Mazda E2000 Reviews

If you're buying a new family SUV this year, there's a fair chance one of these four models will be on your shopping list. Statistically, almost one in five new car buyers is choosing this type of car - the medium SUV segment is now the go-to for Australian consumers. So which is our pick of the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester? You'll have to read on to find out.

Purchase price is only half the battle in ownership — these are the champions come trade-in time. Buying the right new car can save you thousands of dollars. With depreciation tearing the largest chunk out of any motoring budget, easily beating the costs of fuel or servicing or insurance, it pays to go with a

Complaints are on the rise about the harsh ride and tyre noise in cars.

Toyota will reportedly borrow Mazda’s upcoming SkyActiv rear-wheel drive platform and inline-six engines for future products - if the automotive rumour mill is to be believed.As reported by Japan’s Best Car magazine, ‘several’ new rear-wheel drive Toyota and Lexus products will use Mazda’s platform after the upcoming next-generation cars are due to be replaced in around 2026. The immediate replacements for these cars will use Toyota’s TNGA platform, though will switch to Mazda’s new platform after.Mazda’s new rear- or all-wheel drive SkyActiv platform is rumoured to launch between 2020 and 2025. The first Mazda product it will sit under is the next generation Mazda6 in around 2022, while other products are due to also share it, including a new large SUV above the CX-9. The next Lexus RC - also due in 2022 - will be reportedly the first Toyota Lexus product based on Mazda’s platform, as well as the IS, Toyota Mark X and a new Lexus 'coupe' that will sit between the RC and LC and compete with the Audi A7.The petrol straight-six engine at the centre of the new products will displace 3.0-litres, and will employ both supercharging and 48V mild-hybrid technology to improve fuel economy. Mazda is also reportedly developing a plug-in hybrid version of the engine to further increase efficiency.This not the first time that Mazda and Toyota have worked together for product development. The previous-generation Japanese market Mazda3 hybrid used Toyota’s hybrid system and the US-market Yaris - which is different to the Australian model - is based on the Mazda2. The two manufacturers have also committed to building a new $1.6 billion factory in America that will initially build the US Corolla, as well as a new large Mazda SUV that is reportedly in development.Local Mazda and Toyota executives declined to comment on the platform and engine sharing.

Does the Mazda6 have a timing belt or a timing chain and does it really matter?  The current Mazda6 has a timing chain and yes, it certainly matters. Got two minutes? Let me explain.First up, the current Mazda6 has a choice of two engines: a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol. Both use a chain and so does the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel which used to be offered on this model.Now, a timing chain or belt has the important job in an engine of connecting the crankshaft to the camshaft(s) and controls the opening and closing of the valves which let the air-fuel mixture into the cylinder and the exhaust gas out.Timing chains have been used in engines longer than belts, and they're considered to be better because of their strength and durability. Rubber belts are cheaper than chains to make, but they stretch and deteriorate over time, and need to be replaced.In the case of the latest Mazda6 the chain is designed to be used for the lifetime of the engine – there is no periodic maintenance or replacement needed.So, there you have it: the Mazda6 has a timing chain and that’s something to be pleased about.

It might be late to the electrification party, but Mazda is planning on making up for lost time, confirming plans to launch its first pure EV next year with a range of plug-in hybrids to follow. That's the word from Mazda CEO Akira Marumoto, who

Mazda UK has announced performance and fuel economy data for its upcoming SkyActiv-X engine, which will be launched into the Australian Mazda3 towards the end of 2019. Going on sale in the UK in July, the 2.0-litre supercharged SkyActiv-X engine with the company’s new compression ignition tech will reportedly produce 133kW of power and 223Nm of torque, which is slightly less than the current 2.5-litre SkyActiv four-cylinder petrol engine used in the G25 variants locally. The SkyActiv-X engine has a high 16.3:1 compression ratio, and thanks to the supercharger, its peak torque is produced 1000rpm lower than the current G25 engine, at 3000rpm. As for fuel economy, Mazda UK claims that the SkyActiv-X engine will use as little as 5.4L/100km on a combined cycle - 1.2L/100km less than the Australian G25. Although Australian figures are yet to be announced, we expect the combined figure to be comfortably below 6.0L/100km despite possible weight differences, larger wheels and different fuel quality. Emissions are similarly improved - the SkyActiv-X engine emits as little as 96g/km of CO2, which compares well with the current 2.0-litre (143g/km) and 2.5-litre (153g/km) variants of the Mazda3.The UK-spec SkyActiv-X engine is also combined with a mild-hybrid system that allows the car to have its engine switched off for “extended periods of time”, according to the brand. Whether or not the SkyActiv-X engine will be paired with the same mild-hybrid system locally is unknown.When it goes on sale in the UK, Mazda will offer the SkyActiv-X engine in both the sedan and hatchback bodystyles, and with either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox - and possibly with either front- or all-wheel drive. Mazda Australia is yet to comment on when the SkyActiv-X engine will be sold locally, but we expect it to be offered only in higher-spec versions of the Mazda3 range, possibly as an option.Mazda has confirmed that the 2.0-litre SkyActiv-X engine will be offered in the CX-30 small SUV when it goes on sale locally in 2020. It’s also announced that larger six-cylinder versions of the SkyActiv-X engine concept will be produced in the future, though smaller iterations for cars such as a future Mazda2 are yet to be confirmed.

The Australian new vehicle market continued to fall in May, with an 8.1 percent slide across the market, matching an 8.1 percent decline year-to-date in 2019.

The automotive sales figures for May have landed, and it's pretty horrific reading right across the Top 10, with only one brand posting positive growth both over the past four weeks, and for the year to date.

The Mazda BT-50 has a new top dog, with the Japanese brand today confirming a new Boss model will now sit above the GT trim in its ute line-up.