Letter From Europe MAZDA L O V E
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By Andrew Frankl
The Auto Channel
I cannot pretend that I am not upset the tariff war that is going on at the moment. Without going political arguments one way or the other let me just say that I am sad that three excellent Mazdas will cost more in the future.
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Having tested the 3, the CX-30 and the Miata one thing is clear. The Miata, called by some people the MX-5 is unique.
You simply cannot have this much FUN for this amount of money. That superb gearbox, the willing engine, the removable top, Will is cost more? Probably as it is made in Japan. I don’t often say this but if is were to cost another 5-7000 dollars I would still buy it-there is no alternative. Never was and never will be.
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The Mazda 3, another first class product has more problems than the Miata. Not only does it have rivals but some excellent ones such as Honda’s Civics are made in the United States.
If you are a true Mazda aficionado and know many who swear by the 3 you will probably hang on to yours for a while and hope that the tariffs will come down before you need to buy the best one.
In the meantime it is an excellent main-stream car with a 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine, with or without a turbocharger. Unusually it does offer a six-speed gear box but only for front wheel drive non turbo models.
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The price range-pre tariffs-are from 25 thousand dollars to 36, I would suggest the Preferred which at 27 thou has just about everything you need. Fascinating nugget: I just saw an 11 year old Mazda3 with 114 thousand miles on sale for 12 thousand dollars. Pretty amazing if you ask me.
Coming back the nitty-gritty the 0-60 time -in all wheel drive turbo charged form is a pretty respectable 5.6 seconds. Fuel consumption is a highly respectable 34.5 miles.
Like all cars ever made the Mazda is not perfect. My complaint is the steering wheel. It is made out of some awful material meaning that the wheel is shiny, cold and slippery. I have heard other people complain about this as well and as this is your first point of contact it is very noticeable. Please Mazda do something about it.
The CX-30 is Mazda’s attempt at moving into inexpensive luxury brand situation. They certainly had a big go at interior quality and luckily kept the excellent dynamic qualities as they were. Mazda owners are pretty obsessed by dynamics, sporty driving and generally enjoying their cars way beyond a trip to the local supermarket. To do this you will definitely need the more powerful engine, namely the 250 hp variety. The alternative, the one with 191 hp can only be described as pretty gutless.
Just like with the 3 Preferred trim is the obvious choice. Adjustable driver’s seat, power sunroof, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and key less entry. On The Auto Channel’s Northern California test route which includes everything from 25 mile per hour Belvedere to High 101 as well as the minor road near Point Reyes we got 32 miles per gallon, a pretty respectable figure.
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On the safety side the CX-30 excels with standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning and lane keeping assist. There is another feature which personally I never use-cruise control. Hate it in any and every automobile, less to less concentration and more accidents, at least in my opinion.
All in all the CX-30 is a fine product at a very attractive price. For now.. As I have mentioned at the beginning of this article the Mazda Miata MX-5 is a class act. No wonder it has changed little over the years. There is a myriad of Miata clubs all over the United States and thousands turn up at various test tracks such as Sonoma at weekends. As an entry level racer it is once more in a class of its own. On track, off track you simply cannot have more fun on 4 wheels. Quite frankly apart from showing off and getting lots of looks and thumbs up it was more fun than the Lamborghini Revuelto. A lot easier to get into and the 6 speed gear box is more fun than pulling levers.
Talking of Lambo I popped into the local dealer. He had for sale one with 500 miles on the clock. The sales lady was very charming and smiling as she said with a straight face:” you can take is home right now. Price: 800 thousand dollars.” I was equally charming and smiling as I said let’s me think about it. I am not sayin that the Miata is prefect, it can be a bit noise on a highway and it is of course somewhat restricted when it comes to luggage space but quite frankly most Mazda drivers could manage .
Should they be going to the San Francisco Opera House the chances are they would probably get an Uber or Lyft. The little gem is desirable that the car thieves-of whom there are many-they would be on to it like a shot. Gone in 60 seconds? Forget about it! More like 30! Guaranteed.
The price of happiness is around 35 thousand dollars. If I had a garage I would get one in a heartbeat.
One caveat. I’m like memo are six ft tall and have have 12 and have 12 and a half size feet I suggest driving barefoot. Unless you can afford one of those ultra slim Italian driving shoes.
I popped into Nordstrom to see what they had. The salesperson said-no surprise here- I’ve got just the thing for you. Italian, beautiful and in your size. Yours for only 995 dollars..Regular readers will have guessed my next move. It’s called exit. Happy motoring!