2004 Mazda B2300 Standard Cab Pickup 2-door 2.3l 2wd Ford Ranger 25mpg W/ Cap on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports digs Mazda3, disses Jeep Cherokee

Consumer Reports has just rendered its verdict on two of the more important cars to launch this year - the Mazda3 and the Jeep Cherokee. Considering the value a "Recommended" rating carries with the public and the viciously competitive markets these two cars compete in, Consumer Reports' view could have some impact on their initial success.
For Mazda, that's a good thing. CR spoke quite highly of the Zoom-Zoom brand's compact sedan and hatch, testing both models, and citing the excellent fuel economy and snickety-snack manual shifter as high points. Downsides to the 3 included a ride that is agile but "nervous," a bit too much noise and a cramped back seat. Still, the 3 was good enough to earn its place in the ranks of the "Recommended."
The Jeep didn't fare quite so well, with CR calling the polarizing CUV "half-baked." Although both engines were tested, the magazine called the 2.4-liter four-pot underpowered and its nine-speed automatic unrefined and unresponsive. That's particularly damning, considering the 9AT's role in future Chrysler products, including the extremely important 200. Overall, the Cherokee missed out on the coveted "Recommended" rating.

44 Miatas engaged to spell happiness from above

We've seen all manner of ways to propose marriage, from the usual candlelit dinner to the Jumbotron at the big game. A friend of ours recently proposed with his a barbershop quartet singing backup. But this has to be a new one - and one that automotive enthusiasts would probably find even more touching than a sky-writing biplane.
A member of the Miata.net forum recently asked other MX-5 enthusiasts to help him pop the big question to his bride-to-be. He got 31 Miatas together and needed just four more, but after appealing to his fellow roadster fans, over 40 turned up in the parking lot at the local high school.
The groom-to-be runs an aerial photography business and used an unmanned drone which his girlfriend thought would be shooting some local real estate properties when it flew over the parking lot and captured the image you see above with 44 little roadsters spelling out "Marry Me?" The answer, in case you were wondering, was a resounding "Yes!" How could she not, after all, when those Mazda convertibles are just so darn adorable? Now they'll just need to figure out what they'll be driving to the chapel on the big day.

2014 Mazda3 2.0L Hatchback officially rated at 40 mpg highway

The Environmental Protection Agency has spoken, and these are the miles per gallon numbers it has officially bestowed on the 2014 five-door Mazda3 hatchback with the SkyActiv-G 2.0-liter engine: 29 city, 40 highway, 33 combined when fitted with the six-speed manual; 30 city, 40 highway and 33 combined when equipped with the six-speed automatic.
Those numbers exactly match the fuel economy targets that Mazda had set for the car when optioned with the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G with 155 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque. For comparison to other cars in the segment, the EPA numbers for the 2013 Honda Civic sedan are 28 city, 39 highway, 32 combined when its 140-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder is paired with the five-speed automatic. The Hyundai Elantra GT gets 27 city, 37 highway and 30 combined according to the EPA when its 148-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder is paired with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The numbers for the 2014 Ford Focus aren't out yet.