MOTOR RIVALS

With its new home comes a new name and more. The former Scion FR-S will debut as the 2017 Toyota 86 at the New York International Auto Show with interior and exterior changes, as well as suspension and powertrain upgrades. The new Toyota 86 will go on sale at all Toyota dealerships this fall.

In addition to the Toyota 86 name change, two other Scion vehicles will have new designations for 2017. The Toyota Corolla iM and Toyota Yaris iA will join Toyota's small car line-up.

For its move to Toyota, the 86 sports car adopts more aggressive styling with a larger center intake emphasizing the low, wide stance of the car. The front of the car has a new design with re-configured LED front headlamps and turn signals, and revised bumper. The rear now sports LED tail lamps and a new bumper design. The alloy wheels feature a twisted spoke design and 86 logos have been incorporated into a badge on the front fender, as well as inside the front headlamps.

The interior also features the 86 logo on the new "Grandlux" material used on the instrument panel surround. The same material adds a new, soft feel to the door trim. Drivers also will enjoy new seating material with silver stitching and a sporty steering wheel with integrated audio controls and an 86 logo on the center hub.

Enhanced control and agile performance are achieved through revised shock tuning and a spring rate change. On the manual version of the car, additional performance comes from a

gear ratio change and a torque increase to 156 lb.-ft, as well as a five-horsepower increase to 205 hp. Hill Start Assist Control (HAC) helps prevent the car from rolling back on steep hills.

The new Toyota 86 also will be featured in Formula Drift with racers Ken Gushi and Ryan Tuerck. The drivers, along with Series Champion Frederic Aasbo, will be defending the SR by Toyota race team's 2015 Manufacturers' Championship.

Mazda Motor Corporation celebrated the unveiling of the fourth generation Mazda MX-5 (known as Roadster in Japan). The all-new MX-5, which adopts both SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and Mazda’s KODO—Soul of Motion design language, will be rolled out to global markets starting in 2015.

The MX-5 is an iconic model representing Mazda’s vehicle-engineering philosophy—the pursuit of driving pleasure. “Innovate in order to preserve” was the motto for the fourth generation, as the development team searched for innovations that go beyond simple evolution. Environmental and safety demands are much more stringent than they were when the first generation MX-5 was introduced 25 years ago, but the fourth generation stays true to the model’s original aim of offering the pure driving fun that only a lightweight sports car can. It achieves this through the adoption of SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and refinement of its appeal to the senses and sensations through which people enjoy cars.

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) announced that the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata will start at $24,9151 in entry-level Sport trim. Mazda has instilled the latest MX-5 with the pure driving experience that has won worldwide fanfare since the arrival of the first-generation MX-5 in 1989 as a 1990 model.

Yet, the fourth-generation MX-5 provides Mazda's latest safety features and technologies and maintains an inflation-adjusted price close to that of the original roadster. The 2016 MX-5 launches this summer and will be available in Sport, Club and Grand Touring trim levels.

Infused with SKYACTIV®2 TECHNOLOGY and KODO—Soul of Motion design, the 2016 MX-5 is smaller, lighter and more aggressive than its predecessor, with the base MX-5 Sport expected to outperform the sportiest previous road-going variants. However, even with its focus on delivering maximum driving enjoyment, the 2016 MX-5 boasts more creature comforts and a more functional interior than the vehicle it replaces.

For the first time, a six-speed manual transmission will come standard as well as LED headlights, USB audio input, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, a leather-wrapped shift knob and power door locks.