Mazda still is a very popular Japanese brand, even if it is no longer associated with American manufacturer Ford. Even though Mazda is a small company compared to many of its competitors, it still has much to offer. Mazda’s smallest car is the tiny Mazda2, a sub-compact hatchback powered by a 100-horsepower fourcylinder engine with standard or automatic transmission. But the manufacturer’s most popular model remains the very practical Mazda3, which was recently redesigned. This model looks like a smaller Mazda6 with a more straightforward grille; gone is the “smiling” front-end. The new Mazda3 adopts the SkyActiv approach found in the very recent Mazda6 and is available with a four-cylinder engine. The other car built by Mazda is the MX-5, a sporty twoplace roadster that needs no introduction. As far as small trucks are concerned, your local Mazda dealer can show you the well-designed six-passenger Mazda5 minivan or the CX-5 mini- SUV (or CUV) that first embodied the SkyActiv technology concept. It is now available with a more powerful four-cylinder engine as well as the fuel efficient base engine and frontor all-wheel drive. Canadian buyers can still get the sporty CX-7. As for the bigger CX-9, powered by a powerful 3.7-litre V-6 engine, it is back with a recently redesigned front-end.