The Mazda3 has the hot hatch look but, until recently, it was all for show. With the introduction of turbocharged power starting with the 2021 model year, Mazda injected this car with desperately needed oomph and smartly bundled it with standard all-wheel drive. Also sold with a naturally aspirated version of the same engine but with front-wheel drive, including an available, model-exclusive manual transmission, Mazda has bumped up horsepower and …
Carmakers who use alphanumeric naming confuse the average shopper. And though the Germans have cornered the market on this, Mazda is trying hard to join the club. Do you want a CX-30 or an MX-30? And what’s the difference between their best-selling CX-5 and this new CX-50; a zero? Well, this is Mazda’s attempt at getting more rugged; tiptoeing into muddy waters. Mazda makes some of the sharpest looking vehicles …
You know, there was a time not too, too long ago when Mazda had some fairly legitimate 4X4s in their lineup: the Navajo and Tribute SUVs and B-Series pickup truck are the ones that immediately come to mind. But after Ford and Mazda split, the brand’s focus became totally street-oriented. But off-road SUVs have never been more popular so in comes the Meridian trim of Mazda’s newest SUV the CX-50 …