My Best Review Yet – 2015 Mazda MX-5

2015 Mazda MX-5

Starting at $29,450
This one $40,925

It surprised me it came out so good, because it was tough for 2 reasons.

1

You can’t actually buy this thing, so I had to review a car you can’t buy (my tester was #738 / 1,099 worldwide)

2

The MX-5 is a universally loved car by auto journalists, and there are one trillion glowing MX-5 reviews, how’s mine to be different?

I took the approach, “That’s why most reviews about the MX-5 read the same, and sound like this” which they all do, because the car is that good.

However, “The real question is: which model year do you choose? This one, or wait for the all-new model coming next year?”

(short answer – buy this year, the simpler, purer version, because the all-new model will be covered in tech and aids.)

Read it online at Autonet.

Even the photoshoot came together beautifully, come ON this haybale face.

I added it to my collection, “Special Car Photos“.

So for sure I was pleased when this printed across the newspaper chain. Of all the ones ahhh.

My favourite line even ended up in the blue circle, couldn’t have worked out better.

Now this is the review I link to when I have to showcase my work.

***

Update: this review ended up being quoted on the Mazda site ha, here

 

 

Hay-Bale Art and an MX-5

Adding to my collection, titled:
“Press Car Photos in Special Places”

See the collection here.

This is a 2015 Mazda MX-5 Special Anniversary Edition, which will get its own post it’s that special – 1 / 100 in Canada.

Find the review I wrote about it here.

 

 

Driving an MX-5 on a GoKart Track in Atlanta

This was a surprise stop along the 2014 Mazda Adventure Rally.

I’m driving a 2014 Mazda MX-5 on the gokart track, at the Atlanta Motorsports Park.

This is basically my first track time.

This kart track has more changes in elevation than any other track in the world, including one that’s 43 ft.

More photos of the track here.

Here’s the whole rally blogged: #MazdaRally, and there’s links there to my newspaper stuff there.

Until this trip, I thought the Miata was a princess-y car, nope. It loves off-roading?! Huh.

 

 

Car Rallies are Won with the Mind

Read it online at Autonet.

Sometimes a rally isn’t just speed-based, it’s a thinking race, where teams compete for points.

Favourite line:

A trick I learned that you can use too: the word “right” has two meanings, “do I turn left here?” Instead of responding with “right”, say “check.”

Above is Keith Townsend, the gentleman in the article, and co-owner of  Vehicle Dynamics Group, the company behind the Mazda Adventure Rally. He won the modern division of Targa’s Modern Division in 2006, and in 1996 placed 3rd in the Canada CRC Canadian Rally Championship.

Below is the co-owner, Jud Buchanan, who has 6 podium Targa finishes, and is the former lead instructor at the Porsche Advanced Driving School.

Both are great guys with big brains, and who you should hire to design your rally.

***

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

The Mazda Adventure Rally – Day 3

We started the day in last place, 10/10th.

Because being contained within the confines of a small car really exaggerates and fast-foward things. That’s why back in in 2012 I wrote a column, “Your car is an ideal debating arena“.

But so many laughs for Team Autonet, right to the end too. The sign of a great teammate.

Even though that afternoon David made us put the top down, and exposed me to the sun. Don’t like the sun; I wear 60 SPF on a gray winter day.

Yes, I did wear the same outfit all 3 days.

Remember after Day 2 I was all cavalier about getting a handle on mapping?  Spoke way too soon. Got us good and lost a couple times.

But come on, look at this mess to be navigated without electronic help.

First time my name has been on a car.

Drove the ‘Tail of the Dragon’.

Non-car nerds: it’s a stretch of road running through a forest over the border of Georgia and Tennessee. It’s loved by enthusiasts, who come from all over to drive it because it’s so complicated – 318 curves in 11 miles with steep banks, 70% blind corners and no straight lines.

Anyone who says they “tamed the dragon” though, that’s pretty pompous and my face will look back at them like top right.

I attacked it, used the whole road, and in the rain at that, but come on, tamed it? It’s a ridiculously aggressive road that takes huge guts, and I’ll bet there’s really only a few handfuls of people in the country who could literally “tame” it.

Bottom left is me during extreme focus and concentration.

Typing this right now, I’m having some regret at not filming it.

Why I did that – ever since I declared my GoPro dead to me, I’m left with just my phone, which produces shaky footage in these scenarios.  Plus, it’s a tiny cabin, and I needed 100% visibility, because one tiny mistake and it’s over a 4 story cliff, and then I’m forever that guy. 

For 3 days the tach looked like that #DreamComeTrue

That’s getting turned into a blog header.

Part of the gang after we completed the Dragon [photo: Dan Izaak]

We were the last team to return to the hotel at the end of the day. Again. But we crushed enough challenges that we crawled back up from 10th…

… to have Team Autonet tie for 5th place!

For two newbies, not bad. Proof is here.

The winners are:

1 – Team AutoGuide. com – Mike and Sami win $10,000 for the Accelerated Cure for MS Project
2 – Team Autos.ca – Jonathan and Hannah win $2,000 for Sick Kids Foundation
3 – Team Autofocus. ca – Vince and Dan win $1,000 for Kids Help Phone

(and that’s Chuck, Mazda’s PR big brain)

Here’s David and my daily updates over at the newspaper.

– Autonet.ca – Day 1

– Autonet.ca – Day 2

– Autonet.ca – Day 3

A fantastic competition, and compliments to its designers, Keith Townsend and Jud Buchanan of Vehicle Dynamics Group.

And thank you to Mazda for having me, and giving me the best driving experience of my life.