This year at the LA Auto Show Mazda was all about the new 2014 Mazda6 sedan. Yes, we finally got to see the production Mazda6 in the flesh, on American soil! What started off as the Takeri concept is now a full-on production car and it is freaking beautiful! Say what you want about Mazda but they sure do know how to pull emotion out of you through their designs.
Looking at the Mazda6 just made me want to jump in and drive the wheels off it! What was more impressive was the announcement that the new Mazda6 will have Mazda’s new SKYACTIV-D diesel engine! Ever since Mazda announced their new SKYACTIV technology, we have been waiting for the first Diesel engine to show up and it looks like we are finally getting it! Unfortunately no performance numbers on the SKYACTIV-D have been released yet but I think its safe to say we can expect a bucket-full of torque. I will have more on the 2014 Mazda6 soon in its own post.
Mazda also brought out the MX-5 Club edition and it is amaz-ome! (thats amazing and awesome). The Club edition is something of a send-off for this generation MX-5 and it is certainly a proper way to say goodbye. It has everything that makes the MX-5 awesome but wrapped in a cool black/red color way and special edition badging. I really, really want one of these and at only $27,000 it isn’t a bad buy at all. Still out of my current price range but still a great deal!
Besides the 2014 Mazda6 and the MX-5 Club Mazda showed off their full line and even had their new SKYACTIV-D turbocharged race engine on display (nice touch) and a simulator that puts participants on a hot lap around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. I didn’t get on it myself but it looked like a ton of fun!
For all the pictures from the 2012 LA Auto Show Mazda Exhibit check out our Facebook gallery. Also if you want to see Mazda’s LA Auto Show press conference scroll below and watch!
The Mazdaspeed3 was a revelation for many reasons. It was one of the first cars in its class and of its type to come from an OEM with just about everything needed to have fun on and off a race track. There is plenty of power, but room for practical crap like food and kids and stuff. The one weakness in the Mazdaspeed3′s armor is that it is FWD so it has a few of the downsides that come with that set up; namely understeer. Mazda did their best to remedy the problem but there is always room for improvement. That is where COBB Tuning comes in with their anti-sway bar kit. This kit improves rigidity, turn-in, and reduces understeer in the corners. This kit is a must if you have a first gen Mazdaspeed3 and you enjoy your track days.
When you have a Turbo car, whether it came that way or not one of the most important things needed to maintain performance is stable temperatures. Especially for the “charge air” or air being forced into your intake manifold by that lovely little metal snail we call a turbocharger. This problem is usually solved by an intercooler but, in cases such as the current gen Mazdaspeed3 the stock solution is not always the most efficient. I was happy when Mazda finally added a hood-scoop to feed the top mounted intercooler on the ‘speed3 but the stock unit is still pretty small and so is that opening in the hood.
COBB Tuning has solved this problem by producing a Mazdaspeed3 front mount intercooler solution with a much bigger core than stock; and thanks to the trademark “smile” front bumper on the Mazdaspeed3, the entire COBB intercooler’s surface area will be bathed in cool air from the outside. COBB also took great care to make sure that their intercooler will live in harmony with all of the car’s stock components while having good fitment. The kit comes with all the necessary brackets to bolt right on, and no cutting to the front bumper is needed at all. According to COBB the only surgery needed to accommodate their intercooler is some slight trimming to the under-tray.
The kit is a bit pricy at just over $1,000 but COBB always makes high quality stuff so in this case getting what you pay for is a really good thing.
We literally just got back from SevenStock 13 a few hours ago and here I am writing this post! The first thing I want to say is I had a great time! Mazda is one of the few OEMs that really has their fingers on the pulse of their enthusiasts. As always they brought out some legendary race cars from their “museum” and beyond that there were plenty of other awesome factory backed Mazdas on display, including the Rolex Series Champion Speed Source RX-8, the BMI Racing 4 Rotor RX-8, and the Full Tilt Poker/Burgenholtz RX-8. All of that awseomness isn’t even counting the fleets of fresh daily driven Mazdas on display brought by the enthusiasts. There were some fresh rotaries on display! Check out the full gallery on our Facebook Page.
It looks like HKS has developed a Legamax Premium exhaust for the new Mazdaspeed3 and it sounds pretty darn good, but as you can clearly see in the video below this is only for the Japanese market so far. Hopefully they’ll offer this in the states soon for all the Mazdaspeed owners in the good ol’ USA!
COBB Tuning just dropped a new blow off valve for Subaru’s and the Mazdaspeed3. Interesting mix yes? The new blow-off valve dubbed the “XLE” can function in three different modes: full recirculation, full atmosphere, and a hybrid mode that combines both plumbing configurations. The XLE is on a limited edition run so if you want one you better take swift action before they’re gone.
The current generation Mazdaspeed3 is an awesome ride. However if it has one flaw it’s the fact that its turbocharged engine has a top mount intercooler but there isn’t a hood scoop to feed it cool air. Mazda fixed this issue for the new Mazdaspeed3 which will make its debut at the end of the year. But, if you have a current generation Mazdaspeed3 and you want to fix this issue then look no further than Cobb Tuning’s front mount intercooler kit. It comes with all the hardware you need to successfully mount a large core intercooler right behind the front air dam. If you really want to go stealth you could always powdercoat the intercooler flat black.
If you’re looking for some quick power, you can’t beat a good aftermarket drop-in filter. They install with no problem and more often than not are good for a small bump in power. Cosworth has a drop-in for the Mazdaspeed3 that has 10% more air flow over stock and it meets the ISO fine dust test. That means nothing is getting into your motor besides fuel and air buddy! Oh, I also like the fact that its blue…blue is cool..
When I was at the Mazdaspeed event yesterday I was surrounded but current and vintage Mazda race cars but I was stopped in my tracks when I saw the wheel above. I knew that Mazdaspeed collab’d on wheels for the RX-8 but I didn’t know they made a forged offering for the Mazdaspeed3. The design reminds me of an RE30 but slightly different. Its made specficially for Mazda3 fitment but could you imagine getting this wheel in staggered RWD offsets?! 100% FRESH!
Here is another cool bit for the Mazdaspeed3 from Cobb Tuning. They made a special heat resistant sillicone turbo inlet hose that frees up flow into the turbo while doing its part to keep the air temprature down. Its strong enough to provent collapse under full vaccum conditions but still just flexible enough to work with. Ah, those guys at Cobb are always thinking!
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