The grill is so tiny but the opening in the bumper is huge. Looks strange.

I think this version they had been showing in Auto Shows looks much much better:
http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/2008mazda2.jpg

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Congratulations to Mazda on a great job! Bring it over the US--please.

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Yeah, bring it stateside now.

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co-sign!

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If you check the last several months of Mazda sales I think you'll find that they are.

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I would be more inclined to buy a Mazda if they were as reliable as a Toyota, or a Honda.....but they aren't. Therefore, they aren't the best on Earth. I will give them credit for being more dependable than any of the domestics or European offerings.

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You need to check you history Papa - you don't know what you're talking about. Mazda's bad rap comes from their rotary engines of the 80's and 90's. Their inline engine designs have been solid for as long as Mazda has been in the USA. I could say the same about the V6s, but those are sourced from Ford. Fine engines for the most part, albeit a little anemic.

Maybe if you could stretch your attention span beyond a 30-second TV commecial, you could pull your head out of your ass long enough to know that NOBODY makes a perfect car, and even "the best on Earth" would have it's problems. Whoever has that spot is a debate for another time, but I have the feeling Toyota and Honda are not it.

A quick comparison to illustrate my point. The following links are restricted to Autoblog, and refer to recalls for American market models spanning January 2006 to present.

Honda:
autoblog.com/2007/03/19/engine-problems-lead-honda-to-recall-165-000/
autoblog.com/2007/03/22/honda-fuel-pump-problems-lead-to-recall-of-390-000-in-japan/
autoblog.com/2007/02/10/honda-to-recall-civic-hybrids/
autoblog.com/2008/01/20/honda-recalling-34-300-fits/3

Toyota:
autoblog.com/2007/11/14/toyota-rethinks-prius-ad-issues-recall/
autoblog.com/2007/01/19/553-000-tundra-and-sequoia-models-recalled-for-suspension-fix/
autoblog.com/2006/05/30/toyota-announces-recall-of-1-million-vehicles/
autoblog.com/2006/09/18/toyota-exec-answers-recall-issues/
autoblog.com/2006/08/08/toyota-facing-anothertundra-recall/
autoblog.com/2006/07/13/toyota-u-s-recall-extravaganza/

Mazda:
autoblog.com/2006/08/24/mazda-to-recall-the-rx-8/

Looking further into Mazda's history reveals they've had their share of problems in the past, including defective airbags on MPVs and engine fires on a limited run of Protégé models, both of which occured in the mid to late 90's. The interesting thing here is that Mazda's recent history is significantly better than Honda and Toyota: you essentially have to go back 10 years to see Mazda struggling with issues that Honda and Toyota are working to fix *today*.

Again, the point is not to say Mazda is perfect, but given their history, and what they offer for the money now, Mazda is very much the superior deal to Honda and Toyota. But hey, it's your wallet. Vote with your dollars I say. If you don't need to be informed to vote in government elections, then who cares about cars.

Honda and Toyota make great products that are genuinely worth the money, but don't kid yourself - they need work. And please.. fail to come here all smug like you know what you're talking about when it's clear you could stand some improvement too.

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Mazdas are selling more, but still nowhere near what honda and toyota sell. And papawhiskey, might want to set the bottle down and check out http://www.automotoportal.com/article/mazda-claims-top-place-in-reliability-survey

Mazda's reliability has been kicking ass over the last few years, if you look at the true mazda mazdas. The 6 and the other ford derivative junk isn't so hot, but the 3, 5, MX5, etc are WAY up there.

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