Mazda: What's New for 2010?

2010 Mazda B-Series: R.I.P., you redundant mini-pickup.

2010 Mazda CX-7: What is this crossover so happy about? Don't know. But it surely looks like it's enjoying a private joke with the rest of Mazda's lineup of cars and truck-ish vehicles. Beyond the new front and rear fascia and an updated interior, the CX-7 is also offered with a new standard-level engine. The new motor is a naturally aspirated, 161-horsepower 2.5-liter. It's found in the iSV and iSport models and is bolted to a five-speed automatic. The 244-hp turbocharged and direct-injected 2.3-liter four is still available as an upgrade. The 2010 CX-7 is now available with the full complement of new tech gadgets and niceties such as blind-spot monitoring, Bluetooth connectivity, rain-sensing windshield wipers and rearview camera.

2010 Mazda CX-9: Like its little sibling, the CX-7, the big, seven-passenger CX-9 gets a host of improvements for 2010. First among them is the crossover's new mug. Mazda has also classed up the inside of the CX-9 with "upgraded" cloth and leather seat upholstery, chrome trim, active headrests for the front seats, which also get a new two-stage heating system. Buyers can now opt for a new "multi-information display" for the audio, Bluetooth and rearview camera systems. It's also available with a real-time traffic system.

2010 Mazda 2: In all likelihood, by the time the subcompact Mazda 2 goes on sale in the U.S. market in late 2010, it'll be considered a 2011 model. Still we didn't want to leave out this little dumpling that was voted 2008 World Car of the Year. Sounds pretty impressive, no? Mazda isn't releasing details on the U.S.-spec car, but it should be a credible player in the burgeoning small-car market in America.

2010 Mazda 3: The big news at Mazda for 2010 is the reworking of the company's well-received small car, the Mazda 3. Naturally, the 3 gets a crazy smiley-face front end that is Mazda's new blissed-out signature. But as bold as the Mazda 3's exterior makeover has been, the basic mechanical package remains remarkably similar to the outgoing car. Considering that 44 percent of all Mazdas sold are 3s and that the outgoing model's sales increased each of the five years it was on the market, Mazda was a bit nervous about screwing up a good thing. Consequently, while the body looks completely different than the outgoing model, the two share wheelbase and track measurements. In fact, the only significant dimensional change is the 3-inch extension in overall length, and that's due largely to that prominent new nose. The base engine, a 148-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder, is carryover and is offered only in the four-door sedan configuration. The 2.3-liter that powered the first-generation 3 has been supplanted by the same basic 2.5-liter four-cylinder that sees duty as the standard Mazda 6 motor. In the Mazda 3 sedan and five-door, it makes 167 hp and 168 pound-feet of torque (slightly less in PZEV form). That's 11 more horses and 18 more lb-ft, achieved at lower engine speeds compared to the old motor. That engine comes bolted to either a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic. The suspension, which was always a Mazda 3 strong suit, has been retuned to take advantage of a stiffer body structure, but is not radically different. Overall, the changes for 2010, including a high-quality interior, make for a more refined 3 without giving up the driving dynamics that made the outgoing model the small car of choice for driving enthusiasts.

2010 Mazdaspeed 3: It's not often that a new edition of the performance car arrives on the market with no more power than the car it replaces. But, indeed, the Mazdaspeed 3, a consistent comparison-test winner here at Inside Line, arrives for the 2010 model with the same 263 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque from its 2.3-liter direct-injection turbo four that the '09 model left with. And if it's a rarity that there's no power bump, it's even rarer that we're OK with it. And we are. Our approval has less to do with the polarizing styling of the 2010 model and more to do with the beautifully retuned chassis. In our tests, the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 picked up 4.6 mph in our slalom compared to the old car — that's a bunch. More impressive is how easy the new Mazdaspeed 3 is to live with. The retuned suspension achieves this performance while providing a more comfortable ride and an uncanny ability to shrug off midcorner bumps. Now the MS3 has the chassis to keep up with that engine. And besides, how much power does a front-drive car need anyway?

2010 Mazda 5: This low-volume mini-minivan enters 2010 with a now-standard traction and stability control system.

2010 Mazda 6: 2010 model-year changes to Mazda's relatively young midsize sedan are limited to package and equipment changes. For 2010 both four- and six-cylinder models will be available in "Touring Plus" form, a designation that brings sunroof, ground illumination, Bluetooth, electroluminescent gauges, blind-spot monitoring and an alarm.

2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata: Despite 20 years' worth of chances to screw it up, Mazda has managed to maintain the character and integrity of the world's most popular roadster. For 2010, Mazda continues to not mess with the MX-5. In fact, the only thing Mazda can point to as evidence of change is "color availability."

2010 Mazda RX-8: Face-lifted for 2009, the rotary-powered RX-8 is essentially unchanged for 2010, except that the "Touring" trim line has been dropped, leaving only Sport, Grand Touring and R3 versions.

2010 Mazda Tribute: Nothing of significance changes for 2010 on this Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner sibling — unless you consider the inclusion of an ambient-temperature gauge on all models to be significant. Didn't think so.