Mazda 2 2005 Review
Lupita Calvi
There is no other company I can think of that does exactly this. Toyota has the Highlander and the larger Grand Highlander. BMW has the X5 and the X7, with the X7 being about nine inches longer than the X5. Jeep has the Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L, the latter of which is about ten inches longer than the non-L. Last year I drove the Volkswagen Atlas (seven-passenger, three-row) and CrossAtlas, which is a two-row version with a rounded-off rear.
One could argue that rather than try to slot a third-row into a smaller package, Mazda is giving you a capacious two-row crossover instead. Mazda, in fact, tried to make this argument by showing off a BMW X5, non-L Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Lexus RX 350:
Just looking at it, the CX-70 does have more rear storage than either vehicle. The total 75.3 cubic feet of cargo storage trumps even the 72.3 cubic feet in the X5, 70.8 cubic feet in the Jeep, and handily bests the 46.2 cubic feet in the Lexus RX 350. Do you get a cost savings with that?
There is a very good argument to be made that this is all a cynical (or logical) ploy to win over Google Searches and searches on different car-buying platforms. As enthusiasts, we know this is just a two-row CX-90, but perhaps the average buyer just searches for what they want and the existence of both a CX-90 and a CX-90 Sport Two-Row Whatever is confusing.
There are too many vehicles in this class with a too-small turbo motor mated to a crappy CVT transmission, so a relatively large inline-six (3.3 liters) putting power down mostly to the rear via an eight-speed transmission does feel better. It also sounds way better.
As wild as it sounds, and maybe this should have been the headline: The Mazda CX-70 Is The FIrst SEO Car Ever. If Mazda has to compete with two-row and three-row vehicles then it needs two different names to be considered in search/et cetera.
Actually, Elana makes this point in her review on C/D and so I added a link to it and added a section on it in this post. It probably is an SEO/search play and, from that perspective, it does make more sense.
The Mazda MX-5 Miata has been reviewed countless times by us, in countless ways. There have been summer tests, track tests, winter tests, and comparison tests. As a perennial favorite among the staff here, we never pass up an opportunity to drive it.
A couple of weeks ago one of those opportunities arrived again. The vehicle I was set to review was unavailable, so I began calling around to see what else I could get my hands on. Mazda had an available vehicle, a shiny red a 2023 Mazda Miata Club (GS-P in Canada).
Unlike most of my weeks, the days ahead were unusually busy. I would have to commute from the suburbs into the heart of Toronto four times in four days. Anyone who has had to do the daily slog into a major metropolitan area knows how much of a grind that drive is. My goal was to see if one of the most fun cars to drive, a 2023 Mazda MX-5 Miata, could brighten up my day in stop-and-go traffic.
As a bonus, the car is also quite the looker. Even if the basic design has been around for nearly a decade, it has aged incredibly well. The Soul Red paint, black roof, and dark BBS wheels complement each other. The headlights and tail lamps still feel modern and the entire front fascia looks aggressive.
Inside, headroom lists at 37.4-inches (950 mm) with the roof up, or unlimited when the top is down. Those just over six-feet tall will fit comfortable behind the wheel, thanks in part to 43.1-inches (1,095 mm) of legroom. My tester includes the upgraded Recaro seats which are not only supportive, but quite liveable. Cargo space is in short supply, with only 4.59 cubic feet (130 L) available.
The convertible soft top insulates well. During a wintery week of driving, it held in heat and no drafts could be felt. A lot of road noise does make its way into the cabin though, especially at freeway speeds.
Having that feeling of control is exceptional in a car so well-tuned for fun. Included on my tester are the optional Brembo front brake calipers painted red, Bilstein shocks, a shock tower brace, and sport tuned suspension.
A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
As the 1970s marched on, technological breakthroughs in electronic and computer miniaturization allowed camera makers to design bold, new cameras. The major Japanese companies began a cycle of competitive leap-frogging, a sort of golden age of 35mm SLR design.
