2007 mazda mx-5 miata review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. The best of the affordable two-seat sports cars. introductionthe 1990 mazda miata was nothing less than the rebirth of the affordable two-seat sports car. Mazda fused the personality of the british sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s with near-faultless japanese quality and reliability. From the first one out the door, the miata delivered what the long-gone but still lamented english sports cars of an earlier generation had never quite managed: a delightful, fun, supremely capable, well-engineered car that started every time and ran forever. There are more miatas on racetracks every weekend around the country than any other car. it's been thoroughly updated twice, including a full remake in 2006. Quality, solidity and safety gear were upgraded in the 2006 re-do, but its lighthearted spirit was kept intact. This is a car to love. mazda is now downplaying the miata name in favor of the alpha-numeric mx-5 moniker; apparently, this is intended to make emphasize the mazda brand name. for 2007, there are a few small changes and one major addition to the lineup that broadens both the mx-5's appeal and usefulness. The eye-opener is a new model featuring what mazda calls the power retractable hard top, or prht, which features a solid roof that lowers in seconds at the touch of a button, just like those found on pricey two-seaters from mercedes and cadillac. It provides the advantages of a hardtop overhead, with reduced wind and road noise and a sense of increased security and solidity, yet folds down completely out of sight for stylish cruising. What's more, not a whit of the standard mx-5's delicious driving experience has been sacrificed by the addition of hardtop practicality. affordability has always been a cornerstone of miata ownership, but over time more models and options have proliferated. The list now stretches to two basic body styles, across which spreads five exterior and interior trim packages, a more sporting suspension and a dozen stand alone options. All this can plump up the sticker to the $28,000 range. Fun is what the mazda mx-5 made its reputation on, and that's exactly what it delivers. Mission accomplished. lineupthe 2007 mazda mx-5 is offered in two body styles: a two-seat two-door convertible and the new power retractable hard top (prht). The engine is rated at 166 horsepower, which is plenty for a car weighing only about 2500 pounds. Automatic-equipped cars develop 163 horsepower, the difference due to revised engine tuning required to work with the automatic. the sv special value model 20,435), is only available by special order through one of mazda's regional offices. It's what once might have been called a stripper version, and it provides the basis for building a race car. So it's a stripper in relative terms only. the mx-5 sport 21,435) with the vinyl soft top comes with the five-speed manual gearbox, and the same basic equipment as the sv plus air conditioning and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. A tire puncture repair kit fills in for a spare tire, as it does on all mx-5s. The prht hardtop sport 24,350) also comes with a manual gearbox. Run-flat tires 515) are optional. Handsome 17-inch aluminum wheels mounting 205/45-17 tires fill the wheel openings, and run-flat technology 515) is available. Premium package 2 1250) is the same as package 1 minus the limited slip differential. The suspension package 500) uprates the handling with bilstein gas pressure shocks and the limited-slip differential. The appearance package 1145) dresses the exterior in sporty duds including a front air dam, side skirts and rear under skirt. And the interior trim package 515) brightens up an already handsome cabin with brushed aluminum trim pieces on the dash and door switch panels and a handsome leather-and-aluminum gearshift knob. Also available: a cargo net, door edge guards, all-weather mats, chrome fuel filler door, splash guards a rear spoiler, satellite radio, an in-dash 6cd/mp3 changer, and wheel locks. all mx-5s benefit from a comprehensive 3 year/36,000 mile warranty, a five year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty and a five-year/unlimited mileage corrosion warranty. And. walkaroundmazda has done a masterful job designing the mazda mx-5. This third generation evokes the themes of both the original 1990 car and the second-generation miata (1999-2005). The current mazda mx-5 is slightly larger in every measure from previous versions, from what's beneath the hood to the interior to the shadow it casts on the road. great designs evolve over time, but always hark back to a central theme that defines the brand. So it is with the third-generation mx-5. In fact, it looks more like the original miata than the second-generation model. The overall design is somewhat slab sided and both taller and more rounded at the front end than previous versions. But the ovoid shape of the grille is pure miata. (the grille on the hardtop models is brightened with a delicate chrome ring around its circumference.) this larger-than-before opening moves more cooling air through the radiator and around the larger engine and combines with a pronounced air dam across the bottom of the lower opening to give the miata's face a strong chin. It does what it's supposed to do. Compound, projector-beam headlights live in small housings deeply recessed and near to the car's centerline, which emphasizes the miata's diminutive size. The hood wears a mini-bulge in the center, simultaneously suggestive of a scoop and of a similar bulge on the rx-8. the mx-5 design has definitely evolved since the beginning, especially when seen from the side. Sharply sculpted wheel flares appear directly adapted from the rx-8 in a form the company calls mazda design dna. Flared wheel arches also spread wide enough to cover the new-generation miata's wider track. (track is the distance between the left and right wheels). The mx-5's track is three inches wider in front, two inches wider in the rear when compared with the previous model. This gives the mx-5 a more athletic stance. The mx-5 looks more aggressive and less cuddly than its predecessors. the soft top is the best yet, and one of the best in all sportscardom. The top, with its heated glass rear window, collapses into a well behind the seats cleanly and completely, in a way requiring no cover boot. Now it looks neatly finished when it's down, with no additional effort. This is distinctly different from, say, the pontiac solstice and saturn sky, whose tops are far more involved to raise and lower. the folding hardtop is a mastery of good design. The prht is a cinch to operate, quick to fold, and a miracle of space efficiency. Stop the car, put it in neutral (or park for the automatic). Pop a single handle at the top of the windshield, touch a button on the dash and in 12 seconds the top has contorted itself into the same well the soft-top uses. The hardtop is made of lightweight materials: sheet molding compound on the outside and glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene on the inside. The entire apparatus including electric motors adds less than 80 pounds to the featherweight car, thus maintaining the mx-5's wonderful agility and balance. a rear panel aft of the front seats raises as part of this dance to allow the top to drop in. AM/FM✔ Power Locks✔ Power Mirrors✔ Cruise Control✔ CD Player✔ Aluminum Wheels✔ Leather Seats✔ Air Conditioning✔ Alloy Wheels

