The best affordable car of the year is back. The Mazda3 had been well known around the world and had been received many award from amny countries. The Mazda3 has been back in 2009 and let’s review the most powerful variant in Mazda3, the SP25.

The Mazda3 SP25 using the 2.5L inline-4 cylinders engine assisted by the DOHC S-VT, 16 valves valvetrain. This car produces the maximum power of 122 kW @ 6000 RPM and the maximum torque of 227 N.m @ 4000 RPM. The output under the hood transferred by the 6-speed manual transmission or the 5-speed activematic transmission.

The Mazda3 can hit the top speed of 117 mph while it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds. For the chassis, the McPherson strut suspension has been used at the front while at the rear, the mullti-link suspension has been used. The electro hydraulic power assist steering also has been installed in the Mazda3.

Safety is one of the most important things in any car nowadays. In Mazda3, the braking system has been assisted by the anti-lock braking system (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) and the Emergency Brake Assist (EBA). Also, the dual front SRS airbag has been installed for the safety of the passengers when the emergency brake situation happen. Wanna know the shape of Mazda3? Just take a look at the images below.

Sources:
1. http://www.mazda.com.au/Models/Current%20models/Mazda3/Specifications.aspx
2. http://jalopnik.com/5196876/2010-mazda3-first-drive
3. http://reviews.carreview.com/blog/2010-mazda3-review/

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Nowadays, people always talk about cars, fuel and pollution. Everyday, the automotive engineer had develop the new method to reduce the pollutant caused by the exhaust gases from the car. Alternatively, we get the new car that not only reduce the pollutant but also reduce the fuel consumption. Hybrid-electric and natural gas vehicle are some of the fuel-alternative cars that can be purchased in the market now. So, let’s take a look at the top 10 cars that included in the top 10 green cars.

10. 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid 4-Door Sedan
Engine: 2.4L, Inline-4 16 valves
Power: 192 hp @ 6000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 33 mpg city, 34 mpg highway

9. 2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid Touring HEV 2WD
Engine: 2.3L, Inline-4 16 valves
Power: 133 hp @ 6000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 34 mpg city, 30 mpg highway

8. 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited FWD
Engine: 2.5L, Inline-4 16 valves
Power: 153 hp @ 6000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 34 mpg city, 31 mpg highway

7. 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD
Engine: 2.5L, Inline-4 16 valves
Power: 153 hp @ 6000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 34 mpg city, 31 mpg highway

6. 2009 Mazda Tribute Hybrid Grand Touring HEV 2WD
Engine: 2.5L, Inline-4 16 valves
Power: 153 hp @ 6000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 34 mpg city, 31 mpg highway

5. 2009 Honda Civic GX 5-Spd AT
Engine: 1.8L, Inline-4 16 valves
Power: 113 hp @ 6300 RPM
Technology: Natural Gas
Fuel Economy: 24 mpg city, 36 mpg highway

4. 2008 Toyota Prius Base
Engine: 1.5L, Inline-4 16 valves
Power: 110 hp @ 5000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 48 mpg city, 45 mpg highway

3. 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid CVT AT-PZEV w/ Navigation System
Engine: 1.3L, Inline-4 8 valves
Power: 110 hp @ 6000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 40 mpg city, 45 mpg highway

2. 2009 Toyota Prius Touring
Engine: 1.5L, Inline-4 16 valves
Power: 110 hp @ 5000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 48 mpg city, 45 mpg highway

1. 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid CVT AT-PZEV w/ Leather and Navigation
Engine: 1.3L, Inline-4 8 valves
Power: 110 hp @ 6000 RPM
Technology: Hybrid-Electric
Fuel Economy: 40 mpg city, 45 mpg highway

Source:
1. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center-top100/

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What is the first impression when you hear about Mazda RX-7? For the people familiar with internal combustion engine, maybe can get what I want to talk about. For those who watching anime or reading manga Initial D maybe familiar with the word rotary engine that always mention by the characters inside the cartoon. Rotary engine is mentioned to the engine using by Mazda RX-7 that was driven by Takahashi brothers, either FC or FD. I like to share about this rotary or Wankel engine but better if I post about the rotary engine and how it different from piston engine for the upcoming post. For introduction, just take a look at the rotary engine below:

Mazda is well-known for using this rotary engine in their cars instead of conventional piston-engine. RX-7 had been launched as early as 1979. This first generation of RX-7 had been known by the label SA/FB. The second generation then known by FC and the third generation known by FD. I like to review the latest RX-7 known by FD.
The latest version of FD using the 1.3 L 13B twin rotor engine. Yes, 1.3 L engine! Do you ever see a race car with engine below 2.0 L? I don’t think so. But with the technology of Wankel engine, the 1.3 L can compete with Lancer Evolution or even Skyline GT-R. The 1.3 L Wankel engine produce the power as high as 280 hp @ 6500 rpm and torque 231 lbs.ft @ 5000 rpm. Incredible right? But the engine also assisted by the turbocharger installed under the hood. This incredible amount of power transferred by the 5-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive configuration.
We had witnessed how the small engine producing the high power but how about the value that all the drivers want to know about a car? In a record, Mazda RX-7 FD’s top speed is 156 mph while the acceleration 0-60 mph is 4.8 seconds! No wonder RX-7 still be the main rival for Skyline GT-R and Lancer Evolution. If performance is not enough, take a look at the shape of FD.


Interested in rotary engine and Mazda RX-7? Want to know more? Check my source below:
1. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm
2. http://www.topspeed.com/cars/mazda/2001-mazda-rx7-ar1204/specs.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_RX7

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