The 1984 Nissan pickup, owned by Rick Kussman of Fort Lupton, rests beside the new Frontier.

Fans of the Nissan Frontier, you’ve waited patiently, some of you for years for a new-look truck.

It’s almost here – the all-new 2022 Frontier will arrive at Nissan dealerships in September.

It will be the first major overall redesign of the compact pickup since 2005. Its length has increased by 4 inches and height by 3 inches; it will greet you from a more rugged looking grille and front end.

There will be no lack of acceleration from the 310-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 engine and 9-speed automatic transmission with “shift-on-the-fly” 4-wheel-drive capability.

It’s been a treat for me to drive one of the first 2022 Frontier Pro-4X models.

As I enjoyed a drive west on Colo. 52 in the 2022 Nissan Frontier from coffee at the Pepper Pod in Hudson with Bob Smith, I was nearing Fort Lupton when this older-looking little pickup pulled onto the road out front of me. I recognized it as an old Nissan (or Datsun), got closer and, sure enough, it read NISSAN across the tailgate. I followed it into a shopping center on the east side of Fort Lupton, parked beside it and asked of the two men exiting the vehicle, “What year is the Nissan?” It is a 1984, said Rick Kussman, who was riding with his son, J.D. Lest I assume it was junk, Kussman added, “The 4-wheel-drive is still in working order.”

I’m not going to compare the new one with the ’84, when all the compact pickups were much smaller and noisier, underpowered and rough riding.

For the first time in several years, the new-generation Frontier will be a legitimate competitor of the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Jeep Gladiator and Honda Ridgeline among compact pickups in the U.S.

Nissan’s 310-hp, 3.8 V-6 is noticeably smoother and stronger than the old 4.0-liter V-6 of 261-hp, and the 9-speed tranny with its oft, quick shifts blows away the outdated 5-speed. Crawling about at the low speeds, though, the steering felt very heavy, seemingly lacking much power assist. The truck is equipped with Bilstein shocks.

A twist of a dial transfers the Frontier operation between 2-wheel-drive, 4-high and 4-low, and buttons for selecting hill-descent control and electronic locking rear differential. Low range exhibited sure, deliberate footing in a hill climb in offroad setting. Tow capacity for the Pro-4X is 6,290 pounds.

Back on the main road, the Frontier is very comfortable and especially quiet for a pickup with all-terrain tires. An interior highlight is its 9-inch color touchscreen with Intelligent Around-View Monitor. Its 5-foot bed is deeper by 1.4 inches for a bit more cargo area.

The ’22 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X review model’s base price of $38,390 climbed to $44,315 with addition of Fender Premium Audio, leather seats (heated in front), lane-departure warning, wireless charger, spray-in bedliner and other amenities.

The 2022 Honda Civic Touring sedan, in its new, 11^th-generation form, was delivered this month (August 2021).

The Civic continues high in popularity, along with its rival Toyota Corolla, while compact, midsize and full-size four-doors are dropping from the sales charts all over the place. The latest is the Toyota Avalon, which will be discontinued after the 2022 model year, and its competitor, the Chrysler 300 is rumored to be near the end of its 17-year run.

It was many years ago when Reuben Jensen, a Nebraska boy who rose to position of executive vice president of General Motors, more than once said to me, “The public will perceive the value every time.”

Of course, in his days General Motors was selling half the new cars in this country, so it was apropos to repeat the statement.

Value placement in the Civic for the first seven months of this year is to the tune of 181,274 sales. And the Corolla? 181,309 sales. Of the combined 362,000 sales, Corolla has outsold Civic by 35.

Honda sees no end to the long-popular Civic, a nameplate dating back almost 50 years.

The Civic Touring review model, with leather-trimmed seats/Bose sound/wireless phone charger, comes in below $30,000 at $29,690. Lesser-priced trims start at $22,695 for the LX, $24,095 for the Sport and $25,695 for the EX.

Performance is satisfactory and fairly smooth with the 180-horsepower, turbocharged 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission with paddle-shifters. Use of sport mode lends a more normal step-shift feel to the CVT. Base engine for the lower trim levels is a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder of 158 hp and CVT transmission.