10,998 Henderson, TNHenderson, TN at autoshopper.com

2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring

convertible 82,493
10,998 high price
Henderson, TN
getauto.com

10,998 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring

convertible 82,493 gasoline blue automatic

10,998 Henderson, TNHenderson, TN at getauto.com

2012 Mazda Mazda3 i Touring

sedan 118,606
101 below average
9,998 fair
Henderson, TN
autoshopper.com

9,998 2012 Mazda Mazda3 i Touring

101 below average sedan 118,606

2012 mazda mazda3 review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Skyactiv technology improves fuel economy. introductionthe 2012 mazda 3 takes a leadership role in automotive engineering with what mazda is calling skyactiv technology, 'an engineering philosophy that starts with a blank slate and open mind.' the big change for 2012 is the introduction of a new 2. 0-liter engine that gets mazda's skyactiv treatment, delivering a terrific 28 miles per gallon in the city, 40 mpg on the highway. In fact, during one good run with that engine, we got 43. 7 mpg. The skyactiv engine runs on regular gasoline. the 2012 mazda3 lineup features two new skyactiv transmissions to go with the skyactiv engine: a 6-speed automatic and 6-speed manual. That big grin that's been fixed on the face of the mazda3 for the past two years has been wiped off, replaced by a smile that's more reserved. because the mazda3 was redesigned for 2010, including a lighter stiffer chassis and new interior, there aren't a lot of other changes for 2012. for 2012, the old 2. 0-liter engine remains in the base model. Not by hard tires, space-saving spares, or aerodynamic hubcaps. And 'their 40' refers to hyundai elantra, ford focus, chevrolet cruze, and honda civic, competitors that also reach 40 mpg, in certain models. It's smoother, prettier and more aerodynamic, as the front fenders are also tweaked, puffed out forward of the wheels. The sedan has a 0. 27 coefficient of drag, and the five-door is 0. 29 cd, strong numbers for a hatchback. there's one change from the interior of the 2011 mazda3, satin rings around the three climate knobs, for a reason mazda actually tested with human beings. Recognition speed and accuracy, and that means less distraction. Every single control on the mazda3 instrument panel is intuitive and easy to reach and use. The center stack is clean, the gauges clear, and digital information accessed by a thumb scroll on the steering wheel. Mazda3 comes standard with steering-wheel controls. the mazda3 sedan's trunk has 11. 8 cubic feet of space, and the hatchback has 17 cubic feet behind the rear seat. Both come standard with 60/40 split folding rear seats, and they fold nearly flat, so the cargo space can be expanded enormously. In a pinch, the sedan can carry most of what the hatchback can. in a day of hard driving on the angeles crest highway and on some mountain roads in southern california, we couldn't find a flaw in the 2. 0-liter skyactiv powertrain. We tested it hard, and it worked. the 2012 mazda3's 2. 0-liter skyactiv engine makes 155 horsepower and 148 foot-pounds of torque; good hp, excellent torque increase for the 2012 models. At 70 mph the engine spins at a leisurely 2200 rpm, smooth and silent. With the 6-speed manual, it runs 70 mph at 500 rpm more, still can't really hear it. government fuel economy estimates for the new 2. 0-liter skyactiv engine were not available when this was written. Mazda officials place it at 28/40 miles per gallon. We got 29. 5 mpg driving it hard over the curvy 4910-foot-high angeles crest highway east of los angeles, and 43. 