The previous-generation Mazda3 was a looker when it first debut five years ago, and it continued to age gracefully throughout its life span. Mazda recently introduced the 2019 Mazda3 at the 2018 Los Angeles auto show, and it features the next evolution of the Japanese automaker’s Kodo: Soul of Motion design language. It’ll be a while before we drive the 2019 Mazda3, but we can take a look at how its design compares to its predecessor.
Immediately you’ll notice the 2019 Mazda3’s front fascia has undergone a thorough revision.The headlights are thinner, the signature grille is more rounded, and the chrome grille surrounds now extend under the headlights. Character lines on the side profile have been eliminated, giving the 2019 Mazda3 sedan a cleaner look. Cleaning up the side, however, gave the hatchback body style a more unique albeit divisive exterior. Thanks to the absurdly thick C-pillar, the hatch is the more unconventional of the [...]
Although Toyota originally intended to sell the C-HR as a Scion, the youth-oriented brand folded before the crossover’s North American debut. The polarizing C-HR lives on as a Toyota, however, and for 2019 gains new trim levels from the base LE to the range-topping Limited variants. With a wider variety of models and new multimedia tech, let’s take another look at this cute-ute to see if it can lure new buyers into the Toyota brand.
Exterior styling remains the C-HR’s distinguishing feature. Barely changed from concept form, the spaceship-like crossover is an attention magnet. Inside, the angular design theme continues with triangular patterns on the dash, door panels, and center console. There are soft surfaces near touchpoints while cheaper, harder bits are used in the rear door panels and the lower part of the center console. The 2019 C-HR’s cargo area’s usability [...]
As I wrote in my previous update, the 2019 Infiniti QX50’s cutting-edge powertrain needs a little more refinement (and probably a different transmission). But with a 40-minute morning commute that stretches to an hour or more when I head home, I tend to value a low-stress drive more than anything else. Thanks to ProPilot Assist, that’s one area where the QX50 really shines.
When I say ProPilot Assist, though, it’s important to point out that I’m really referring to all the features included in two driver-assist packages. For $550, ProAssist gives you adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert with collision intervention, and a sort of ACC-lite called Distance Control Assist. Another $2,000 gets you the ProActive package, which adds the more advanced ProPilot Assist, along with a few other driver-assist features.
Infiniti’s adaptive cruise control can adjust driving speed based on the car in front of you, but [...]
I was the first journalist to drive the Subaru Ascent midsize SUV prior to the unveiling at the 2017 Los Angeles auto show. Subaru had a heavily camouflaged Ascent in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and engineers flew in from Japan for the day to talk about the largest and most expensive Subaru to date and get impressions after taking it out on the road.
For that first prototype drive, the exterior was covered in camo and the interior draped in cloth with holes cut out around the starter button, gearshift, and other key stalks and knobs. With little to look at, full concentration was on the ride.
Cruising local roads showed off the new global platform that underpins most of the Subaru lineup. First impression was the appetite the four-wheel independent suspension had for eating up the imperfections of Michigan roads and the low center of gravity that made [...]
When MotorTrend road test editor Chris Walton first drove the thoroughly refreshed 2017 CX-5 in the spring of 2017, he came away impressed. Mazda improved on an already winning package (the previous generation won a comparison), adding a quieter, more refined interior, sharp new exterior, and retaining its fun factor. In June 2017, the 9,550 CX-5s sold made up 42.7 percent of all Mazdas sold that month. The vehicle is Mazda’s bread and butter, so we had to have one for a year to see how the redesign would hold up.
From the first week with the CX-5, I knew I would like it. My previous long-termers needed a few months to convince me of their worth, but the CX-5 won me over pretty quickly. I was struck by its curb appeal: Its chiseled face and character lines gave it an upscale look, and the optional Machine Gray [...]
