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The ingenious Mazda RX-8 is a true four-seat sports car, and its small but powerful rotary engine makes this possible.

The RX-8 drives like a sports car, with perfect 50-50 weight distribution for balanced handling and a high-revving engine. It reminds us of the brilliant third-generation RX-7, but it’s $13,000 cheaper, and its muscular styling has a zoom-zoom edge.

Yet the RX-8 is surprisingly practical. It’s perfectly capable of taking the kids to soccer practice, with ample passenger room for four full-size adults. There’s enough room for a weekend’s worth of luggage or two full-size golf bags, and the small rear doors and relatively spacious trunk make trips to the home improvement center possible. Granted, it’s not as roomy as a sedan, but it can move people and stuff when needed.

The RX-8 was launched as an all-new model for 2004. While the manual transmission model carries over with few changes, but the automatic is far more compelling for 2006 than last year’s model. The 2006 RX-8 offers a new six-speed automatic in place of last year’s four-speed. What’s more, the automatic model gets a significant boost in horsepower. The six-speed automatic comes with steering-wheel mounted paddle controls for semi-manual shifting. This brings the automatic closer in character to the manual version, making it much more appealing to those who don’t always want to do the shifting themselves.

Still, the manual and automatic are two different cars due to the specific tuning of the high-revving rotary engine as paired to each transmission. The six-speed manual benefits from 238 horsepower at 8500 rpm and 159 pound-feet of torque at 5500 rpm, while the automatic produces 212 horsepower at 7200 rpm and 164 pound-feet at 5000 rpm. The automatic comes packaged with smaller wheels and brakes and a softer suspension. The bottom line is that the manual is for driving enthusiasts willing to sacrifice some comfort and convenience for performance. The automatic is for drivers more interested in the looks and feel of a sports car than in ultimate performance, drivers who have to contend with stop-and-go commuting.

Model Lineup

The 2006 Mazda RX-8 comes in two variants: the MT ($26,435) with a six-speed manual transmission and the AT ($26,435) with the new six-speed automatic.

Optional packages: The Sport Package (MT: $1,300, AT: $2,000) includes xenon headlights, fog lamps, DSC w/Traction Control (AT models add a limited slip differential and the same wheels and brakes found on all MT models). The Touring Package (MT: $2,975, AT: $3,775) adds Bose audio and an auto day/night mirror w/Homelink to the Sport Package equipment. Grand Touring (MT: $4,510, AT: $5,210) includes all that plus leather trimmed upholstery, faux leather door trim, six-way power driver’s seat, heated seats, lumbar support, a moonroof, and heated mirrors. The Shinka Special Edition Package (MT: $6,165, AT: $6,685) adds urethane-injected suspension cross members, bright-finish alloy wheels, leather/faux-suede upholstery, an in-dash six-disc CD changer, Sirius Satellite Radio equipment and a one-year subscription.

Additional options include a six-disc CD changer ($500), pearl white paint ($200), a DVD-based navigation system ($2,000) and an appearance package consisting of front air dam, a rear spoiler and side and rear aero flares ($1,100).

Safety features that come standard include frontal and side-impact airbags (for torso protection) for the front passengers, and curtain airbags (for head protection) front and rear.

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The Mazda 3 is sporty, roomy and fun. It’s available as a neatly styled four-door sedan or as a more adventurous looking five-door hatchback. The sedan has a sweet, rounded shape and smooth, cohesive design. The five-door looks more aggressive, but a lot of utility with its hatchback design and folding rear seats.

Quick, nimble handling makes the Mazda 3 (or Mazda3 as the company renders it) fun to drive on twisty country roads. The free-revving 2.3-liter engine delivers spirited performance. The five-speed manual transmission shifts beautifully, and there’s an interesting automatic available with a manual-shift feature.

Model Lineup

The four-door sedan is available with a choice of 2.0-liter or 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. The five-door hatchback comes only with the 2.3-liter engine.

The Mazda3i four-door sedan comes with the 2.0-liter engine ($13,680). Standard equipment includes AM/FM/CD, tilt and telescope steering wheel with audio controls, 15-inch steel wheels, halogen headlights, a stainless steel exhaust system, wind-up windows and manual door locks. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, an automatic transmission ($900) is optional. Air conditioning is optional ($850). Also optional: power windows, mirrors and door locks, cruise control, remote entry, an upgraded driver’s seat, upgraded audio with six speakers, and 16-inch alloy wheels, available as a package ($1,400).

Two-stage frontal airbags are standard. We strongly recommend the safety package ($800), which includes side-impact airbags for the front seats, side air curtains for head protection for front and rear-seat passengers, and anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD). That would make a well-equipped (and commonly equipped) Mazda3i more like $17,275 (with the $545 destination charge), or $18,175 with the automatic.

The Mazda3s is more powerful and better equipped. Available in the four-door ($16,615) and five-door ($17,105) styles, the 3s comes standard with all the power conveniences plus air conditioning, cruise control, an upgraded stereo and foglights. The five-door hatchback gets sporty 205/50 all-season radials on 17-inch steel wheels.

Options for the 3s include the automatic transmission ($900), the safety package with side-impact airbags, curtain airbags, ABS and EBD ($800); leather upholstery ($590); xenon high-intensity discharge headlights with a tire-pressure monitoring system ($700); and a navigation system ($1,750). A Sport Package ($490) combining 17-inch wheels with sill extensions is available for the 3s sedan.

