2011 Mazda2 front view

While the 2011 Mazda2 might not be out to redefine the subcompact segment, it does offer something largely lacking from the rest of the pack: fun.

2011 Mazda2 front view 2

But are Mazda’s Zoom-Zoom driving dynamics enough to overlook its shortcomings in power, packaging and amenities? Find out after the jump.And it is small.

2011 Mazda2 side view

Compared to the next largest Mazda, the MX-5 Miata, the Mazda2 is 1.8 inches shorter (155.5 inches) and an inch narrower (66.7 inches), yet it’s also 8.7 inches taller (58.1 inches).

2011 Mazda2 rear view

If the exterior merely suggests the Mazda2 is fun to drive, then the interior gets down to brass tacks. Fun and cutesy have been left outside, replaced with somber blacks and restrained grays.

2011 Mazda2 interior 2

In fact, a sliver of red piping on the dark, cloth-lined seats is just about the only splash of color in this otherwise midnight cabin.The Mazda2 also fits an average-sized driver better than expected considering its dimensions.

2011 Mazda2 interior

The steering wheel tilts and the integrated audio controls don’t get in the way.

2011 Mazda2 engine

2011 Mazda2 rear seats

2012 Mazda5 front view 2

When you compare the Mazda5 to the behemoths that rule the minivan segment, it’s easy to understand why we’d classify this as a microvan. But in reality, the 5 is five inches longer (and one inch narrower) than the original Dodge Caravan.

2012 Mazda5 front view

What a difference 28 years makes.The Mazda5 has soldiered through its existence in America with very little fanfare and a workmanlike attitude.

2012 Mazda5 side view

When the model was introduced in 2005 as a 2006 model, Mazda wasn’t interested in providing volume forecasts and marketing dollars were scarce.

2012 Mazda5 rear view

The Mazda5′s cabin has also been spruced up with some of the flowing design that now adorns the MPV’s exterior, though the shock and awe is relegated to the dashboard area. Gone are the cold and lifeless straight lines of the outgoing model in favor of a curvier cockpit that wraps around the driver.

2012 Mazda5 interior view

The last Mazda5 featured an information center at the top of the center stack. Filling the 5 with people does severely limit storage space, a problem Mazda has attempted to remedy with a shallow and mostly ineffective storage beneath the second row seats.

2012 Mazda5 interior

We can’t help but scratch our heads and wonder why Mazda has spent its engineering dollars on creating a storage space that can only stow a couple of action figures and a travel pack of trail mix.

2012 Mazda5 front seats

The Mazda5′s additional output wasn’t included to mask additional weight. Commendably, the Mazda5 has actually shed 22 pounds for 2012, with its base weight now measuring a reasonable 3,457 pounds.

2012 Mazda5 engine

That’s lighter than many mid-size sedans, and lowered weight and added torque is felt when starting from a stop.

2011 Mazda CX 9 AWD Front view

In 2011, these beings, whom you may understandably now refer to as jerks, release the CX-9, allowing it to rejoin the automotive landscape. How would it fare in this brave new(ish) world? Enter the 2011 Mazda CX-9, which, aside from a few minor tweaks, is very much the same as the 2008 Mazda CX-9.

2011 Mazda CX 9 AWD Front1 view

Those tweaks are key and tidy, the most significant being an exterior refresh in 2010 that brought a new fascia and side mirrors, and in 2011 better fuel economy and different wheels.Performance remains admirable.

2011 Mazda CX 9 AWD Side view

The loaded, 4532-pound Grand Touring trim we tested reached 60 mph in 7.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 15.6 seconds at 89.5 mph, a front-pack result in the three-row SUV realm. Such complaints stand as trifles against the CX-9′s attributes.

2011 Mazda CX 9 AWD Rear view

In the past three years, as the competition progressed rapidly around it, Mazda only added light improvements, because that’s all the CX-9 needed. Trans-dimensional jerks be damned.

2011 Mazda CX 9 AWD Engine

Smart interior packaging, and actually delivering the “sport” part of SUV, to name a few — haven’t been diminished one bit by time. The CX-9 still delivers an eye-pleasing interior with comfortable trimmings and generous interior space.

2011 Mazda CX 9 AWD Cockpit

2011 Mazda CX 9 AWD interior

2011 Mazda CX 9 AWD Steering Wheel

Mazda answer to this problem is a wide range of the CX-7, for the year 2010 begins with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine of the Mazda 6 Sedan abolished in the room. On a five-speed automatic transmission is available with front-wheel drive only covered, it is a relatively smooth operator. But more importantly, it is easier for the pockets of the base price for the entry-level CX-7 is now $ 22,300, an increase of $ 2350 from the bottom of the all-turbo lineup in 2009, and by improving the fuel is increased. The EPA estimates 20 mpg city/28 highway for the 2.5 on regular fuel, compared with 18/25 for the front-drive turbo and 17/23 for the top-of-the-line all-wheel-drive models and the Turbo models are more economical than last year. Although the CX-7 footprint is closer in size to the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano, brings both a bit more expensive than the Turbo-Mazda, the new four cylinder, the sticker CX-7 is more in line with the strike prices of the small Utes like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.

While the MazdaSpeed3 has not beaten the GTI when facing it in one of our comparisons, Mazda has given it new life for 2010, and we wonder: is that going to be enough to dethrone the GTI?

You can tell just by looking at it that the MazdaSpeed3 has been restyled for 2010. No surprise, it shares the smiley-face front end with the standard Mazda3 sedan and five-door. There are definite differences in its appearance from that of its milder-mannered kin, though: the Speed has round foglights that flank the smile, there are well-defined fender flares in the front and rear, it has a larger spoiler than on the regular five-door, and there is a hood scoop, which is new for 2010. The scoop is functional, too, said to improve the efficiency of the intercooler by improving airflow. There’s also a new 18-inch wheel design — and the wheel and tire package is wider by about half an inch. The dual exhaust tips are larger than on last year’s hatch.

Can the new MazdaSpeed3 beat the next-generation GTI? The Speed3 offers fun on twisty roads at a bargain price, good looks (although we’re still trying to get used to the new nose), roomy interior for the car’s size, and the practical function of a hatchback. It is also faster at the track than the GTI is. The Mazda is definitely catching up to the GTI, but unless the next generation of the VW has gotten worse than the ones that came before, the MazdaSpeed3 isn’t quite there yet. Refinements and other improvements have absolutely made the car better than it was, but until Mazda does something to alleviate the torque steer, It seems the Volkswagen would still be king.

2010 Mazda MAZDASPEED3 Base Hatchback Performance & Efficiency Standard Features
- Turbo compressor
- 2,260 cc 2.3 liters in-line 4 front engine with 87.5 mm bore, 94.0 mm stroke, 9.5 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder L3T
- Premium unleaded fuel 91
- Gasoline direct injection fuel system
- 14.5 gallon main premium unleaded fuel tank 12.1
- Power: 196 kW , 263 HP SAE @ 5,500 rpm; 280 ft lb , 380 Nm @ 3,000 rpm
2010 Mazda MAZDASPEED3 Base Hatchback Handling, Ride & Braking Standard Features
- ABS
- Brake assist system
- Four disc brakes including two ventilated discs
- Electronic brake distribution
- Electronic traction control via ABS & engine management
- Immobilizer
- Front limited slip differential
- Spacesaver steel rim spare wheel
- Stability control
- Strut front suspension independent with stabilizer bar and coil springs, multi-link rear suspension independent with stabilizer bar and coil springs