Styling

By modern standards, the Miata is a small car, measuring just 13 feet from end to end and standing just 49 inches tall. Its low-slung, athletic shape is appealing, and its proportions are just right. In addition, it looks good whether the top is up or down. Some people might not like its happy-face grille, which is now a staple on Mazda cars, but it works better on the Miata than it does on other models.

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    The Drive
    The Mazda5's 2.3-liter four-cylinder has to rev pretty high to get the car moving quickly. Our car had the optional five-speed automatic transmission, which adds $1,440. The five-speed manual migh ...

    Ride & Handling
    The Mazda5's steering response is designed to engage the driver. A turn of the wheel delivers a quick change of direction, and there's a fair amount of feedback. The suspension is on the firm side ...

    Roomy and Functional
    Like the outgoing model, the new Mazda 6 facelift is roomy and functional. It has a host of small storage compartments and a large and flexible floor console between the front seats. To this it ad ...