A package combining a moonroof with a six-disc CD changer ($890) is available on all Mazda3 models. Sirius Satellite Radio ($399) can be dealer-installed in any Mazda3, though there’s also a labor charge.

The Mazda3i is available at no charge as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) that trades four horsepower (down to 144 horsepower) for significant reductions in emissions.

From :http://www.nctd.com/review-intro.cfm?Vehicle=2005_Mazda_3&ReviewID=1662

Mazda calls the Mazda5 a “multi-activity vehicle infused with sports car inspiration” that “efficiently transports people and equipment like a large SUV.”

We’ll leave alone the question of whether the words “efficiently” and “large SUV” belong in the same sentence. It is a fact, however, that buyers who are attracted to the passenger and/or cargo capacity of an SUV may be put off by SUV bulk and SUV fuel consumption. A minivan does the same job more efficiently, but seems to carry a certain social stigma. Station wagons used to do the job, but have now all but disappeared.

So how does the style-conscious consumer transport spouse, children, parents and pets? Urban architects have known the answer for at least a century: Go vertical.

The skyscraper principle applies equally to motor vehicles. Start with a small-sedan chassis for handling, ride comfort, and fuel efficiency. Build the body tall to pack more people and things inside the same footprint. Then give it a clunky-funky look that says “SUV,” or at least “SUV crossover,” more than “minivan.”

Europeans, who have lived with high fuel prices for decades, have been building and buying tall people movers since the 1950s. The Japanese, also, embraced the concept long ago. The idea is still novel in America, but vehicles as good as the Mazda5 just might help it catch on.

The Mazda 5, or Mazda5, is built on the same mechanical platform as the compact Mazda3 sedan. So it weighs less, and even covers a smaller patch of road than, say, Mazda’s own mid-size sedan, the Mazda6. But the tall Mazda5 seats six, where even the Maxda6 sedan seats five at best. See how the game is played? And with the back two rows of seats folded, Mazda5 will hold far more than Mazda’s own Mazda6 Sport Wagon. And it drives better than either a minivan or an SUV.

All-new last year, Mazda5 was offered in two well-equipped trim levels. Now for ‘07, Mazda has added the even more deluxe Grand Touring level with leather-trimmed heated seats and xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights. The base Mazda5 Sport starts at $17,635, the mid-level Touring at $19,150. A totally tricked-out Grand Touring, with DVD entertainment, navigation, and Sirius Satellite Radio would still list for less than $26,000. Looked at this way, there’s no competition.

Model Lineup

The 2007 Mazda 5 is available in three trim levels. All are powered by the same engine, a 153-hp, 2.3-liter inline-4. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on the Sport and Touring, with a four-speed automatic optional ($900). The automatic is standard on the new Grand Touring model.

Mazda5 Sport ($17,635) comes with air conditioning; power windows and central locking; four-speaker, multi-source stereo; steering wheel-mounted speed and sound controls; inboard armrests on the middle-row seats; four passenger assist grips; and carpeted floor mats. Cruise control, a tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, power outside mirrors and a six-way adjustable driver’s seat with inboard armrest facilitate driver-to-car interfacing. An attractive and durable-looking fabric covers seats and door panels with seat side bolsters and insets wearing contrasting textures. The standard wheel-and-tire package consists of 205/50 V-rated all-season radials on 17-inch alloy rims.

Options include a power moonroof ($700), an MP3 player/CD changer ($500); and fog lamps ($300). One option package is offered, comprising an in-dash, six-disc CD changer, rear liftgate spoiler, and side sill extensions ($490).

Mazda5 Touring ($19,150) makes the moonroof, in-dash six-CD changer, side sill extensions, liftgate spoiler, and fog lamps standard; and further upgrades to automatic air conditioning, two more speakers for the stereo, leather cover for the steering wheel, and a combination fold-out table and cargo net bin for the center row of seats. Externally, the mirrors turn body-color (instead of black). A combined navigation and tire-pressure monitoring system is optional ($2,000).

New for ‘07 is Mazda5 Grand Touring ($21,300), which adds leather seats with matching cloth door inserts, heated front seats, and xenon high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps with manual leveling. Sharp-eyed observers might spot the GT’s exclusive black light bezels, front and rear. Automatic transmission is standard, too, as we previously mentioned; the navigation/tire-pressure monitor is still optional.

Options for all models include several self-dimming inside mirrors with various built-in widgets ($230-300); Sirius Satellite Radio with a six-month subscription ($430); a rear-seat DVD player ($1,200); and pearl paint finish ($200). Additionally, Mazda dealers can install a range of accessories; a cargo net ($40), heavy duty all-weather floor mats ($60), a retractable cargo cover ($150), and wheel locks ($40) are just a few examples.

Safety features that come standard on all models include the required dual-action frontal airbags, plus front seat-mounted side-impact airbags for torso protection, and head-protecting side air curtains for all three rows of seats. Also, every seating position gets a three-point seatbelt and an adjustable head restraint. Be sure your passengers use those seatbelts as they’re your first line of defense in a crash. The middle and rear seats have child safety seat anchors (LATCH). Antilock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist also come standard.

From : http://www.nctd.com/review-intro.cfm?Vehicle=2007_Mazda_5&ReviewID=2066