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Tokyo Report: New Real-World MPV Inviting but Otherworldly Senku Enticing

Mazda Arrived in Tokyo Abuzz with New Models and Ablaze with Concepts

Well, weve seen all there was to see at the 39th annual Tokyo Motor Show that took place back in late October, and one of the few companies we have yet to mention is also one of my favorites, despite its annoying "Zoom, Zoom" marketing slogan: Mazda.

Mazda had several vehicles at the show, ranging from a cozy, production-ready MPV, a pair of hydrogen-burning vehicles, and the gem of the bunch, an all-out flaming concept called the Senku.

While Im itching like a helpless kid with poison ivy to tell you all about the Senku and its flying doors, Mazda has a few other vehicles

While Im itching like a helpless kid with poison ivy to tell you all about the Senku and its flying doors, Mazda has a few other vehicles and technologies on display that deserve some attention. (Photo: Mazda Motor of America)

and technologies on display that deserve some attention.

Lets start with the real and move slowly and progressively onto the more imaginative and surreal. First, Mazda went and quietly did what GM and others spent

Mazda went and quietly did what others have spent hundreds of millions trying and pretty much failing to do: build a more stylish minivan. (Photo: Mazda Motor of America)

hundreds of millions trying and pretty much failing to do: build a more stylish minivan. If anything, GMs foray into the SUV-nosed minivan market with the Uplander/Montana SV6/Relay/Terraza quadruplets seems to me like a giant leap backwards. Accept reality GM, SUVs are SUVs and minivans are minivans, and where the twain meet is neither

The roof, in profile, angles mildly downward, helping the MPV achieve that Mazda raciness, or at least as much as can be gotten out of a minivan. (Photo: Mazda Motor of America)

at Rendezvous nor Aztek. Give it up.

As I was saying, Mazda, on the other hand, followed Nissans lead (kudos to Nissan for being brave but missing the mark) by stretching its car design language into the minivan form without any regression or denial. In fact, the MPV is long and low enough to bring it almost down to wagon proportions. Mazda signature flared

Mazdas new 2.3-liter turbocharged engine is a real powerhouse. (Photo: Mazda Motor of America)

wheel arches and distinctive fenders flowing back from the big, vertically stacked headlights give the front three-quarter view good presence.
Unlike Nissan, Mazda has not gone overboard separating the greenhouse from the rest of the body, as the shoulders dissipate into the glass above the vans waistline. The roof, in profile, angles mildly downward, helping the MPV achieve that Mazda raciness, or at least as much as can be gotten out of a minivan. While this

A limited number of Mazda RX-8 coupes equipped with rotary engines that burn hydrogen will hit the streets in Japan. (Photo: Mazda Motor of America)

is the MPV planned for launch in Japan, no word yet as to whether it will be adapted in size or styling for European and North American markets (probably the former but not necessarily the latter), where it will be released at later dates. Hearsay indicates that Mazda will lose the MPV for NA, relying on the upcoming super sporty CX-7 crossover to fill Mazda customers 7-seater needs. Seems silly to me, but hey, its not my call.

My favorite new technology is Mazdas new 2.3-liter

Mazda is currently working on a production version of the MX-Crossport that will be called the CX-7. (Photo: Mazda Motor of America)

turbocharged engine. Mazda likes to call it the MZR 2.3 DISI Turbo, and while it is a conventional inline four, no hybrids, rotarys, or even variable valve timing technologies involved, between the use of direct injection and a turbo this engine manages to crank out about as much power as a 3.5-liter V6. Translation: 274-horsepower and 280 lb-ft as used in the new Mazdaspeed6, for instance, and 250+ horsepower and 250+ lb-ft of torque in the new MPV mentioned above. Fringe benefits of this high-strung, small-displacement turbofied engine

Premacy is the name given to Japanese market Mazda5s, but instead of its conventional 4-cylinder gasoline engine, this one comes in Hydrogen RE Hybrid form, boasting a hydrogen-burning rotary engine assisted by an electric motor. (Photo: Mazda Motor of America)

are reasonable fuel consumption (assuming you dont drive like I do) and very low emissions, in fact, Super Low, as in SU-LEV standards in California. The only thing better than a SU-LEV rated car is a bicycle or a hang-glider.

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