Convertible Commentary
As mentioned, our test car had the retractable-hardtop roof, and Mazda's implementation of this type of roof has a few advantages over those from other manufacturers.
First of all, it's fast; it only takes around 15 seconds to lower the roof. You have to manually release a lever in the center of the windshield frame to release the top, but after that you only have to press a button on the dashboard and it powers down, stowing beneath a hard tonneau cover. Raising the roof takes the same amount of time.
The hardtop is also compact. When lowered, it fits in the same well as the soft-top behind the seats. With this setup, the top doesn't intrude on the 5.3-cubic-foot trunk, which is decently large for a car this size.
It's pretty breezy in the cabin with the top down, even when driving at city speeds. On the highway, taller people will feel the air buffeting the top of their head and rushing around them.
The retractable hardtop doesn't restrict visibility that much when up. Checking your left-side blind spot means leaning forward a little to see around the roof support, but you get a good view when checking the right-side one; the roof pillar isn't big enough to completely obscure another car.
See also:
Under the Hood
Tribute buyers get the choice of two engines, both of which have been
upgraded. A manual transmission is standard on the base model, and other models
come with a standard six-speed automatic trans ...
Child Restraint Precautions
Mazda strongly urges the use of child-restraint systems for children small
enough to use
them.
You are required by law to use a child-restraint system for children in the U.S.
and Canada.
Check ...
Six-Speed Manual Transmission
Both engines feature a manual six-speed transmission with a compact
three-shaft design carried over from the original model. It has triple-cone
synchronizers for first, second and third gears, and ...