Reviews

--I'll start this review with an admitted bias: I love products from Mazda. The Japanese company has always bucked the Honda/Toyota

Mazda's CX-9 offers more style than average in this large crossover SUV class. (Photo: Mazda)

"safe" trend, by coming out with products that are edgy and technologically savvy. Consider the RX-8. It utilizes the only mass production application of the latest Wankel rotary engine, and sports a cult following worldwide. Also consider the Miata MX-5, perhaps the world's most widely raced production vehicle. I've always longed to drive this pure sports convertible, but at 6'9" I simply do not fit.

For 2012, Mazda has wisely left their premium SUV, the CX-9, alone. That means those who plunk down hard earned cash will be rewarded with a super stylish people and gear hauler that also doubles as a fun-to-drive tall sportscar.

Power for the CX-9 comes from Mazda's proven 3.7-litre V6 that makes 273 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque.  It moves smartly off the line in stoplight acceleration, and powers quickly from 80-120 km/h for highway lane change maneuvers. Motive force is channeled through a six-speed sport automatic transmission, and tires are controlled through

Light off-roading is a snap for the all-wheel drive CX-9. (Photo: Mazda)

active-split All-Wheel Drive (AWD). My GT tester came standard with stylish 20-inch wheels. Handling is safe, predictable, and sure-footed no matter the weather. If you live in heavy snow areas, get a good set of winter snow tires and you're set. Think Billy Goat on the side of a mountain.

Inside, is a pleasant mix of sport and luxury that's also a defining hallmark of the brand.  Leather trimmed seats provide bun comfort. The multi-function, leather-wrapped steering wheel houses controls for Bluetooth hands-free calling, audio selection, audio volume, and cruise control. Through the wheel is a four gauge cluster with speedometer and tachometer, coolant temperature and fuel gauges. At night, the cluster is bathed in reddish orange lighting with blue accents. It's quite impressive. Move over to the centre console and you'll find a nice blend of faux wood and aluminum with piano black accents.

The CX-9 delivers luxury that comes close to matching that in premium crossover SUVs. (Photo: Mazda)

Sounds busy, but it works quite well.

At the top of the centre console is a small horizontal readout for climate, time and audio selections. Just below are HVAC vents, and just below that are either controls for CD, SIRIUS/XM Satellite Radio, and terrestrial AM/FM radio, or the optional ($2,675) navigation package with real-time traffic updates that is intuitive to use (my tester was outfitted with this option) and spot-on accurate. I purposely tried to confuse it, but it always got me back on course quickly. Just below the nav screen are buttons for the heated seats and defrost controls.

A centre armrest provides requisite storage areas and of course, cupholders big enough for your mega-sized drink from 7-Eleven.
Rear seat passengers also get a good deal, with an available DVD entertainment system. The CX-9 is a true seven-seater,

Seats are supportive, comfortable and extremely stylish. (Photo: Mazda)

with adequate accommodations for third–row passengers of reasonable size.

Most Japanese automakers now have a high level of safety built into their cars, but I consider Mazda the "Volvo" of the bunch, as it instilled safety features into its cars long before it was a sales tool.

The Mazda CX-9 is built with "Triple H" body construction. Triple H construction gives superb strength to the 9's unit body. Unit body construction supports structural loads by using an object's exterior. Mazda also adds higher strength Boron steels in locations of high stress to increase strength and rigidity without adding weight. To complement Triple H, the B-pillars are made of high-tensile steel.

Get flexible with passengers and cargo in the 7-occupant CX-9. (Photo: Mazda)

The side sills and B-pillars have large cross-sections for extra strength, and reinforcements were put in below the B- and C-pillars to strengthen their joints to the side sills.

Advanced front, front side, and side curtain airbags protect in severe crashes. Dynamic stability control combines with a roll stability control and traction control system for super steady handling.

My GT trim level came standard with a blind spot monitoring system that in my opinion should be standard equipment on all vehicles. It's a useful, helpful bit of safety technology.

Keep up the great work Mazda. The 2012 CX-9 is as a good as a premium SUV gets.

