‘What Car?’ viewers said that the 2007 hatchback Mazda 3 is good in terms of driving, reliability and space.

With all the petrol engines, the viewers were particularly impressed by the sweet car that uses 1.4 liter and has 1.6 and 2.0 versions. Nonetheless, the auto magazine was not impressed by the vehicle’s diesel offerings, which, according to the editors, fail to be at par to the performance of competing cars.

In terms of performance and practicality, the Mazda 3 gets high remarks. But its interior styling is downcast and gloomy according to Auto Express, though the vehicle had undergone some reinventions for this year that includes new array of interior color combinations, an audio jack and an enhanced keyless entry system.

Sold in a very reasonable price of £11,400, Mazda 3’s both ride and handling are more than satisfactory at a given speed. The driver’s seat is sufficient enough to vividly see those passing vehicles and those people crossing the road. Adding comfort to the driver is the dashboard which is easy to read. The interior is pretty spacious for two adults to sit and very cozy at the back even for longer trips.

There are only few changes on its exterior like for instance its new bumpers with the lower air intake opening that reflects the shape of the conventional Mazda five-point face and a new range of alloy wheels. It also now has improved overall chassis rigidity – attributed to the reinforcements done on the body shell. The fog light design, which seems like floating, as well as the minimally reinvented front grill for the “s” trim level are proofs of the refined front fascia.

Wide range of shades of blue and a purple color are examples of the many new exterior colors for the 2007 Mazda 3. The darker Galaxy Gray color takes the place of the well known Titanium Gray exterior color.

The latest “grand touring” trim level comes with new rear tail-lights that have a “clear on clear” lens setting. It has a more “glass-like” appearance with the clear tail lenses that also features red LED brake lights.

The LED brake lights are augmented to rival with the increasing trend of higher-end vehicles. For a more vivid and responsive light output, these automobiles include LED tail lamps.

The vehicle’s road traffic warranty will be limited to 36 months / 36,000 miles. But Mazda assures an increased power train warranty that reaches to 60 months / 60,000 miles – this warranty, however, is only available to selected markets.

Under the hood, the Mazda 3 is given the front dampers of the MacPherson strut suspension that have been retuned with the purpose of quickening the steering response as well as to minimize under steer. To match this auto part, the dampers of the multi-link rear suspension have also been refined.

All models have electric front windows, electric heated mirrors and central locking as standard equipment, while more expensive models have air conditioning and a CD player as standard features.

About Mazda 3

The Mazda 3 is known as Axela in Japan. It is a compact car with quality Mazda thermostat is built by Mazda Motor Corporation, which is headquartered in Japan. The Mazda 3 is the platform for the sport compact car which is the Mazdaspeed 3.

The vehicle was first introduced for the 2004 model year to replace the Mazda Familia, which is known as 323 or Protegé the international markets, except in Japan. The first car was released on December 8, 2003.

The Mazda 3 has been very well accepted by the public. As a matter of fact, it was the second best-selling car in Canada in 2006.

Mazda Motor Corp. is still producing more Axela at its Hofu 1 and 2 plants so that worldwide stupendous demand of more than 300,000 units per year will be met.

Reports say that the vehicle will be redesigned for the 2009 model year.



By: Kraig Johanssen

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Mazda will set on sale its new Mazda 2 a ‘supermini’ on September with new chassis design, which is the same basic platform structure that will establish Ford’s new Fiesta. The new Mazda 2’s boxy profile of its predecessor will be replaced by the sleek and lines with wedges that are inspired by the 1995 Sassou concept car exhibited at Frankfurt. For the second generation’s design, the idea is to retain the company’s sporting concepts but covered with more maturity and impurities. Its curve lines make the new Mazda2 very interesting.

The new Mazda 2 will definitely be lighter and smaller than the model it substitutes. Mazda engineers have trimmed an amazing 100kg off the car’s mass, for a polished 960kg edge weight. They did the trimming by converting the current engine to an all-alloy one, augmenting the use of ultra high-strength steels, the introduction of a new electric power steering set-up and following the same gramme-by-gramme approach to the chassis and suspension that was applied to the MX-5.

Moreover, the new car is also 40mm shorter and 55mm lower than its predecessor. But the company claims that the trimming has not compromised the car’s safety record as it is expecting a full five-star Euro NCAP result.

The line up will initially come with the choice of three new petrol engines that include a 1.3-litre with 75bhp and 86bhp, and a 1.5-litre with 103bhp. All the three are hooked up to five-speed manuals. Next summer is the scheduled arrival of the three-door version and the five-speed auto and the 68bhp 1.4-litre turbodiesel from the present engine line-up will be unleashed in January.

With prices ranging from £8500 to £12,500, the Mazda will use the familiar TS, TS2 and Sport names. But among the three, the TS2 is expected to be the best seller with its four front airbags, traction and stability controls, 15-inch alloys, a powerful CD-MP3 stereo and a nifty multi-function steering wheel.

