So you drive a Speed 3 eh? You probably think you are the shiz-at with your FoMoCo powered wagon…, but don’t worry bro I’m here to set a few myths straight.
Myth #1: “Elevendy” gears.
First, don’t be fooled by Mr. Diesel; you do not have “elevendy” gears begging to be double-clutched from stop light to stop light.
So give that lefty pedal a break and stick (pun intended) with 1st through 6th…throw a little R&R in there if you must.
Myth #2: The “black hole”.
Second, there is not a black hole hiding under your hood sucking all your money away. You may tell you girlfriend that, but come on seriously?
There’s a hunk of metal under there that you keep attaching more expensive hunks of metal to, but if your “black hole” excuse is working then you got yourself a real keeper… If not… check out financing.
Myth #3: Your “mating call emitter”.
Lastly, the hunk of metal (I mean black hole) does not have a “mating call emitter” attached to it, I promise. Red lights are not the green light to shoot for the redline of your hunk of metal and it will not draw the attention of the potential mate, at least not the attention you are seeking.
BUT, if that does happen to attract a potential mate, then you already know the black hole excuse will work flawlessly.
Thats all for now.
Zoom-Zoom
-Barrett@Corksport.com
3 Myths About What’s Under the Hood of Your Mazdaspeed 3 August 1st, 2023CorkSport
We received some sad news a few days ago about the much loved Rotary RX-7, RX-8 and other RX series. The official word according to the Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai is that “we don’t have that kind of vehicle in our future product plan.” when asked about a future RX.
Honestly I’d love to pontificate about this more, but there isn’t much to say. It sounds like the final word from the current CEO. When pushed further he gave some reasoning that honestly makes perfect sense, “If you increase the number of segments, then the resources we can allocate to each will decline and that will prevent us from developing truly good products.” Also stated was the fact that “It’s difficult for us at present to further expand our lineup. The company is still in the process of improving its financial structure. We want to focus our limited resources on the Skyactiv products that we have today”
Though this probably makes the most sense from a stability standpoint, it certainly doesn’t make us excited or want to say “Zoom-Zoom”. What happened to the Mazda passion? All that racing knowledge and development? Did they just give up on pushing the bar? Honestly, I don’t think so, I just think they are changing focus. The Rotary is off the board in the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean their current lineup won’t see some improvements…. after all, what about that Mazdaspeed 3 and MX-5?
Nonetheless, let us all take a moment of silence and mourn the passing of the RX series, for now.
Cheers
Spencer@CorkSport
Written by Spencer Carson. Spencer is a car enthusiast and Mazda fan at heart. Whether enjoying the power of a modified Mazdaspeed 3, or driving top down in his 1992 MX5, he always enjoys getting behind the wheel. As much as Spencer loves driving, he loves helping out other Mazda owners even more. Whether helping at a local install day or heading to a car meet across the country, he loves chatting about Mazda and giving advice on how to get more Zoom-Zoom out of any car.
The End of the Mazda Rotary RX November 21st, 2014CorkSport
We talk a lot about the next Mazdaspeed, will it be AWD, will it be FWD, will it be a 3? the 6? a 2? Though little is known or confirmed, I want to point out a few things we DO know as a fact.
Mazda has been working on their SkyActiv D engines for a few years. They have already shown their SkyActiv D engines, they even race them. What many people fail to realize it that the SkyActiv D runs in the Mazda 6 with a two-stage turbocharger.
The two-stage turbocharger gives you the best of both worlds, it will run a smaller turbo in the low RPM range in order to give you more power and cut emissions, then at higher RPM ranges it flips a lever and runs the bigger turbo to produce more power with no noticeable lag between the two. According to Mazda’s own website “SKYACTIV-D utilizes a two-stage turbocharger in which one small and one large turbo are selectively operated according to driving conditions.” (Source)
What else do we know? Well, Mazda has been actively racing the SkyActiv D engines in several endurance races. This is a mildly modified version of the SkyActiv D that is known to put down about 400hp.
So why would Mazda try and rework a new regular gas powered engine with a turbocharger for the next speed? Why not take the 400 hp Two-Stage turbo diesel that they already have, and pull a little power from it, and release it as a street legal vehicle?
