Exclusive 2011 Mazda2 Test Drive Report by Wellesley Mazda

The 2011 Mazda2 finally arrived at Wellesley Mazda! We have one sport trim level and one touring trim level, they are both manual transmission.

I took the base sport Mazda2 for a spin today and really liked it. It feels light, nimble and fast, a perfect car for city driving and highway travelling. The Mazda2 uses digital fuel gauge and doesn't have a temp gauge.

Pros:

Roomy inside, I am 6'1 and I think I have more head room in the Mazda2 than the Mazda3 and Mazda6, backseat is also livable to me, more leg room than the Mazda3.

Seats are very comfortable, better than the Mazda3 due to ample lumbar support.

Ride is quiet, fun, car is fast in 1st and 2nd gear, 0-20, 20-40 feels faster than the Mazda3 2.5L manual and Mazda6 2.5L manual.

Car is very cute.

Cons:

AC may take a while to cool down the cabin.

Manual shifter is at an awkward position to shift...

Not much room in the hatchback, I would say 2 person + overnight hiking gears will fill this car.

Stereo on base car is average. 

Congratulations to Lee Tetreault for winning $50 in July, 2010!

Lee bought a 2010 Mazda3 Touring from our sales consultant Alex Higgins, and he reviewed us on DealerRater:

Looking for a new car can be a stressful experience but the team at Wellesley Mazda made it easy. I scheduled a time to come in on a Saturday morning, I showed up about an hour early which was no issue at all, they helped me right away. Alex H, the salesperson, and Darren, knew that I was initially looking for the Mazda 3 Sport, which they had just ran out of a couple days earlier. Instead of immediately jumping to other models, they asked me if I still would be interested in seeing what they had. Small things like that make it clear that Wellesley isn't the average car dealership with run of the mill pitches/tactics.

Alex H then showed me the Touring Edition, the next step up from the Sport, which I truly liked. Their price was about $1,500 less than the MSRP and they also gave very fair value on my trade in. My buying situation was a bit complicated as I didn't have very much as a down payment and I also owed a large amount on my trade-in. They were able to work with this and still give what I consider to be a very good deal.

Alex Higgins is a great salesperson. He is honest,down-to-earth, and made my buying experience hassle-free. He is not the average "car salesman," and that is definitely commendable.

Darren and Mitch kept me in the loop at all points regarding their contacts with the bank to make sure everything went well in terms of financing, etc. There was never a point where I felt brushed aside or uninformed. Another important factor is the fact that I was never left asking numerous questions. They never talked fast or overlooked certain things to expedite a sale. Everything was explained in depth, and I never felt forced or pressured at any point during the sale.

Lastly, Alex Kamergorodsky explained the functionality of the vehicle in-depth and introduced me to the service team. He answered the questions I had about the Mazda and wanted to make sure that I was completely all set before leaving the dealership.

Very happy customer with a Mazda 3. A+ to Wellesley Mazda. Highly recommended.

The Mazda2 Concentrated Drink !

We just got 4 cases of Mazda2 brochures, or, the Mazda2 Concentrated Drinks! What a creative way to design brochures! You are welcome to stop by and grab one!

Thanks,
Alex SUN

Marketing Director

Wellesley Mazda

Wellesley Mazda is proud to sponsor Charles River YMCA 2010 Independence Day Road Race!

First of all congratulations to Jen Kelly's team at Charles River YMCA for another successful Independence Day Road Race!  We are very proud to become a major sponsor of this year's event and giving back to our local community in the Boston area.

This is also our 100th article for our blog, it's been almost 2 years since I started to blog Wellesley Mazda's commitment to our local community and exclusive Mazda news, test-drive reviews and long-term reviews. Thank you so much for being a loyal customer and we will have some aggresive coupons for our online parts store posted here soon!

-Alex Sun

Marketing Director

Wellesley Mazda

asun@shakerautogroup.com

Congratulations to Jen Schultz for winning a pair of Red Sox tickets!

Jen recently bought a '10 Mazda3 from us and became a fan of our facebook page, she won a drawing of two Red Sox tickets ($180 value) vs. the Rays on June 30th, while the Sox didn't come out on top, it was a fantastic time!

At Wellesley Mazda we have having a monthly drawing of sports event tickets, $50 Amex card and more stuff for our facebook fans, become a fan today!

Enjoy the summer.

