TESTER'S NOTE
I also had a quick go in the 197bhp RWD version, and through a damp third-gear bend, it adopted a sliver of yaw like a proper sports saloon. Bizarre but brilliant. RL
Never change, Mazda. This is the firm that appropriated the British roadster, saving it from extinction, and that championed the rotary engine so dedicatedly that when it plumbed one into a Group C racer, victory at Le Mans followed. Quite incredible. Yet 2023 might just bring the most iconoclastic move in its long history.
Interior is a material delight with unobtrusive tech, plus it offers light colour themes
While everyone else is rapidly downsizing and fitting transverse, hybrid powertrains, if not electric ones, Mazda has just come up with a new 3.3-litre turbo-diesel straight six that natively drives the rear axle. Have we teleported back to 2003?
This is a contender for the most unexpected development of recent years, although as we found when we met the CX-60 3.3 e-Skyactiv D in February (in RWD guise, not the more potent 4WD form here), there are solid reasons for its existence beyond Mazda's pathological need to do things its own way.
This story is from the April 05, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 05, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
LAND ROVER DEFENDER
Our new 130-all 5358mm and £96,745 of it - has its first taste of life as a daily wagon
RENAULT CLIO
Trip down to Spa reveals its talents aren't diminished with another two men aboard
Make mine a slightly smaller one
The Little Car Company has hit new heights of scaled-down kerb appeal with its recreated
Loyal to the end
Old-school vehicle breakers' yards are rare these days, but a handful of marque specialists are soldiering on to provide a vital service. John Evans pays one a visit
THAT'S WHY WE GO TO ICELAND
Smooth, empty roads snaking through epic scenery are one reason. Experiencing erupting volcanos is another. Matt Prior goes in search of both in Kia's latest Sorento and finds 50mph ways to leave your lava
TESTED 27.4.24, DEVON ON SALE NOW - PORSCHE 718 SPYDER RS
Dream-like on German asphalt, does this curious Rennsport also excel in the UK?
TESTED 20.5.24, FRANKFURT, GERMANY ON SALE NOW - FORD TOURNEO CUSTOM
New Transit sprouts seats and windows, gets a PHEV system that works differently
TESTED 24.5.24, BERKSHIRE ON SALE NOW - MINI COUNTRYMAN SE
Flagship version of the larger and pricier third-generation SUV arrives in the UK
TESTED 29.5.24, BEDFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW - PORSCHE TAYCAN
Refreshed saloon targets class supremacy with electric powertrain updates
TESTED 23.5.24, BEDFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW PRICE £446,742 - LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO
We've sampled Sant'Agata's new-era, 1001bhp supercar on track. Now it's time to see how it fares on a decent B-road