The ’22 model is .4-inch longer in wheelbase, almost an inch longer in overall length at 183.3, and has a wider rear track of 61.6 inches (the front track remains at 60.5).

Highlighting a redesigned interior is a honeycomb-mesh design that, while somewhat hiding the HVAC vents, spreads across the full width of the dashboard and into the door panels.

The Civic’s all-around vision is among the best available today, thanks to low-positioned hood and cowl, a flat dash, expanded glass area and “out-of-sight” windshield wipers. The open-greenhouse continues along side windows and pillars and at the rear window, save for a bump at the center bottom for a third brake light. A glance into the rearview mirror can mistake the small blockage as a close-following auto.

Trunk space in the new Civic is 14.4 cubic feet, much roomier than the 13.1 cubic feet in the Toyota Corolla.

Overall fuel-mileage average was 34.2; the Civic’s EPA estimate is 31/38 mpg. The model was built in Alliston, Ontario, Canada.

Honda Sensing safety items included in the $28,695 price are adaptive cruise, collision-mitigation braking, lane-keeping assist, road-departure mitigation and traffic-jam assist.

One of the more outstanding compact SUV crossovers in the luxury field is the Audi Q5; a step above that one is the SQ5 by the same builder, which for 2021 has added an all-new variant called the Sportback.

Once known for its supercharged power, the SQ5 the past two years uses a turbocharged, 3.0-liter V-6 of 349 horsepower, mated to an 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission with all-wheel drive. It is one of the smoothest accelerations of anything I’ve driven this year.

It showed up in my driveway with a new color – district green, a beautiful hue for green, which is making a comeback this year in color popularity (another new color is ultra blue). It also sports a new grille. On the inside, it is dressed up with fine Nappa quilted leather seats and entertains with Bang & Olufsen sound.

The turbocharged Audi carried me and passengers Jan, Kim Parker and Kathy and Bill Allen in a rainstorm on a Saturday evening to McGregor Square, the Monfort Rockies’ recently opened city-block hotel/restaurant/outdoor plaza development across from Coors Field. We enjoyed Carmine’s Italian dining; outside the windows the Rockies were defeating the Padres in San Diego on the big screen. We appreciated, too, an informative visit with a manager, Jessica Imhoff.

I was at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003, when Audi unveiled its 1st SUV concept and called it the “Pikes Peak Quattro.” Coloradans were thrilled with name choice of the famed hill-climb peak, though when it reached production stage two years later as an ’06 model, it carried the designation Q7. Nevertheless, the Q7 and the Q5 three years later have established a strong presence in our state.

With its coupe-like sloping roofline, the ’21 SQ5 Sportback competes with the BMW X4 M40i, Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe, Porsche Macan S and Infiniti QX55.

The Sportback is a superb handler, adjusts to road imperfections on the fly with standard adaptive suspension and offers air-suspension adjustment of the vehicle’s ride height. It rides on 20-inch wheels with red brake calipers. Though the engine and transmission are European-built, the Audi is assembled in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico.

On a wheelbase of 111 inches, the SQ5 is 184.8 inches in overall length, 74.5 inches in width, stands 65.5 inches high and is 4,288 pounds in curb weight. Ground clearance is 8.2 inches.

Its 349 horses run 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds, with top speed of 155 miles per hour. Its EPA estimate is 18-24 mpg; my overall average was 20.2.

A long list of high-tech options raised the Sportback’s price from a base of $56,100 to sticker of $66,640.

Active lane assist kept the SUV most often in center lane, even on fairly sharp curves. Among other options were active cruise with traffic-jam assist, power-folding exterior mirrors, phone box, heated steering wheel and top-view camera system. Add to the list an optional sport rear differential to guard against understeer in cornering; a panoramic sunroof and three-zone automatic climate control.

“If you liked that one, wait till you drive the 720S – it is so much more,” said Mike Ward last summer after I’d driven and praised the experience in the McLaren 570S Spider.

The 720S, in convertible form, came my way in late June 2021 and it took about a quarter-mile for me to understand the declaration by Ward, owner of McLaren dealerships out south in Denver and at Scottsdale in Arizona.

The 720, styled along the lines of Ferrari and Lamborghini, is awesome in power, well-balanced for superb handling and precise steering.

