I’ve had a flurry of Mazda vehicles, and they are really an exciting line-up of vehicles. I can remember back in the 1969s when the first Japanese cars arrived in the U.S. Honda, I believe, was the initial offering that was small and a bargain. There was controversy about the imported cars and the impact on Detroit. Well, decades later Ford no longer makes passenger sedans except the Mustang that they have converted to an electric vehicle. Ford still dominates the pickup truck category. All the foreign cars have become American household names.
Many of the foreign cars are now manufactured in America. Quite a few assembly plants have been relocated to Mexico for the abundant labor market. President Trump was able to increase tariffs on the imported cars, and now we have Chinese EV cars hitting the U.S. markets. If Trump is elected, more tariffs may be imposed.
Bottom line, the car industry is very competitive both in price and quality. For the most part consumers are the winner of this intense competition that brings me back to Mazda, a prime Japanese product. These are well built quality vehicles, loaded with safety, navigation, technical applications, styling, design, and high-performance.
The Mazda CX-70 test car this week is one of the top-end luxury brands in the Mazda fleet with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $59,420, loaded with options, including “Rhodium White Premium,” paint that is an extra $585; the only charge in a massive list of special Mazda options.
Starting with the hybrid and gasoline combination that generates 323 combined horsepower for an exciting drive linked to the 5-speed “Skyactiv” drive with steering wheel paddle shifters. EV mileage is rated at 56 mpg and gasoline at 25 mpg overall. The two systems work in tandem, and I only used the gasoline sport mode.
The CX rides on 21” machine cut alloy wheels with all-season tires. The rear deck can be used hands-free, great at the grocery store. The windshield wipers have deicer function. There is also a 120V outlet for outdoor camping usage. There are aluminum roof rails for additional storage items. This is a powerful vehicle with 3500 lbs. of mode towing capacity.
The interior features 5-way passenger heated front seats and heated second row seats. Something new is the front row cross-traffic alert that blends well with the rear traffic warnings. I’m also fond of the windshield warnings on speed limit and school warning signs. There is every safety system with knee, frontal, curtain, and side impact bags.
There are at least three wireless charging stations and a raft of high-tech Blue-tooth features. Heating and cooling controls are under the center 12.3” color monitor.
Mazda vehicles are loaded with about every luxury, safety, and comfort feature, and this CX-70 has a very attractive price.
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