Car, Truck of the Year Finalists Revealed

2014 Acura MDX is a finalist for North American Truck of the Year.

BY GERRY MILES

The voting is in and all that remains to kick off the new year for some automakers is being named as either the 2014 North American Car or Truck of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Culled from the dozen car and truck finalists were the Corvette Stingray, Cadillac CTS and Mazda3 while GM’s Chevy Silverado nailed down a spot in the truck segment next to the Jeep Cherokee and Acura MDX.

Some 48 journos from two countries — OK, the US and Canada, eh? — began with a list of 28 cars and 18 truck/SUVs that were trimmed to a dozen of each shown below:

North American Car of the Year:
BMW 4 Series
Cadillac CTS
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Chevrolet Impala
Infiniti Q50
Jaguar F-Type
Kia Cadenza
Lexus IS
Mazda3
Mazda6
Mercedes-Benz CLA
Toyota Corolla

North American Truck/Utility of the Year:
Acura MDX
BMW X5
Buick Encore
Chevrolet Silverado
GMC Sierra
Hyundai Santa Fe LWB
Jeep Cherokee
Kia Sorento
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Nissan Rogue
Subaru Forester
Toyota Tundra

Journos make their decisions based upon the following criteria includingThe awards recognize the most outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.
To be eligible, vehicles must be “all new” or “substantially changed.”

What’s my selection?

2014 Corvette Stingray

Well, some of the vehicles that I’ve driven such as the Range Rover Sport is substantially

2014 Mazda3

changed and in many ways it mirrors the past and the future in one neat vehicle. So, too, are the Subaru Forester, Jeep Cherokee, a long-wheel-based Santa Fe, Mazda3, Caddy CTS and more. The Chevy Impala is a real dark-horse car that handles and feels like a European sedan more than twice the price. It’s that good, folks. Best Impala ever made.

In the Truck category I select the Jeep Cherokee.

2014 Jeep Cherokee

I just drove one and it’s phenomenal.  Folks may be polarized by the styling but the ride, drive and handling, not to mention mileage keep it true with street and off-road cred to its bigger brother, the Grand Cherokee.

2014 Corvette Stingray

In the Car category, given the kudos give to the Corvette all around from the start I figured it would/could win this title. It’d be no surprise. I look forward to sliding behind the wheel some sunny day.

The Mazda3 is also remade and rewarding. It’s roomy, refined and not what you might have expected while offering a standard transmission if so ordered.

2014 Cadillac CTS

Cadillac, and I’ve got friends who agree, is nothing to sneeze at mechanically, but I think the brand has lost its way. The brand’s name used to be synonymous with being the best of the best. And the new Caddys are much better than before, but they don’t look like a Cadillac but any homogenized sedan with a sloping hood and stubby rear. It’s short, it’s not recognizable as a Caddy while a 2005 STS with its Northstar engine underneath jumps out as if saying, “I am a real Cadillac.”

Soap box sidebar aside, I can’t see the Corvette – arguably one of America’s top motoring icons – NOT taking the top title. Stay tuned until next year.

All-new 2014 Mazda3 debuts globally

All-New 2014 Mazda3 Makes Global Debut.                              (Mazda North American Operations)

MAZDA3 takes now as compact car celebrating 10th year in production

BY GERRY MILES

Mazda took the wraps off its all-new, third generation, Mazda3 for 2014 with a global reveal, 10 years after the first iteration was produced, with same-day events in New York, London, Istanbul, Melbourne and St. Petersburg.

Slated to arrive this fall, the new 3 will offer two engine choices:  a SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter,  or the SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter. If the motors have the same output as previous iterations, the 2-liter would made 155 hp and the 2.5-liter, similar to that in the 6, would produce 184 hp. However in a statement a spokesman said pricing, official engine outputs, transmission choices, fuel economy and options would be made available and confirmed at a later date.

The car’s “infotainment system” is what Mazda calls an HMI or human-machine interface (HMI) will debut.  This HMI is meant to broaden the scope of the driving experience, and was designed with ease of use and safety as top priorities, as well as ensuring the driver’s focus remains on the job at hand: driving.

Mazda will also introduce new safety systems to be called i-ACTIVSENSE.  These technologies use milliwave radars and cameras to recognize hazards, reducing the possibility of collisions and minimizing damage if accidents occur.

New safety technologies for the Mazda3 include a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Forward Obstruction Warning (FOW), Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) and Smart City Brake Support (SCBS).

“We are proud to mark 10 years of the Mazda3’s success with the global debut of the next-generation vehicle,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO).  “There is no doubt that the all-new Mazda3 arrives with all-new expectations.  Yet as its track record has shown, we look forward to not only meeting those expectations, but exceeding them in the way only Mazda can.”

In production since June 25, 2003, more than 3.5 million Mazda3s have been sold in more than 120 countries around the world, and 136 global awards have been received.  The best-selling model in the brand’s lineup, Mazda3 accounts for nearly a third of the company’s annual global sales.

2006 Mazda3

The first generation (2003-09) – with its unexpected design, performance and quality – changed assumptions about the compact car segment consisting of low-cost, throw-away vehicles.  By being the dynamic sports compact leader, more than two million units were sold.

2010 Mazda3

The second generation (2010-13) further enhanced the Mazda3’s sporty driving essence, as well as improved its fuel economy consumption with the introduction of SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY.  Also not taking a backseat was safety, in which the second-generation Mazda3 received the highest five-star rating from Euro NCAP and was named a Top Safety Pick by the U.S.’s Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).