Alex Sun

Marketing Director

Wellesley Mazda

Mazda left it's Zoom-Zoom agency

Mazda USA has officially left Doner Advertising for Team Detroit/WPP this month. They had a relationship with Doner for 13 years and Doner has developed one of the best tag lines in the advertising history for Mazda:

"Zoom-Zoom"

I started my 'career' in the auto industry by working with Doner in 2008. They brought the pre-launch marketing research project to Bentley University and I was the student project manager to help them to determine best current Mazda owners (Mazda6) to acquire and best competitor to conquest (Nissan Altima). We have found that the top features Mazda owners like are reliability, fun-to-drive, fuel efficiency and build quality. We presented our research findings to the VP of Marketing at MazdaUSA and the CEO at Doner.

Maybe it's time for Mazda to experiment changes in their marketing campaign as they are looking to expand their market share. It's not an easy task to keep both the enthusiasts and main stream customers happy, but my best wishes to Mazda USA becuase the Mazda vehicles are fantastic and so much fun to drive.

I will be curious to see the marketing campaign for the new 2011 Mazda2 and the coming 2011 Mazda5. I will post updates when they become available.

Thanks,
Alex Sun
Marketing Director
Wellesley Mazda

Exclusive new 2011 Mazda2 pictures and specifications from M-tips!!

This is it... the latest pictures and specifications on the 2011 Mazda2 from Mazda USA.Only available at Wellesely Mazda's Blog!

In June's M-tips you will find exclusive content of the new 2011 Mazda2 such as drivetrain pictures and suspension pictures. Click on the pictures for high-resolution views.

I will update the availability of the 2011 Mazda2 at our blog in late summer.

Thanks,
Alex Sun

Marketing Director

Wellesley Mazda

2011 Mazda2 Dealer Specification Deck

Today I want to share with our Mazda2 lovers some insider information regarding the upcoming 2011 Mazda2!

There will be two trim level for the Mazda2 - sport and touring. They both get the 1.5L 100hp/98lb ft. 4 cyl engine and are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatic transmission.

The touring model adds 15 inch alloy wheels, fog lights, rear roof spoiler and chrome exhaust finisher over the sport model. It also has leather-trimmed steering wheel, cruise control, 6-speaker stereo (vs. 4-speakers in the sport model), trip computer (love this!) and upgraded cloth seat upholstery. All nice feature that you will use everyday.

Both models come with ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) standard as well as the Electric Power-Assist Steering (EPAS). EPA mileage is 28/35 for the manual and 28/34 for the automatic transmission, pair this with a 11.3 gallons fuel tank, it's pretty easy to have a consistent 300-mile cruise range.

I will post an exclusive first test-drive when the Mazda2 gets to Wellesley Mazda next month! Also I will post the invoice pricing for these cars!

Thanks,
Alex
Marketing Director
Wellesley Mazda

MAZDA Top Mainstream Residual!

This should be great news for our '10 Mazda3 owners, got this news from Automotive News:


'Mazda has quietly risen to the top of the residual-value heap among mainstream brands, edging out Subaru and Honda.

Automotive Lease Guide projects that 2010 Mazda cars and trucks will retain an average of 54.1 percent of their sticker price after 36 months, up 10 percentage points from the 2005 projection.

Subaru's residual projection is 54.0 percent after 36 months, up 7.8 percentage points over 2005; Honda's is 53.7 percent, up 2.3 points in the same period.
Niche brand Mini, which sells only subcompact cars, is projected to have a residual value of 60.8 percent after 36 months, the highest of any brand. Mini's projection is 1.5 percentage points above its 2005 projection.

Matt Traylen, chief economist at Automotive Lease Guide, credits the new 2010 Mazda3 and 2010 Mazda6, which was redesigned for 2009, with elevating the company's residual projections.

The Mazda3 small car has an average residual of about 59 percent at the end of 36 months and the Mazda6 mid-sized sedan about 55 percent.

Eric Johnston, vice president of sales and field operations at Mazda North American Operations, says the key to strong residual values is creating good-looking, high-quality vehicles and then resisting pressure to oversupply the market. Mazda also shuns customer cash incentives and plans to sell no more than 6 percent of its vehicles to fleets this year.

Cat Miata is enjoying some afternoon sunshine!

Cat Miata is enjoying some sunshine at the entrance of our showroom.

'Hello dear customers~'

 

I am a big cat lover!