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The Mazda2 has classic small-hatchback styling, enlivened by Mazda's characteristic smiling grille and an upswept character line above the door sill. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press) elusive youth market. To an increasing extent this is a demographic whose members grew up using transit and are more interested in the latest electronic gadgets than the latest, most powerful cars. But that doesn't mean they'll settle for boring econoboxes when they do go car shopping - this media-savvy cohort expects their cars to deliver not just value and practicality, but also an engaging driving experience and seamless connectivity with their beloved gadgets. After trying out a "Spirited Green" 2012 Mazda2 GS for a week, I'd say it does a good job of delivering on most counts.

The Mazda2, which goes up against competitors including the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent and Chevrolet Sonic, shares its platform with another recent entry into the subcompact segment, the Ford Fiesta. Mechanically, the Mazda2 takes a slightly different route than the Fiesta. Where the Ford is all about the big-car features and is powered by a 1.6-litre, 120-horsepower 4-cylinder engine, the Mazda takes a sportier approach, eschewing the extensive options list and delivering a car that's powered by a smaller 1.5-litre, 16-valve 4-cylinder engine delivering 100 horsepower and 98 lb-ft of torque. Despite its horsepower disadvantage, the

The rear wheels are pushed well aft, maximizing the interior room giving the Mazda2 a feisty, planted stance. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

Mazda is actually slightly quicker thanks to its lower curb weight (about 100 kg less, depending on options). Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes just over 10 seconds - not fast, exactly, but brisk enough to be fun.

Both the Mazda2 and the Fiesta come standard with 5-speed manual transmissions but offer available automatics - a 6-speed dual-clutch automated manual for the Ford, and a simpler traditional 4-speed automatic for the Mazda. Which transmission is better is really a matter of personal preference, but I've driven both and each offers perfectly acceptable performance. The Fiesta's sophisticated 6-speed helps eke out a little bit better fuel economy than the Mazda's 4-speed, but the Mazda's traditional unit offers the benefit of being somewhat smoother at low speeds. Mazda rates the Mazda2's city/hwy mileage at 6.8 / 5.6 L/100km for the manual and 7.1 / 5.8 for the automatic (the Fiesta, by comparison, has similar overall ratings but actually gets slightly better city mileage with the automatic versus the manual).

The front seats are comfortable and surprisingly roomy, and red piping adds a touch of flair. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

Externally, the Mazda2's styling is classic small hatchback, but Mazda manages to add a little personality with its smiling front end and swept-up character lines running above the sills. The beltline follows the same upward sweep, allowing for expansive side glass and a bright airy feel in the front seats without making the car look like a greenhouse on wheels. At the back, the rear wheels are pushed well aft, which not only maximizes the interior room, but also gives the car a shapely rump and a feisty, planted stance.

Inside, the Mazda2 takes an understated approach that should withstand the test of time well. The dash is laid out in a straightforward, sensible fashion and everything falls easily to hand. The front seats are surprisingly roomy for such a small car and the back seats offer realistic room for two adults provided you're not trying to transport a car-load of basketball players. The cargo area will happily accommodate your weekly groceries, though you'd be hard pressed to put a stroller back there.

The dash layout is straightforward and sensible, with all major controls within easy reach. The GS includes metallic trim on the steering wheel, shifter bezel and door handles. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

On the road the Mazda2 is at once effortless and fun to drive. Its steering is quick and crisp, making it good fun to thread through corners. Not surprisingly, its light weight and subcompact size make it a perfect little city runabout, but perhaps more surprising is its relaxed, competent highway manner. While you might expect a subcompact to be noisy and nervous-feeling on the highway, the Mazda2 is settled-feeling and reasonably quiet.

The only two negatives in my driving notes relate to the rather hollow-sounding interior panel at the back of the hatch (if your cargo slides backward under acceleration and hits the back of the hatch, it makes a resounding crash) and the positioning of the automatic transmission's overdrive shut-off switch (rather than relying strictly on the gearshift selector to force the automatic transmission into the lower gear ranges, Mazda put an overdrive shut-off button on the gearshift lever, which I kept accidentally pressing when using the shifter).