Its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 explodes with 710 horsepower and 568 lb.-ft. of torque with paddle-shifting 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It’ll run 0-to-60 in 2.7 seconds, 0-to-100 in 5.3 seconds and attain top speed of 212 miles per hour. Backing up all that acceleration and power are carbon-ceramic 15.3-inch front brake rotors/15-inch rear. There is no pussyfooting around with the brake pedal; it is firm and insists on serious application.

It is a 720S Spider and its top will drop in 11 seconds. The open-air maneuvering of such a powerful rear-drive, two-seater supercar is exhilarating, even with its rough ride at times.

To the fact it sits only 47 inches high, with ground clearance barely over 4 inches, add its dihedral doors in which they open out and at the same time swing upward, requiring the driver and passenger to clamber out. It is an awkward exit. The midengine configuration allows a small luggage compartment under the up-front hood.

Almost anyone seems to recognize a McLaren; this one was finished in a beautiful belize blue. A few blocks before a pit stop in Johnstown, a mother followed me in the 720S several blocks in her car so her 10-year-old son could get close to the McLaren. Another mom and her 6-year-old walked up after he recognized it as “a McLaren.”

The McLaren company was launched by Bruce McLaren as a racing enterprise in 1963. McLaren died in a car accident in 1970, though the company continued on and today hand-builds the supercars at its factory in Surrey, Woking, England.

The McLaren 720S Spider, sticker-priced at $362,960, is the second-priciest car I’ve driven; the costliest was last summer, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV at $394,275.

Curb weight of the 2021 McLaren 720S Spider is 3,236 pounds, about 150 heavier than the 570S I drove a year ago. Both the 720 and 570 are about 179 inches in overall length on a wheelbase of 105 inches.

The 720S, with an EPA estimate of 18/22 miles per gallon, averaged 19.9 overall, including lots of strong acceleration.

The belize blue paint was a $5,270 option for the McLaren; another highlight was the 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround sound,

A limited general and powertrain warranty cover three years and unlimited miles.

The 2021 BMW 430i portimao blue convertible, carrying me south from Greeley on U.S. 85, is beautifully restyled, at least to the point up front of its large, new grille, which has been called a detraction by some onlookers.

I turned the Bimmer to the east onto Colo. 52 at Fort Lupton and drove on to the Pepper Pod at Hudson, where I enjoyed morning coffee with Bob Smith, Hall of Fame wrestling coach from Wray. Smith, now retired out northeast of Denver, established one of the nation’s best coaching records in the years 1958-1991 at Wray High School.

In 33 years with the Wray Eagles, Smith won 30 league titles, 10 state championships and was second at state seven times. After leaving Wray, Smith coached Fort Hays State University at Hays, Kan., into national rankings in wrestling before retiring.

Sports aside, there’s another line of interest that merits Smith space in my column – automobiles. He’s always been fascinated with cars. He has a North Denver High School graduation photo of him in his suit and tie and standing beside a 1936 Ford Cabriolet, his first car in 1954. A few years later, he acquired a 1930 Ford Model A Rumble Seat Coupe, which he helped overhaul in the Palmrose Ford shop at Wray in 1960.

Parked outside the Pepper Pod while we were coffeeing inside was a great-looking 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser, Smith’s current “car of choice.” He likes its turbocharged 4-cylinder, and is especially proud of “door wraps” on both sides featuring three photos of the ’36 Ford and three more of the Model A.

As for the 2021 BMW, the top will drop in 16 or 17 seconds. The 4 series convertible, formerly a hardtop, is equipped this year with a fabric softtop with multiple layers of insulation, which provide quicker heating of the cabin in cold weather. It is a bit noisier than the hardtop, though the softtop is lighter in weight and takes up less space in the trunk.

As for the grille, Peter Henrich, senior VP of Product Management for BMW, said most response to the bigger grille has been “very positive,” but most feedback I received was of the “dislike” opinion. It is 18 inches in depth, about double the size of traditional BMW “twin-kidney grilles.” Adding to disaffection is that license plates are bolted right onto the middle of the grille.

