With the 2013 Mazda 3’s still being delivered at dealerships why are we talking about the 2015’s already? Well, one reason is that we’re just so excited, another is that people have already been doing rendered drawings but the most important is that we are starting to see actual versions driven in the wild being tested by Mazda.
First we were treated to a very nice rendering seen in Car and Driver based on the great looking CX5
And then we now see actual test mules being driven around and torture tested.
Now we get to speculate, will it have more Ford influence? Less? Will it follow the “Kodo” design language that Mazda has been cultivating for years? Will Mazda lovers approve? What will the Mazdaspeed version be like? Whatever the answers are, with all these new releases one thing is for sure; it’s a great time to be a Mazda fanatic!
2015 Mazda 3 Coming Soon?? February 13th, 2013CorkSport
In the wake of what may be the worst weather related disaster to ever hit the northeast, many have been personally affected or know someone who has been by the events of last week’s hurricane Sandy. It’s time for all of us to pitch in where we can.
Our good friend and loyal Mazda enthusiast, Steve Kritzberg came out to Texas over the weekend to take part in the Texas Showdown (more on that later this week) and unfortunately, he was one of many who faced devastating losses during the events of the previous week including the loss of his car, wife’s car and damage to his home.
I was touched to hear how the Nator group and MSF have rallied to the cause and stepped in to help! Not only did they start a thread on MSF to collect donations for members affected, but over the weekend while Kritz was taking a moment to get his mind off matters back at the homestead, a crew of Nator members came out for an un-install day and helped to stock out his beautiful and now totaled speed3 and while they were there even helped to bail out a neighbors crawl space!
The response from the Mazda community to help members in need is truly touching and it is heartwarming to see how many are willing to help members of the community to recover.
CorkSport will be donating all proceeds from this year’s calendar to disaster relief for Sandy. Anyone else interested in contributing is encouraged to visit the thread on MSF and donate!
With the newly designed Mazda 6 launch on the horizon, Mazda has announced more new features that they will be incorporating into their newest models. “i-Activsense” is an umbrella term Mazda is using to cover a series of new safety monitoring response system technologies designed to help the driver safely navigate the roads. Many have already been incorporated into the new CX-5.
Radar Cruise Control
Judges the traveling speed distance to vehicles ahead and modifies the speed of your vehicle to maintain a safe following distance. This means no longer fussing with your cruise control on long trips every time you come up on some traffic!
Smart City Brake Support
Already incorporated into the new CX-5’s, this is designed to help drivers avoid frontal collisions. The system uses a laser sensor to detect a vehicle or obstacle in front of the car and automatically actives the brakes and reduces engine output if the driver fails to slow the vehicle appropriately.
Forward Obstruction Warning
Monitors the gap between vehicles and the closing speed and then calculates the risk of collision occurring if the driver were to take no action. This ensures a faster response when the driver actives the brakes.
High Beam Control
Ever get so tired of turning your high-beams on and off on the highway at night that you just decide to leave them off? Well this smart high beam control system will take care of that for you! The high beam control will detect oncoming traffic and will automatically switch headlights between high and low beam, improving visibility at night and aiding hazard avoidance.
Lane Departure Warning System
When the system is switched on, a camera on the widescreen will monitor the position of the white lane markings at speed of 65MPH or higher to detect risk of an unintentional lane change and then will alert the driver with a rumble sound when moving out of their lane without indicating.
Rear Vehicle Monitoring
A smart solution to aiding a driver with their “blind spot”, the rear vehicle monitoring system will activate an indicator light in the door mirror for a driver making a lane change when a vehicle is approaching quickly behind the car and to warn the driver either if the vehicle might be invisible (in the blind spot) on the side or if a vehicle will approach within 5 seconds. The system will monitor both sides of the vehicle and indicate when intending to overtake or be overtaken.
Adaptive front lighting
The new AFS system automatically adjusts the angle of a vehicles headlight according to steering direction so when you are cornering or approaching intersections at night, the beam of the headlights illuminate the path the car is actually following.
While none of this new technology is groundbreaking, it is great that they are being incorporated into Mazdas line-up providing they have the flexibly to be turned on and off as needed. Some of them could potentially have a few drawbacks if not implemented properly, but I trust Mazda to incorporate these features in a smart and sensible way so that the driving experience is enhanced rather than hindered.
The CX-9 is not exactly the model you think of when it comes to a mod car. As a matter of fact, CorkSport doesn’t even list the CX-9 in our catalog, but for those of you thinking about starting a family or carting your brood to soccer games on Saturday, this may be just the vehicle for you!
The new 2014 Mazda CX-9 was unveiled this week ahead of its Australian debut and I figured it was worth a mention, even if it is just to see how the KODO design is being incorporated into the product line.
Replacing the Nagare design language with the new sportier KODO design has done the front of the vehicle some good. The grille is much improved with more aerodynamic headlights and fog light housings, along with some sportier LED daytime running lights, but the front overhang detracts from the sportiness and likely the handling of the vehicle. They have not given us a view of the back or interior yet so some of the design elements in the new version remain a mystery.
The word is that the SUV will be carrying over the same Ford-based CD3 platform and keeping the 3.7 liter V-6, 273 horsepower engine and six-speed automatic transmission. It will be interesting to see how Mazda intends to incorporate SkyActiv technology into CX-5’s older and bigger brother in the coming years, but for now, the family-friendly seven seater will continue to get just 19 mpg in combined EPA fuel economy.
Now Mazda, what we really want is any details on a new Mazdaspeed!
Gwynne –
Wipe That Smile off Your Face CX-9! September 18th, 2012CorkSport
The CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Downpipe is designed to replace the restrictive catalyst in the stock downpipe and deliver improved exhaust flow for significant power gains and noticeable improvements in turbo response time and reduced backpressure. During initial testing, the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Downpipe showed power gains of 26 horsepower and 32 ft. lbs. of torque at the wheels.
The CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 downpipe is constructed from polished 3 inch 304 stainless steel piping for lasting corrosion resistance and reduced heat transfer to the engine bay. Unlike many downpipes on the market the CorkSport downpipe uses a unique divorced wastegate design that will reduce boost spikes and exhaust flow disturbances due to waste-gate operation.
The new catted version includes a high-flow spun metallic 200 cell catalyst and three O2 bungs to allow for the addition of EGT or other sensors. The Mazdaspeed 6 catted downpipe also includes the addition of the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Racepipe, adding to the value and power customers can expect to see from the addition of this part to their vehicles.
If you have a turbocharged vehicle, adding a downpipe is one of the best modifications you can make to add power. Our non-catted track version of the downpipe has been very popular with our speed6 customers so it only made sense to develop a catted version that daily drivers could enjoy as well.
