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Mazda USA 2016 Road Trip – Road Test Review

In March 2016, we arrived in California to take part in an epic road trip with with Mazda USA and #MenWhoBlog, for the California road trip of a lifetime – #Driving Matters!

Mazda 6 Grand Touring

It was already dark when we arrived at LAX to collect the Mazda 6, the metallic burgundy paint, sweeping curves of the bodywork and the big-mouth grill all gave the car a slightly aggressive appearance – it looked refined, while giving the impression it would hold its own.

We had just left our home with all our belongings, so the first challenge we gave the Mazda 6 was to take all of our  luggage. The massive boot / trunk easily swallowed a super-size duffel, a hard suitcase, 65 litre backpack and two 20 litre backpacks. It’s hard to describe how big this space was!

The automatic gearbox was surprisingly good, (being British we don’t tend to use them) but the sequential paddle shift on the steering column really made this car as the shift was very responsive. The Mazda 6 was very smooth on the road, with just the right balance of stiffness and comfort in the suspension and feeling through the steering wheel. There were a couple of new safety features which I had never had in a car before, one of which I loved, but the other was a massive pain in the ass! The one I had to disable straight away was the lane warning sensor, which beeped every time I apparently strayed near the line and in my opinion was far too sensitive. The one I loved however was the blind spot warning sensor, built into the wing mirror. A symbol would light up when a car was in the blind spot and would beep when indicating to change lane if there was any danger of hitting another car.  This was a great feature and will be really useful for people who never turn their head to check before pulling out.

The interior was excellent, with very high quality materials like tactile rubbers, brushed aluminum and various textures of leather on the trims. The seats were comfortable and firm, with just enough bolster to hold you in properly through a sharp bend. The front seats had a very easy to use electronic adjustment too. One of the best things about the interior was the inclusion of a sunroof, which all too often gets omitted these days in favour of AC.

I was extremely impressed by this car, it has just the right amount of everything, power and precision, comfort and aggression, excitement and practicality, technology and simplicity.

Mazda CX5 AWD

We drove the Mazda CX5 AWD on the second day of the #Driving Matters California Road Trip, where we started out at Joshua Tree National Park and made our way to Historic Route 66, with a few random stops and some unexpected off-roading to really put the car through its paces!

For a start, this one was actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be, yet it had a lot of space inside and seemed to have pretty good clearance. Where we were taking it, we would soon find out if that was enough!

Looks wise it had the same dynamic lines of the Mazda 6, yet obviously more rounded to create all that extra space. The big wheels were slick, but without being so big that they needed low profile tyres.

Mazda CX3 AWD

After the #Driving Matters California Road Trip, we headed to Los Angeles for a few days to meet some friends and explore some the city’s lesser-known and unusual attractions! Both the Mazda 6 and the Mazda CX5 seemed a little big for our needs, so we borrowed something a bit more suited to the mean streets of LA, the Mazda CX3 AWD, essentially a mini-SUV, about the same size as a large compact with extra clearance, more headroom and 4 wheel drive. We had no real need for the 4 wheel drive, but all the other SUV style features seemed like they could be useful.

The little petrol engine had a lot of punch for its size, using the same high-compression SkyActiv system as the Mazda 6 and the CX5. The SPORT button with the sequential paddles made for a real good time on the twisty roads outside of Los Angeles.

Mazda 3 Grand Touring

After a few days in Los Angeles, we flew to Miami to get ready for our week-long Caribbean cruise. While we were there, we took the chance to try out one more of the new Mazda range before setting sail – the Mazda 3 Grand Touring. Based on the Mazda 3 compact with a sedan back end, the Mazda 3 Grand Touring looks a lot like a scaled down Mazda 6, which is definitely a compliment. The handling and performance were just as good as the previous models we drove and the modest size made it easy to duck in and out of lanes in the notorious Miami and I95 traffic, with the revvy engine giving  enough power to accelerate away from any ‘problematic drivers’ who were likely to cause an accident, of whom there are many in and around Miami!

Mazda didn’t seem to have taken out any of the styling from the Mazda 3 just because it sits in a lower price bracket than the other three models we tried, the interior was just as comfortable, with just as much leather and exactly the same on-board computer system. Even my favourite and not so favourite safety features were still there – the blind spot monitor and the lane monitor, respectively.