And because 100 kg has been extracted from its predecessor, this little Mazda assures lightness was well as energy. It comes with a fine body control, MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension, and wafer-light electrically assisted steering. With these parts and more, the car assures accuracy and excellent driving.

Aside from having more than 4500rpm, the new alloy blocked engine works cleanly and with ease, and yields 48mpg on the combined cycle. Its 140g/km CO2 emission means that its sits in a lower tax band than its predecessor. The 1.5-litre engine also has high tech features like variable inlet-cam timing, variable-length inlet tracks as well as swirl valves to further achieve combustion efficiency.

Top gear is relatively short at 20mph/1000rpm but it does not make hassle sounds and only starts to sound hoarse above 90mph. The car may be mini but it definitely delivers a genuinely spirited driving experience. Good news for small car fans: there are rumors that a three-door MPS version will be arriving later next year.

The cabin is tremendously spacious inside and six-footer passengers are very well accommodated. And despite retaining the same 2490mm wheelbase, the boot is more than just enough. The neat looking dashboard and center console are made up of plastics that contributed a lot in the reduced weight of the car.

The enveloped dimpled dash-top material is rigid and shiny. Although the overall designs are not that impressive, the mini car still feels very rigidly bolted together. And despite a steering wheel with rake-only adjustment, the driving position is spot-on and is visibility good.

About Mazda Motor Corporation

A Japanese automotive manufacturer that is based in Hiroshima, Japan, Mazda Motor Corporation is a well known producer of different types of vehicles as well as their corresponding Mazda OEM parts. It began supplying tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial purposes.

The manufacturer’s name is derived from the transcendental God of Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda. It is also believed that Mazda coincides with the anglicized pronunciation of Zoroastrianism founder’s name, Jujiro Matsuda, and opted to rename it in honor of both his family and the believers of Zoroastrianism. In the Avestan language, Mazda means “wisdom”. Nonetheless, because the company is from Japan, the name has always been pronounced and spelled as “Matsuda”. This leads the public to believe that “Mazda” is just an anglicized version of the founder.

The company is expected to produce 1.25 million vehicles annually as of 2006. Among Japan, Europe, North America, and Latin America, its sales will be evenly divided.

Mazda’s 33.4% of controlling interest is controlled by the Ford Motor Company.



By: Kraig Johanssen

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BMW, maker of quality BMW accessory parts, bagged 7 awards for its 4 engines, namely: BMW 3.0 liter Twin Turbo in-line six cylinder petrol engines, BMW M 5.0 liter V10 petrol engine, BMW 2.5 liter in-line six cylinder petrol engines, and the MINI 1.6 liter Turbo petrol engine. With these, BMW, for the third time in a row, won the 2007 International Engine of the Year.

The award is considered the most important engine competition in the world. The jury consisted of 62 high-ranking international automobile journalists from 30 countries.

The BMW 3.0 liter Twin Turbo petrol engine is now fitted in all body variations of the successful BMW 3 Series. The 6-cylinder engine with Twin Turbo technology won the “Best New Engine of the Year 2007” for the 2.5 liter and 3.0 liter capacity classes, respectively.

As an addition to the 6-cylinder engine with Twin Turbo technology’s extreme pulling power, the awards jury was also impressed by the high efficiency of the 225 kW power unit. In the BMW 335i Coupe, with 9.5 liters per 100 kilometers, the average level of consumed fuel based on the EU norm is intensely moderate for this performance class. And this is basically because of BMW High Precision Injection. It is the world’s first jet-guided direct injection system ever to be produced in high-volume production. This, in effect, allows a specific and accurate metering of the mixture of air-fuel.

The V10 high-performance engine, which is to be found in BMW M5 and M6, won 2 awards. Like in the past 2 years, the said engine with a 507bhp power package and a capacity of 5 liters bagged the “Best Performance Engine of the Year” award. It also won in the engine class that has over 4.0 liters capacity. The said engine had already won the “International Engine of the Year” award in 2005 and 2006.

The 2.5 liter 6-cylinder petrol engine with VALVETRONIC won the 2.0 – 2.5 liter award. The engine is being used in the BMW Z4 Roadster 2.5si and X3 2.5si. It was first used in 2001. Since then, it was established in millions of automobiles. The engine its fully variable valve control yields 160 kW and one can really say it has the BMW philosophy of efficient dynamics.

According to Rogelio Rivera-Nava, a jury member from Mexico, the exquisite sound of the 2.5-litre engine can be heard from a distance. He further stated the construction of the in-line 6-cylinder gives the basis for the technical purity of this most famous BMW engines.

The BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroën jointly received the award for the 1.6 liter turbo engine under the 1.4-1.8 liter category. The engine is being used in the MINI Cooper S.

For the last 9 years, BMW has been a recipient of over 30 of the highly sought-after “International Engine of the Year” awards. This makes the Bavarian auto manufacturer a leader in the field of engine construction and innovation.



By: Evander Klum

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