In base trim the Mazda2 takes a bit of an Occam's Razor approach to things ("the simplest answer is best"). You won't find much in the way of extraneous gadgets onboard, but for $14,095 (plus $1,495 in delivery charges) you still get power

Power for the Mazda2 is from a zippy 1.5-litre 16-valve 4-cylinder engine generating 100 horsepower and 98 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

locks, power windows and power mirrors, tilt steering, a 2-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo with auxiliary input, 12-volt outlet, a centre console with cupholders, split-folding rear seats, rear wiper and washer, plus a full array of safety equipment including stability control, ABS brakes and multiple airbags.

My $19,345 GS test car added air-conditioning, alloy wheels, roof spoiler, side sill extensions, leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic headlights, fog lamps, rain-sensing wipers, heated door mirrors, a six-speaker audio system, remote keyless entry, silver interior accents, exterior temperature gauge, trip computer, and cruise control with steering-wheel mounted cruise and audio controls. Notably missing from this list of included options is Bluetooth connectivity, but that's available as a separate $389 accessory. Indeed, tearing a page from Scion, the Mazda2 has an extensive list of available accessories ranging from the

The cargo area is big enough for groceries, and split-folding rear seats let you transport larger items. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

practical (Bluetooth, parking sensors, auto-dimming mirror) to the race-inspired (lowering kit, "radical" rear spoiler).

This "a la carte" approach to accessories allows buyers to get exactly the features they want without needlessly bundled extras, just as long as their wish list doesn't extend to the kind of big-car features offered by the Fiesta (such as leather seating and a power moonroof) or the kind of sophisticated connectivity offered by systems like Ford's Sync and Chevrolet's MyLink. Because despite the Mazda2's youth-market orientation, it still doesn't offer connectivity beyond the auxiliary audio input and accessory Bluetooth phone interface.

Still, if what you're looking for is a sharp handling, fun-to-drive subcompact, the Mazda2 is hard to beat. It offers a good all-round blend of practicality, economy and comfort, while maintaining some of the best driving dynamics in the subcompact class. Occam would approve.

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Perfectly proportioned, the Mazda6 has a sweeping, coupe-like roofline. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press) as a bit of an enthusiast driver's family car, a reputation that was bolstered in 2006 with the introduction of the high-performance, all-wheel drive Mazdaspeed6.

A second generation Mazda6 was introduced in Europe for 2008, but North Americans got a different car in 2009, a widened and lengthened version of the car sold elsewhere in the world. It meant the loss of some of the original car's sporty edge, but it also meant that it now measured up in terms of size against its chief rivals such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord (which itself is sold in different-sized versions for world markets and North American markets).

The 2010 and 2011 model years saw various minor revisions and improvements to the Mazda6, but with the next redesign expected for 2013, the 2012 model carries over unchanged from 2011 save for some paint colour choices.

For 2012 the colour palette is new, but otherwise the Mazda6 carries over unchanged from 2011. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

Despite the compromises made in order to appeal to a broader range of North American consumers, the Mazda6 still remains a bit of an enthusiast driver's family car. It has a sportier look and feel than the Accord, Camry or even the Ford Fusion, with which the Mazda6 shares its platform. I was given a crimson red GT-V6 to try out for a week, and it left me wondering, "Why don't we see more of these cars on the road?"

Certainly the Mazda6 has the looks of a winner: perfectly proportioned, it has a sweeping, coupe-like profile, curvaceously bulging fenders and a front end that manages to capture Mazda's "smiling" look without becoming a caricature. A couple of short years ago it would have been easy to describe the Mazda6 as the best-looking midsize family sedan on the market, and while the new Korean contenders (the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Optima) have now made the choice far less obvious, the Mazda still remains a serious contender for the style podium.

Power for the Mazda6 comes from either a 2.5-litre inline-4 or, as in the test car, a powerful 3.7-litre V6. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

Mechanically, the Mazda6 is available with either a 2.5-litre inline 4-cylinder engine that develops 170 horsepower and 167 lb-ft of torque, or a 3.7-litre V6 that develops a healthy 272 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. The 4-cylinder is available with either a 6-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic transmission, while the 6-cylinder comes with a 6-speed automatic.

The V6 in my test car proved plenty powerful, with gobs of torque available across the rev range, although it would have been nice if Mazda offered paddle shifters for manual control of the transmission (there is a manual mode available, but shifting is accomplished exclusively using the shift lever). Acceleration with the V6 is brisk, taking just 6.5 seconds to go from 0-100 km/h, while 4-cylinder cars turn in a more pedestrian but still perfectly acceptable time of just over 9 seconds. Fuel economy (city/highway) for the V6 is a moderately thirsty 11.9 / 7.9 L/100km, with the 4-cylinder turning in reasonably thrifty ratings of 9.8 / 6.6 L/100km.