We had no issues getting two full size suitcases into the trunk, side by side next to each other, with space for smaller bags in and around them.

As we were only on city roads and no where near any exciting corners, I didn’t get chance to put it to any real test, but the drive felt smooth and responsive. My favourite part of this car however was the manual transmission, which I have been missing since my last visit to the UK almost two years ago! The manual gear change was very well-matched to the 155 horsepower 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine and once again the SkyActiv system kept the power ready where it was required, but the fuel economy high at the same time.

The Mazda 3 Grand Touring was definitely one of the best small cars I’ve driven for a long time and easily beat the crap out of a new Fiesta rental car we had driven not so long before in the same city, in every way you could think of.

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Written by Kach Umandap

Founder of Two Monkeys Travel Group. Since 2013, Kach has visited all the 7 continents (including Antarctica) and 151 countries using her Philippines Passport. In 2016, she bought a sailboat and went on sailing adventures with her two cats - Captain Ahab & Little Zissou in the Caribbean for 2 years. She now lives in Herceg Novi, Montenegro where she's enjoying her expat life and living on a gorgeous Stonehouse. She writes about her experiences traveling as a Filipina traveler with a PHL Passport. Also tips on backpacking trips, luxury hotel experiences, product reviews, sailing & adventure travel.

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MSRP excludes taxes, title, license fees and $1,455 destination charge (Alaska $1,500). Vehicle shown may be priced higher. Actual dealer price will vary. See dealer for complete details.

MPG based on combined city/highway EPA mileage estimates for 2025 Mazda CX-70 3.3 Turbo and Turbo S models. Actual results will vary.

MPG based on combined city/highway EPA mileage estimates for 2025 Mazda CX-90 3.3 Turbo and Turbo S models. Actual results will vary.

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MSRP excludes tax, title, license fees and $1,455 destination charge (Alaska $1,500). Vehicle shown may be priced higher. Actual dealer price will vary. See dealer for complete details.

MSRP excludes taxes, title, license fees and $1,420 destination charge (Alaska $1,465). Vehicle shown may be priced higher. Actual dealer price will vary. See dealer for complete details.

MPG based on EPA estimates for 2025 Mazda CX-30 2.5 S models, 26 city/33 highway/29 combined MPG. 2025 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus shown, 22 city/30 highway/25 combined MPG. Actual results will vary.

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MPG based on EPA estimates for 2025 Mazda CX-50 2.5 S models, 25 city/31 highway/28 combined MPG. 2025 Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus shown, 23 city/29 highway/25 combined MPG. Actual results will vary.

MPG based on EPA estimates for 2025 Mazda CX-5 2.5 S Premium Plus, 26 city/30 highway/28 combined MPG. 2025 Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo Signature shown, 22 city/27 highway/24 combined MPG. Actual results will vary.

MPG based on EPA estimates for 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid models, 39 city/37 highway/38 combined MPG. Actual results will vary.

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MSRP excludes taxes, title, license fees and $1,185 destination charge (Alaska $1,230). Vehicle shown may be priced higher. Actual dealer price will vary. See dealer for complete details.

MPG based on EPA estimates for 2025 Mazda3 Hatchback 2.5 S FWD models, 27 city/35 highway/30 combined MPG. 2025 Mazda3 Hatchback 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus shown, 23 city/31 highway/26 combined MPG. Actual results will vary.

MPG based on EPA estimates for 2025 Mazda3 Sedan 2.5 S FWD models, 27 city/37 highway/31 combined MPG. 2025 Mazda3 Sedan 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus shown, 23 city/32 highway/27 combined MPG. Actual results will vary.

MSRP excludes tax, title, license fees and $1,185 destination charge (Alaska $1,230). Vehicle shown may be priced higher. Actual dealer price will vary. See dealer for complete details.

MPG based on EPA estimates for 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata manual transmission models, 26 city/34 highway/29 combined MPG. 2024 Mazda MX-5 Grand Touring shown. 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata automatic transmission models 26 city/35 highway/30 combined MPG. Actual results will vary.

MPG based on EPA estimates for 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF manual transmission models, 26 city/34 highway/29 combined MPG. 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring shown. 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF automatic transmission models 26 city/35 highway/30 combined MPG. Actual results will vary.

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