Family Car Comparison: 2010 Mazda 6 Vs. 2010 Nissan Altima

The 2010 Mazda6 won a comparison test against the Nissan Altima from Family Car Guide. The editors love the high-end interior and the roomy trunk on the Mazda6.

Based on my experience, I would choose the Mazda6 over the Altima as well because I love the looks and the V6 power of the car!

Check full article here.

Thanks,
Alex Sun
Marketing Director
Wellesley Mazda | Become a Fan

Mazda3 unseats Honda Civic as Canada's best-selling car!

There's a battle raging over the northern border between the Mazda3 and Honda Civic: the Mazda3's 5,436 units sold in April outdid the Civic by 135, and through the end of last month the Zoom-Zoom ride leads the Honda by just 21 units. The rest of April's Canadian top five is filled out by the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai Accent. Compare that to April's American top five of the Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic and Ford Fusion. Mazda really have a hold on the Canucks!

We can’t wait for the day that Mazda3 outsells the Civic in the US, or just in New England would made me plenty happy!

Thanks,
Alex Sun
Digital Marketing Director
Wellesley Mazda

Win a pair of Red Sox tickets on June 30th!

Become a fan on facebook and win this pair of Red Sox tickets, Section 27, Row 155, Seat 1 & 2 for a game with Rays on June 30th, 2010. They are worth $90 each!

The raffle will be held on June 15th, 2010, all facebook fans older than 21 years old will be eligible to win these awesome tickets!

Recommend us to your friends today!

Alex Sun

Marketing Director

Wellesley Mazda

2010 Mazda3 S 6-speed Long-Term Report #3 10,000 miles

It took me five months to reach the 10,000 miles mark. Thanks for all these business trips to Waterbury, Connecticut and Cape Cod Mazda!
I was driving down I-93 to Boston yesterday and the odometer jumped from 9,999 to 10,000 when I passed the Zakim Bridge. A great place to witness my pleasant 10,000 miles in this celestial blue 2010 Mazda3.


The driving experience:
My mpg has been a solid 27.4 over the 10k miles, 75% highway driving and 25% spirited city driving. If I stayed within 5 mph over the speed limit I should be able to bump the mpg by 1 point.
The Mazda3’s 2.5 Mazda MZR motor has plenty of pick up in the 6th gear, making highway passing an easy task, I have ran into triple digits without much effort during a trip back from Connecticut. In city it’s very quick and nimble, it doesn’t have the V-6 level acceleration but I am very happy with the power it has. On twisty back road is where the Mazda3 shines – extremely fun to drive, you feel connected to the road and confident taking sharp turns.
I got pulled over once during the 10k miles, a warning over a red light moving violation (it was DEFINITELY orange light) , even the police officer liked the celestial blue on this 2010 Mazda3.

Interior & Practicality:
The Mazda3 has a beautiful interior, the Bose system has improved after I adjusted the settings.
A surprise is I once drove off with the emergency brake half engaged and the trip computer reminded me immediately – that’s a great feature!
However, a major drawback for me is the lack of lumbar support on the ‘10 Mazda3s, I don’t understand why the old Mazda3s have them but the new ones don’t. It’s not comfortable for long-distance driving and it’s even worse for my 6’1 body. Nobody can sit behind me when I am driving – I pull the seat all the way to the back to get merely enough leg room. The trunk is small for my hiking gears and workout stuff.
 
I will probably be staying with this Mazda3 for a couple of thousand miles before I return it. I enjoyed driving this 2010 Mazda3 S 6-speed very much.
Thanks,
Alex
Marketing Director
Wellesley Mazda & Cape Cod Mazda

Congratulations to Patrick Murphy for winning $50 in April, 2010!

Patrick from Newton, MA just purchased his second Mazda from us, and he is very happy about his experience at Wellesley Mazda, here is his review on DealerRater:

'We had been looking at different car dealers for several months before we purchased our Mazda, and the Wellesley Mazda sales team was the nicest by far. We got an honest price, and excellent service. This was the second car we have purchased from Bill, and we will probably return to Wellesley Mazda for any future car purchases.'

Thank you Patrick, we hope you enjoy your Mazda and we will see you at your first service!

Review us on the internet and win $50 every month!

