New Cars for 2017: Mazda
3: The 10Best-winning, well-rounded compact gets a facelift that includes tweaked exterior styling, some new interior bits, updated active-safety features, and the addition of Mazda’s G-Vectoring Control system for improved steering response. See official photos and info ››
6: This midsize sedan's improvements are mostly unseen, as it also adds the same G-Vectoring control system as the 3 along with active-safety improvements and a few fancy new options such as heated rear seats. See official photos and info ››
CX-9: This complete overhaul of Mazda’s three-row crossover arrived late in the 2016 model year. Like other Mazdas, it impresses with beautiful sheetmetal and first-rate interior materials, but the real action is behind the wheel. A curb weight slashed by more than 200 pounds helps the CX-9 in its goal to be the best-handling vehicle in its class. A 250-hp turbo four-cylinder is the only engine available, so the CX-9 certainly won’t be the most powerful, but it does earn top EPA fuel-economy ratings. Prices start at $32,420 and go deep into the $40K range.
MX-5 Miata: The MX-5 RF joins the softtop roadster in the lineup in early 2017. This new model is almost the Miata coupe that fans have been begging for since we were all in short pants. But it’s not. The R stands for retractable and the F for fastback. Complainers will say it’s a betrayal of the Miata’s most basic tenet of simplicity. We maintain that when its Porsche Targa–like roof mechanism swivels and tucks itself behind the seats, it’s undeniably worth watching. Plus it gives us new opportunities to say the word “buttresses.” See official photos and info ››
Unchanged: CX-3, CX-5