More questions: Why has the SkyActiv D release been delayed? Is it emissions related? According to Mazda their engines pass with flying colors, no treatment necessary. So it can’t be that. In fact when the SkyActiv D was delayed Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes was quoted as saying: Skyactiv technology can meet it [emissions] — and it can — but the challenge is engineering a car that delivers the kind of performance that a Mazda needs to have and we’re unable to do that given where we are right now.”
Wait a minute. So what you are saying is that the 2.2L passes emissions, (source) but doesn’t have enough performance? If Mazda has already passed the emissions testing for the engine then why delay it. We know they have released it in the CX-5 in other markets, they even confirmed they will be releasing it in the Mazda 3 in Australia come September. (Source) Along with this the CX-5 has been selling in Japan at a rate of “four 2.2L SKYACTIV-D purchases for every one 2.0L SKYACTIV-G.” (Source) So why would they work on a turbo gasoline variant when the Diesels (which already have a turbo) are already clearly being sold at such a significantly greater rate? My answer? I don’t think they will.
So what’s the delay. My guess is that they plan on announcing the SkyActiv D release date at the same time as the performance oriented version, the Mazdaspeed SkyActiv D which may be a variant of the engine seen above. Even the SkyActiv D that is currently running in the CX-5 pushes 310 lb ft of torque and 173 hp. Still impressive, especially that torque! Imagine bumping the hp by even 100 and the torque would be incredible!
Last but not least, check out these two videos from Mazda that were released almost 2 years ago. Starting at minute 2 they say some interesting things.
https://youtu.be/cK5SQkEUBdo?t=2m
“An exceptionally high redline or 5200rpm. When we were done we had created a beast … delivers the driving performance of a 4.0L V8.”
A 4.0L V8!! Just do a quick google search for standard HP from common 4.0L V8s and you should be more than impressed with the results. Is this Mazda teasing us and we just failed to notice?
In the long run, whether we get a Mazdaspeed version of the SkyActiv D or not, I can’t wait until it hits our shores for good. Let’s hope it’s soon!
Until next Time,
-Spencer@CorkSport
2016 Diesel Mazdaspeed 3 Rumors December 18th, 2017CorkSport
Just this morning some images of the next generation, or ND, MX-5 were posted to the internet. There are some interested aspects that can be seen through the camouflage cover it is wearing. Most noticeable is that large backend! We also notice the front seems to slope significantly more than the current generation, and of course, that it’s a soft top. We assume there will be plenty of room in that giant bottom though to fit a PRHT (Power Retractable Hard Top) as an option. It certainly appears to be bigger, and smaller, all at the same time.
I could speculate more on the shape and style, but I’ll just leave these photos here for you to see:
Though the lines are hard to tell thanks to the camo wrap, we also had a teaser from Mazda of the car hidden under a blanket cover. You can see some of the lines more distinctly, though they only give a rear shot.
I think it’s looking good so far, and can’t wait to see it for real! Stay tuned for more info and the official release on September 3rd!
-Spencer@CorkSport
P.S. If you missed this sneak peak video, you might want to check it out!
2016 Mazda Miata MX5 Spy Shots December 18th, 2017CorkSport
These are the first images of the new Mazda2 or Mazda Demio as it will be known in Japan. Thanks to CarScoops.com for the photos.
Luckily it looks like Mazda decided to stick pretty close to their fantastic looking Hazumi concept, which is great news for anyone that loved the aggressive style.
We also noticed while looking at the photos that there appears to be some sensors at the top of the windshield just like in the newest Mazda 3 and Mazda 6. I assume this means it will be getting the adaptive cruise control, rain sensing wipers, brake assist, and other fancy technology for at least the higher end models.
Personally I’m a big fan of the interior, it looks sporty, clean, and upscale. Definitely a winner in my book!
Though Mazda hasn’t announced the engines yet, we are pretty confident that they will be releasing it with a 1.5L SkyActiv engine, and possibly the SkyActiv-D 1.5L also. We can only hope!
2015 Mazda 2 Actual Photos Released December 18th, 2017CorkSport