Leather seating comes standard on the 4-cylinder GT and all 6-cylinder models. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

Handling has always been a bit of a Mazda strong point, and the 2012 Mazda6 doesn't disappoint. In a straight line on the highway, it impresses with an exceptionally quiet ride and a solid "carved from granite" feel. In the corners is offers quick, precise steering with responsive handling and good grip during reasonably spirited driving. It's not flawless - I found the electric power steering to be rather on the light side, and once the limits of adhesion are reached the chassis serves up heaping dollops of understeer - but the Mazda6 is still a good couple of notches above most of its direct competitors.

Inside, the Mazda6 offers what is perhaps best described as "sophisticated simplicity." It's not all flash and bang, but the basic comforts and gadgets you'd expect to find are all accounted for, and everything is cleanly styled and built of good quality materials. The dash and door panel uppers (both front and rear) are soft-touch, with appropriate hard-touch plastics used elsewhere. Metallic accents

Metallic accents and black zebra-wood trim give the cleanly-styled interior an air of sophisticated simplicity. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

surround the instruments and brighten up the centre stack, and there's nice convincing-looking black zebra-wood trim splashed about the cabin. I particularly liked the instrument lighting, which is mostly red with deep indigo-blue rings highlighting the instrument scales.

My test car's pushbutton start was perhaps a little less impressive: it looked and worked fine, but its location at the bottom of the centre stack seemed a little like an afterthought, an impression highlighted by the rather crude-looking cover where the normal column-mounted ignition switch would be. I was also less than thrilled with the Bluetooth interface. It offers audio streaming as well as cell phone connectivity, but like some other similar systems I've tested, the audio streaming didn't get along well with my phone (it would automatically disconnect my phone functions and start streaming audio instead, without being asked), so I had to

A commodious trunk makes grocery shopping and family trips equally easy. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

remember to go through the phone connect procedure at the beginning of each drive. Other phones might not suffer this problem, but it's worth checking out if the compatibility of your particular phone is important to you.

Pricing on the Mazda6 starts at $23,995 for the 4-cylinder GS model, which includes all the expected safety equipment (multiple airbags, ABS brakes, traction control) and a fairly comprehensive list of comfort and convenience equipment including such niceties as heated mirrors, trip computer, steering-wheel mounted audio controls, rain-sensing wipers, external temperature sensor and six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio with auxiliary input. A $1,940 comfort package adds a power moonroof, dual-zone climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, power driver's seat

The split-folding back seat comfortably fits three adults. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

and 6-changer CD player. The 4-cylinder GT is priced at $29,395 and includes everything from the GS and the comfort package, then adds such items as bigger wheels (18-inch alloys instead of 17-inch), leather upholstery, fog lights, LED taillights, HID headlights and an auto dimming rearview mirror. A $2,595 luxury package adds pushbutton start, 10-speaker BOSE audio with Sirius satellite radio, a power passenger seat, blind-spot information system, rearview camera and more. An automatic transmission is available as a standalone option with all 4-cylinder models for $1,200.

The original Mazda6 quickly became known as a driver's car and the 2012 model, although bigger, upholds that reputation. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

The 6-cylinder GS starts at $31,995 and is equipped similarly to the 4-cylinder GT model, while my GT-V6 test car, at the top of the range, came in at $37,440 (plus destination fees of $1,695) and was equipped similarly to a 4-cylinder GT with the luxury package. For the GT trim only (4- or 6-cylinder), a navigation system is available as a separate $2,600 option.

With this range of pricing the Mazda6 is right in the mix with its rivals from Honda, Toyota and Hyundai and others such as Chevrolet's Malibu. Kia's Optima continues to challenge with a strong value proposition, and Ford's Fusion, which shares a platform with the Mazda6, also has some very competitive starting prices. What the Mazda6 offers is distinctive good looks and a uniquely sporty character, and this makes it a car that shouldn't be overlooked if you're in the market for a new midsize family sedan.
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