7 mpg returning to the city mostly on the freeway, running 65-70, accelerating and decelerating with the fast flow of traffic. the 2012 6-speed automatic will downshift aggressively, and upshift at low rpm; few do that. The skyactiv goal was to make it upshift as fast as a twin-clutch automatic manual, and 15 milliseconds is the result. the 2012 6-speed manual transmission also went skyactiv. This goal was to make it feel like the miata mx-5 gearbox. Bushings were changed to bearings, shafts re-splined, and oil reservoirs shrunk and moved, all to shorten the throw of the shift lever, from 50mm to 45mm, without making it feel heavier. Shortest throw of any passenger car, claims mazda. the suspension on all 2012 mazda3 models has been tweaked to deliver a more european feel. We ran a lot of harsh patchy pavement on curvy roads, and it wasn't quite a sport sedan, but the feedback was direct, driven hard with the 6-speed automatic transmission in manual mode. The harsh patches never made the ride uncomfortable. as for the 2. 5-liter engine, with 167 horsepower and 168 pounds of torque, it gets the job done with room to spare. The best happens when the tachometer swings through the 4500-4800 rpm range and keeps pulling to near redline. It climbs hills confidently and cruises on the highway effortlessly. For 2012, the bose 10-speaker surround sound system has been added as standard equipment. options include rain-sensing wipers and bi-xenon headlamps, offered in only one other car in the compact segment; also dual zone air conditioning and 8-way power driver's seat, offered only by a few others. safety equipment on all mazda3 models includes dual front airbags, front side airbags, curtain side airbags, active front head restraints, tire-pressure monitor, and anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution. Optional safety equipment, in the technology package, includes a blind spot monitoring system, adaptive headlamps and led taillamps. walkaroundthe 2012 mazda3 has been changed in the nose and a little bit in the rear bumper, and there are great new wheels. Mazda has wiped the smile off the face of the mazda3, or at least subdued it. It's like when meg ryan took the silicone out of her lips, she looked a lot better. If skyactiv were ruthless in its rule, they would be erased so the nose is more aero, but, hey, that's a bit too prius. The sedan's coefficient of drag is now 0. 27 cd, with the 5-door at 0. 29 cd, great numbers for a hatchback that isn't also a fastback (like the audi a7). The rear bumper on 2012 mazda3 i models is cleaner and body-colored now. New 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels for 2012 are sporty and handsome. Thanks in part to those wheels, the cliche that it looks like it's moving when it's standing still is true. interiormazda is the manufacturer we long for, when we complain about user-unfriendliness in the cabins of other cars, not to mention the distraction quotient. There are few changes from the interior of the 2011 mazda3, but the changes for 2012 have a reason. the mission: eliminate distraction, so that the driver can concentrate on driving. Mazda means it, too many others mouth it without studying it. With mazda being neck-deep in racing, they know how to take up less of the driver's attention with necessary gauges and controls. Few if any other manufacturers act with such careful logic. Not ford, with the new focus and its optional and problematic myfordtouch. Power Windows✔ Anti-lock Brakes✔ Tachometer✔ Power Locks✔ Cruise Control✔ Bluetooth✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Air Conditioning✔ Alloy Wheels

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