I forgot that the CX-7 is powered by the same 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that was in the short-lived Mazdaspeed6 sport sedan. This engine's peaky, nonlinear character was one of the reasons that sedan didn't find an audience. It's better here in the CX-7 crossover, but it's not Mazda's best current powertrain effort.

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Folks of a certain age will no doubt recall the snazzy Mazda RX-7. In the early 1980s, while Van Halen fans were cruising the strip in Trans-Ams and Firebirds, their equally badass New Wave friends were tooling around in Madza's RWD sports coupe. (Hopefully, without their less-badass friends crammed in the barely there back seat.

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Even as the miles wore on during two recent road trips, our Mazda 3 remained comfortable and engaging. During a Thanksgiving trip to Boston, assistant editor David Zenlea found the seats supportive over the long haul while the 3's chassis soaked up bumps and kept the drive lively. Having made the same trip two weeks earlier in our long-term BMW 7-series, Zenlea made the surprising assessment that the 3 was "significantly more enjoyable.

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Mazda has reached a general agreement with Toyota to use its hybrid technology for future products. According to a report in Japanese English daily Yomiuri Shimbun, Toyota will sell Mazda parts like the electric motor, control system and other major components of its industry-leading Prius. Like Toyota, Mazda’s electric components will come from Panasonic.

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The simultaneous introduction of the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 at the LA Auto Show last week marks the end of a long history of platform sharing between Ford and Mazda. After two decades of collaboration, Ford has decided to develop vehicles separately from now on, according to Ford president Mark Fields. In the past year Ford has continually reduced its involvement in Mazda, selling off much of its stake in the Japanese automaker (from 33 to just 11 percent).

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Mazda showed it's dark side at the 2009 LA Motor Show, with this high performance concept car, based on the Mazda 2... Concieved as a weekend racer, but one that can function equally well as an urban commuter the Mazda 2Evil Special Concept was the Japanese firm's answer to Ford's sporty Fiesta RS concept - also shown at the LA event. The body has been modified to show a more aggressive front spoiler and a deeper side rocker for improved aerodynamics and lower overall stance.

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When we last reported on a possible return of the RX-7 flagship sports car to Mazda’s lineup it was after the company’s head of design, Ikua Maeda, spoke about his efforts to get the project started. Maeda even said he had gone so far as to sketch some preliminary drawings to show company execs. Now we hear that the plans are progressing beyond the car’s design and to the all-important powerplant stage.

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Mazda has just garnered another award for its new i-stop system that debuted this year on the Axela (3) and Bianti MPV. This is Mazda's take on an automatic start/stop system to eliminate idling but with a novel new twist. Rather than just use a more robust starter and battery to crank up the engine every time you pull away from a stop, it takes advantage of the direct injection.

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When the four-cylinder Mazda 6 i Touring showed up to our office, I had my doubts that the 170-hp engine could keep up with the larger body style of the 6, especially when mated to the automatic transmission. But 120 miles later, I can say that I was wrong. The Mazda's engine is more than capable, and the five-speed automatic transmission isn't lazy. As a result, the Mazda6 is actually a peppy car.

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Mazda is examining whether or not to bring diesel powered cars to North America. Seita Kanai, the company’s R&D boss, recently told Automotive News that diesel Mazdas are already being tested in the U.S. With certain emissions regulations standing in the way, the biggest holdup that Mazda faces is if it can make a concrete business case for the cars. “As an engineer, ideally I would want to introduce diesels, but I am not sure if it makes a business case,” said Kanai, commenting that the company would need to sell as many as 10,000 units to reach profitability.

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The CX-7 offers quite a bit of comfort and utility, not-to-mention style, for just $25,000. From afar, it's easy to mistake the CX-7 for Mazda's larger, more expensive CX-9 - not a bad thing at all. It's even somewhat enjoyable to drive, thanks to reasonably direct steering with good feedback.

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Picture if you will, an exotic car that takes a few stylistic cues from the Pagani Zonda and Ferrari Enzo, then distills them into a package the size of a Lotus Exige. Now imagine if it was powered by a tuned 2.3-liter DOHC turbo engine from the Mazdaspeed3 channeled through that car's six-speed gearbox. And further ponder that the vehicle in question weighs 1,300 pounds less its powertrain donor.

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The debut for Mazda’s upgraded CX-7 crossover is scheduled next month and will be priced from 25,785 British pounds ($40,700). Initially, the car will be offered with a single engine configuration, a 2.2-liter diesel that releases 171 bhp. Exterior enhancements include a redesigned front with new grille and chrome details, 19-inch alloy wheels and a new rear spoiler.

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• What is it?: The 2011 Ford Fiesta’s Mazda sibling
• The basics: Funky styling, and “zoom zoom” philosophy
• On sale: Fall 2010, with a public showing at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show
• Price: Less than $16,000 (est.) Compact hatchbacks have for a long time performed poorly in the U.S. but with fuel prices inevitably set to rise and customers shifting to smaller cars a number of major automakers have revealed their desires to bring the economical runabouts Stateside.

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In January, Mazda North America president Jim O'Sullivan said, "We will not go somewhere unless it's 'zoom-zoom'" -- by which he meant that Mazda would stick with combustion engines rather than hybrid or EV technology for the foreseeable future. By June, however, the company had changed its tune, and previous rumors of its Volt-killing hybrid were confirmed to be more than rumor.

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