5 Miata two-seat sports car. It lets Mazda offer a vehicle to those who need a very short car for urban parking, cost-conscious commuters, and younger drivers who want their first taste of the "Zoom-Zoom" experience. But it's a...

Mazda MX-5 Miata

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:15:00 +0000

When it was Introduced in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 Miata was the perfect modern interpretation of a wind-in-the-hair British two-seat sports car. The small Japanese maker kept the basics--the dimensions, the front engine and rear-wheel drive, the grippy handling in a minimal package--and subtracted unreliable British components and shoddy assembly...

Mazda CX-5

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:45:00 +0000

The Mazda CX-5 is a sporty, fuel-efficient crossover that was new for 2013. Built as a replacement for the aging CX-7, the CX-5 enough cargo space and legroom for five adults, and it's offered with all-wheel drive for folks living in colder climates. It's Mazda's practical and fun approach to competitors like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Toyota...

Mazda Mazda3

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:38:00 +0000

As one of the best-handling and sportiest-feeling compact cars, the Mazda3 is an economical daily driver for people who don't just view cars as appliances. Many models fall on the fun-to-drive side of the scale--we're thinking the Ford Focus, the new-for-2013 Hyundai Elantra GT, and the Volkswagen Golf--but the Mazda3 four-door sedan and five-door...

Mazda CX-9 Vs. Toyota Highlander: Compare Cars

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:58:00 +0000

If you’re shopping for a three-row, seven seat crossover or SUV, there are plenty on the market to choose from these days. That list includes the popular Toyota HIghlander, of course, but it also includes another option that may not immediately come to mind when thinking about family transportation. The dark horse candidate we’re...

2013 Mazda 3

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:09:00 +0000

There's more than a little sports-car verve and eagerness in the 2013 Mazda 3, a lively feel we wish were baked into more of the compact sedans and hatchbacks it tangles with today. It's a rolling demonstration that affordable, practical cars don't need to be lifeless. Nor do they have to depend on hybrid technology or CVTs to drive...

Lexus, Subaru, Mazda Earn High Marks On Consumer Reports' Report Card

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Every year, Consumer Reports rolls out its "Brand Report Card", which ranks major auto brands based on reliability and road-test scores. CR's 2013 scoresheet has just come out, with Lexus at the top of the heap. In previous years, CR's report card has lumped all of an automaker's sub-brands under the parent brand. So, for example, Buick, Cadillac...

2014 Mazda CX-5: First Drive

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 01:02:00 +0000

Nearly a year ago, we took a first drive of the Mazda CX-5 and pronounced it the best-handling crossover yet. In the year since, with several new entries in the compact class, the CX-5's halo holds—even if you expand upward to luxury makes and outward to bigger, brute-force performance utes. If steering and handling matter most, you'd have...

2014 Mazda CX-5

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:43:00 +0000

Compact crossovers like the Mazda CX-5 have captured a huge part of the American vehicle market over the past several years; and it's easy to see why. They pack a versatile layout, plenty of features, and enough safety for family use, all into a package that parks as easily as a compact sedan. And especially in the case of the 2014...

2014 Mazda 6: First Drive

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:42:00 +0000

Among affordable, even frugal, mid-size sedans, the all-new 2014 Mazda 6 is about the closest we’ve ever come to love at first sight. We thought the new 2013 Ford Fusion, this model year’s The Car Connection Best Car To Buy, was hot; but the Mazda6 doesn’t have an even vaguely awkward angle on the outside. In full admission, we...

2014 Mazda 6

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:14:00 +0000

Can 'zoom-zoom' scale up to a mid-size family sedan? Mazda's already proven that in the outgoing Mazda 6—an often-overlooked model that we've consistently rated one of the most enjoyable to drive models in its class. The real question is today, under the company's core SkyActiv initiative—aimed at saving weight and boosting...

2014 Mazda Mazda6: Pricing & Fuel Economy Revealed

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:24:00 +0000

The 2014 Mazda Mazda6 has been sitting at dealerships for a couple of weeks now, but unfortunately, it's only been for show. (You haven't even been able to test drive it.) Now that we've crossed the border into the new year, though, the 2014 model is fair game. EPA rules prevented Mazda from revealing pricing or fuel economy stats until this week...