Pentax was committed to the amateur market. Having been a pioneer of the basic SLR, their conservative designs sold to people who desired a high quality, reliable camera but could not afford the more expensive pro-oriented models of Nikon and Canon.
By its specs, the MX offers little beyond the essentials of photography. Being all-mechanical, the only thing that requires battery power is the light meter. It accepts all Pentax K-mount lenses. Shutter speed dial right up top, with shutters speeds ranging 1 sec-1/1000 sec, along with bulb, on a horizontally running cloth shutter. Flash sync speed is a pretty standard 1/60 sec. A lever on the front that combines DOF preview and the self-timer. A couple of flash sync ports sit to the right of the lens mount. All of this is wrapped in an aluminum shell.
Along with the ME, the MX introduced the Magic Needles film loading system that made film loading easier. Just shove the leader between two white sticks, pull the rest of the canister and plop it in, and wind. Easy peasy.
After finding a parking spot half a mile away from my destination, I took the MX on a short photo walk. Loaded with a roll of Kodak Gold 200 and paired with a similarly tiny SMC Pentax-M 35mm f/2 lens, the MX was ready for documenting my adventures around Los Angeles.
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Excellent pics Jonathan! And good job highlighting the problems with it that most reviews gloss over. I sold my gorgeous black MX because yes the VF is very big, but you can only see all of it if you jam your eye into it. And the meter leds are basically invisible in daylight. The weirdly stiff shutter speed dial was the final nail in my ownership coffin.
Love my MX and will never get rid of it. Hopefully the Pentax Film Camera Project will be able to fulfill its stated goal of a fully mechanical SLR and we will have new MX-alikes being manufactured once more!
The Mazda MX-5 Miata has been around for more than three decades and has sold across four generations. In that time, the Japanese icon has gained quite a reputation among enthusiasts for being one of the most affordable and well-balanced sports cars around.
Since 2015, Mazda has shifted more than 60,000 units of the fourth-gen MX-5 in the U.S. alone. To find out more about why it still remains so popular, I recently had the opportunity of having one on-test for a week and I have some interesting things to say about it. Let's dive in.
Starting up front, just like with its predecessors, the MX-5's exterior styling despite its compact size is very expressive. It looks to me as if it were a small child excited to see a parent come home after a long day of work. There are no prominent lines on the sleek body's side profile, but the rear is quite exciting to look at. The tail light assembly is menacing and slightly demonic in a way.
The MX-5 looks small because it is small. Standing next to it, my 6-foot-2-inch stature towers over the MX-5. The roof of the collapsible top comes as high up as my midriff. It doesn't take me many steps either to walk the length of the car either. The MX-5 is 154 inches long, 68 inches wide, and 49 inches tall. It has a wheelbase of 90.9 inches. As for the paint (Soul Red Crystal), it is a $595 option.
The interior design of the MX-5 is simply minimalistic. The trim and paneling (plastic and leather) set the tone of the cabin. The instrument cluster doesn't have much to appeal to the eye with its basic dials and readings. As for some of the convenience features, the MX-5 has a few that might put some people out of their comfort zone.
With the cup holders for example, you can take them out of their respective slots and put them away. You can even mount it in a dedicated slot in the passenger footwell for added convenience. There is a lockable storage compartment to secure your belongings if the top were to be down while you're away from the MX-5. The collapsible top can be easily pulled up or down in a matter of mere seconds.
To get in the MX-5 is a little tricky though if you're tall like me. But once you're in, everything falls into place. Get in the MX-5 with your derriere first and swing your legs in afterward. As for comfort, the seats offer plenty of support for any duration of time while driving. The MX-5 offers up to 43.1 inches of legroom. The trunk capacity is quite small with only 4.59 cubic feet of space available. To say the least, you might be able to fit only a single small suitcase in the trunk.
The 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder under the hood of the MX-5 produces 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. Power goes to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. As far as ride comfort goes, the MX-5 excels in every category. Steering is tight and sharp like a samurai sword.
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