Showing results in  Classics Reviews [Show all channels]

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  Mazda Demio (1998 - 2002) (Classics Reviews)
  Mazda’s new-for-1998 supermini, and a replacement for the 121. In styling terms it was much closer to the original 121 than the oddball and bulbous model that replaced it, with a traditional boxy hatchback body.
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  Mazda 121 (1991 - 1998) (Classics Reviews)
  Like its predecessor, the second generation Mazda 121 is of mixed parentage - being sold as as the Autozam Revue in its home market, where it was sold as a speciality product. Curvaceous styling certainly undid the blandness of the first 121, but it would also prove to be instrumenatal in making it hard to sell in the UK, where it never really took off at all.
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  Mazda 323 (1989 - 1994) (Classics Reviews)
  It was unremarkable to drive, admittedly, but the Mazda 323F was an interesting curio within its sector. Indeed, it was interesting enough for Mazda to not bother importing the less interesting 323 5-dr to the UK and focus instead on the model known as the Astina in its home market.
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  Mazda 121 (1987 - 1991) (Classics Reviews)
  The first generation Mazda 121 has an interesting history. It was actually launched as the Ford Festiva and was designed and built by Mazda as an entry-level supermini aimed specifically at Asian markets. Interestingly, it was not sold as a Mazda in its home market.
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  Mazda RX-8 (2003 - 2012) (Classics Reviews)
  When it was launched, Mazda called it 'a sports car like no other'. Given that it could trace its lineage to the RX-7, the cynic might suggest that wasn't quite accurate. However, at the time of its launch, there were no direct rivals.
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  Mazda MX-5 (1998 - 2005) (Classics Reviews)
  Delightful handling, easy to use every day and reliable if not abused. Low running costs. Plenty around at keen prices.
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  Mazda MX-3 (1991 - 1991) (Classics Reviews)
  Launched at the 1991 Geneva motor show, the Mazda MX-3 was a fine car. Picking up from where the Honda CR-X left off, the MX-3 offered a decent alternative to cars like the Ford Puma and the Vauxhall Tigra. Heck, it even stepped into the hot hatch gap left by the Peugeot 205 GTI, production of which had stopped, and the Volkswagen Golf GTI, which was enjoying something of a mid-life crisis with decreased performance and increasing weight.
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  Mazda MX-5 (1989 - 1997) (Classics Reviews)
  It was a seminal year when it assaulted the last bastion of European exclusivity - with a number of unrelated new car launches. Lexus took on the luxury establishment; Honda did the same to the supercars with the NSX; and Mazda built a traditional British sports car in the shape of the MX-5. It looked like a Lotus, sounded like a Triumph, and went like an MGB. Except there was one important difference... reliability. In short, the MX-5 (model designation NA) was the perfect roadster for those who wanted the traditional British sports car experience without the associated worries, unreliability and oil leaks.
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  Mazda RX-7 (1986 - 1991) (Classics Reviews)
  The second generation Mazda RX-7, known as the FC and sold as a Savanna in Japan. featured all-new styling stole a lot of cues from the Porsche 924 and 928, and managed to look more substantial without growing in size, and only adding an extra 50kg in weight.
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  Mazda RX-7 (1978 - 1985) (Classics Reviews)
  The Mazda RX-7 was an important car in the rehabilitation of the rotry engine in the minds of buyers. After the crushing blow the Wankel took at the hands of early NSU Ro80s, Mazda launched the RX-7 with the benefit of considerable development in the durability of its rotor tips.
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  Mazda Cosmo Sport 110 (1967 - 1972) (Classics Reviews)
  The Mazda Cosmo Sport 110 burst on to the scene in prototype form in 1964, and caught the European motor industry unawares. But then, the early years of the Japanese motor industry were laced with some amazing cars - so when Mazda decided to build a sports car, it really went for broke.