IL Track Tested: 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Our friends at Edmunds just drove the 2010 Mazda Miata, we have four 2010 Mazda Miata is stock! New 2010 Mazda Miata Boston

Mazda's iconic roadster celebrates its 20th birthday in 2010, as the first MX-5 Miatas that rolled off the line in Hiroshima, Japan, were 1990 models. This seriously entertaining little car has proven to be a real survivor, particularly in the always fickle U.S. market. Other automakers have tried and failed to break into the affordable roadster niche (which now hovers around the $25,000 mark), and only the Mazda Miata keeps on keeping on.

Since we're feeling celebratory, we took a 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring to our instrumented-testing facility and drove it to the limit and a bit beyond. Make the jump to see the numbers.

Although the MX-5 received minimal changes for 2010, the car benefitted from significant upgrades in 2009 that set it apart from the earlier third-gen Miatas we've tested. The redline for the car's free-revving 2.0-liter inline-4 went up 500 rpm to 7,200, so the engine was fortified with a new forged steel crankshaft, forged steel connecting rods with floating wrist pins, revised pistons with stronger wrist pin bosses, stiffer valve springs, and an oil cooler. Mazda also did some fine-tuning on the induction sounds to improve the Miata's natural soundtrack.

Additionally in 2009, the six-speed manual transmission (standard on the Grand Touring) was fitted with larger-diameter 3rd and 4th gear synchros, and the syncros for 1st through 4th all got a carbon coating which Mazda hoped would improve shift feel. Sixth gear got a little taller, too (0.787 vs. 0.832 in 2008), to promote better fuel economy and more relaxed cruising. "Relaxed" is a relative term, of course, as no Miata past or present has ever been anything close to a cruiser.

Regarding the chassis, engineers repositioned the front suspension's outer ball joints, effectively lowering the car's roll center 1 inch. Compression damping was increased in the rear, and the stability control system was recalibrated to intrude less into the fun.

Finally, slightly wider bumpers (complete with euphoric smile up front) lowered the 2010 Miata's coefficient of drag by 0.01 to 0.34.

Vehicle: 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring

Odometer: 718

Date: 4/27/2010

Drive Type: Rear-wheel drive

Transmission Type: 6-speed manual

Engine Type: Inline-4

Displacement (cc/cu-in): 1,999/122

Redline (rpm): 7,200

Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 167 @ 7,000

Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 140 @ 5,000

Test Results:

0 - 30 (sec): 2.4

0 - 45 (sec): 4.3

0 - 60 (sec): 6.8

0 - 75 (sec): 10.1

1/4 Mile (sec @ mph): 15.1 @ 90.2

0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 6.6

30 - 0 (ft): 28

60 - 0 (ft): 113

Braking Rating: Very Good

Slalom (mph): 65.7 (63.9 ESC on)

Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.87 (0.84 ESC on)

Handling Rating: Very Good

Db @ Idle: 46.4

Db @ Full Throttle: 84.1

Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 75.1

Acceleration Comments: Tricky but not impossible to launch with just-right wheelspin to maintain revs and momentum. Shifter is good but not great like a Honda S2000's. Longer throws than I remember. Linear power doesn't wane near redline.

Braking Comments: Good fade resistance, talkative pedal. Some dive, but always predictable, confident and straight.

Handling Comments: Slalom: As addictive as any car could ever be in the slalom -- "Just one more and I know I could get that 6.0-second pass." The car is so malleable and responsive that it feels more capable than it actually is. Quite a lot of suspension windup/release for the sake of compliance, and ultimately, this slows its responses in quick transitions -- result is frustratingly close to awesome. Skidpad: Almost invisible hand of God keeps the car spot-on the circle with ESC on. Shutting it off results in an exceptional ability to dangle the tail out ever-so-little, but wow, what control and balance despite the so-so 0.87g. Steering is near perfect -- a little heavy.

May 1st 2010 New England Mazda Owner’s Club Meeting @ Cape Cod Mazda

Our new Mazda store down in the Cape has became the official sponsor for the New England Mazda Owner’s Club. On Saturday May 1st about 35-40 Mazda RX-8s,RX-7s, Mazdaspeed6, Mazdaspeed3, Mazda Miata, Mazda Protege, Mazda 6, Mazda 3 showed up at Cape Cod Mazda for some raffling for great prize!
We had a blast with the group and we hope to see you soon at our Cape Cod Mazda store!
http://www.capecodmazda.com/
527 Station Ave, South Yarmouth, MA 02664
Exit 8 off Rt-6
Please check the pictures and videos: