2013 Mazda CX-5 Awarded for Quality

The 2013 Mazda CX-5 was recently awarded for its great looks and functionality.  The J.D. Power APEAL award, short for Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout, judges vehicles based on their overall design and the performance of that design.

"The CX-5 is Mazda's first vehicle to fully incorporate SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY as well as the KODO "Soul of Motion" design language," says Mazda.  "Offering best-in-class combined fuel economy, including the highest highway miles per gallon (MPG) of any SUV sold in North America – hybrid or not – at 35 MPG."

The CX-5 is also cited to have great safety technology, handling, and of course, price.  All these things make the CX-5 a great value year after year.

If you think the 2013 CX-5 is a good fit for your needs, feel free to stop by Parks Mazda to see if we can help you decide it's the car for you.

How to Jump Start a Car

Do you know how to jump start your car if the battery's dead?  Maybe you do and you're just curious on the proper way to do it.  Either way, most of us have and if you haven't jump started a vehicle, you will at some point, so we thought we'd list all of the steps for you!

1. Pull the active car that you’re using to power your own as close to your car as possible, without touching.
2. Make sure both vehicles are turned off.
3. Connect the cables appropriately.
   1. Take one end of the positive (red) jumper cable and connect it to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
   2. Connect the other end of the positive (red) jumper cable to the positive terminal of the charged battery.
   3. Connect one end of the negative (black) jumper cable to the negative terminal on the charged battery.
   4. Take the other end of the negative (black) jumper cable and ground it.

i.      Ground the negative cable by hooking it up to an unpainted (and clean!) metal surface under your car’s hood—not the engine. We recommend a nut or a bolt.
ii.      If you cannot find an okay place to ground the cable, then connect it to the dead battery’s negative terminal.

1. Turn on the charged car, allowing it to run for about three minutes.
2. Start the engine of the disabled vehicle.
3. If successful, disconnect the cables in the exact opposite order in which you originally connected them.

There you have it; the proper way to jump start a car!

Mazda3 Making Cross-Continental Journey

On August 3, Mazda will be sending eight Mazda3 hatchbacks out for the ultimate test drive. They will be driving from Hiroshima, Japan to Frankfurt, Germany—a journey that lasts for 30 days and covers 9,300 miles, two continents, five countries, and more than 30 cities!

The first continental tour was in 1977 when German reporters drove two Mazda 323 hatchbacks. Thirteen years later in 1990, four Mazda 626s set out on the Peace Tour. This year, the 3rd cross-continental journey will be called “Mazda Route3” and uses the same route.

Starting in Mazda's hoetown of Hiroshima, the pack will take a ferry to Russia, starting its journey inVladivostok.  From there, the convoy will travel through the plains of Siberia and visit remote villages and UNESCO world heritage sites before moving on through Belarus, Poland, and finally Germany. You can follow along on the tour’s dedicated website.

See more of the 2014 Mazda3

Last week we introduced you to the stunning new 2014 Mazda3, so this week we thought we'd share more Mazda3 news by showing you the first commercial for the newest addition to the Mazda legacy.

As you can see, it really is a complete redesign, much like the 2014 Mazda6, looking very similar as well thanks to the new Kodo design.

 So, now that you've caught a glimpse of the new Mazda3 in action, how badly do you want to drive one?  In the meantime however, be sure to stop by Parks Mazda to see test the 2013 Mazda3, and also watch out for any upcoming specials!