The rear-drive performance comes from a 2.0-liter, twin-power turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and 8-speed automatic transmission, not so smooth on acceleration as the former 6-cylinders. It was impressive in the fuel-mileage compilation, averaging 32.1 miles per gallon. Built in Dingolfing, Germany, the 430i rides on low-profile Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40R19 tires.

The 430i softtop base price of $53,100 jumps to $67,220 with addition of blue-stitched black leather interior, M-sport brakes with blue calipers, variable-sport steering, heated front seats and steering wheel and neck warmer.

Step into the rear seating; I’ll be driving and Jan will be up front with me.

It’s the 2021 Mercedes Maybach GLS600 4Matic SUV, one of the finest luxury models available today.

Yes, only two rear seats, the center console dividing them is electronic; oh, behind them? It’s a chill box refrigerator with two champagne flute glasses. Yes, the champagne is cooled.

Those are reclining, massaging seats with footrests, and rest your head upon the soft pillow lying back there. The fragrance; that’s from up front, a mix of gentle leather and spicy tea. Should you need to work along the way, pull up those small folding tables.

We’re heading out, northward bound, testing a 4.0-liter, biturbo V-8 engine of 550 horsepower, 538 lb.-ft. torque, 9-speed automatic transmission with paddles, permanent all-wheel drive, 23-inch wheels.

During an unusually pleasurable drive up north, with smoothness and quietness as good as I remember in any luxury vehicle, we stopped for a photo of the Maybach at the Wyoming State Capitol grounds at Cheyenne.

Delivery of this super-sensitive road control comes from Airmatic air suspension, which with sensors providing independent control for each wheel smooths the path ahead. In December 2019, I tested an early version of this E-Active Body Control while driving a Mercedes GLE450 4Matic SUV for three days to snowy Avon at Christmastime.

Electronically extending running boards, with surfaces of anodized aluminum marked with black rubber strips and wider at the rear doors than the front, are eye-catchers and offer safety for accessing and exiting the seating positions. The boards are designed to automatically swing into position as the SUV lowers slightly with the opening of any door; the running board system for the Maybach I drove was effective only about half the time, as someone apparently had messed with the menu.

Its 123.4-inch wheelbase is topped only by the 129.7 inches of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Other competitors are a bit shorter in wheelbase – the Cadillac Escalade at 120.9 inches, Aston Martin DBX at 120.5 and the Bentley Bentayga at 117.9.

It is finished in iridium silver metallic and selenite gray metallic special two-tone paint at an optional cost of $18,200, a Maybach-specific feature.

The optional two-tone paint helped push the Maybach’s sticker price to $190,100; other costly add-ons were the 23-inch multispoke forged wheels at $5,500, the refrigerated compartment at $1,800 and the folding tables at $1,050.

Only four luxury models I’ve driven have been higher-priced: the 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV at $394,275, the 2021 McLaren 720S Spider at $362,960, the 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports $286,845 and the 2020 McLaren 570S Spider $233,780.

While the Maybach is equipped with German-built Mercedes engine and transmission, the luxurious unit is assembled in the U.S. at Vance, Ala.

The original Maybach company was founded in Germany by Wilhelm Maybach, an early automotive designer. The company was acquired in 1960 by Daimler-Benz.

Restyling of the 2021 Toyota Sienna minivan, which is now being sold only as a hybrid, gives it a bold and modern exterior form, new interior and new powertrain. Though the minivan market has been shrinking for a number of years, Toyota expects its Sienna Hybrid to remain viable through any sales scenario.

It will compete with the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey and the recently introduced Kia Carnival.

After using V-6 power for years, Toyota has equipped the hybrid-only model with a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder gas engine and two electric motors for a front-wheel-drive model and a third electric motor on the rear axle for all-wheel-drive Siennas. Transmission is electronic continuously variable. Combined net horsepower for the gas/electric setup is 245.

The instantaneous surge of electric power lends the Toyota minivan strong low-end torque; however, at upper highway speeds, such as in passing situations, the combination of 4-cylinder gas and CVT transmission can be somewhat a “hurry up and wait” in performance.

Most pleasant was the overall fuel-mileage average of 32.9 miles per gallon. In a review of a 2020 Toyota Sienna a year and a half ago with V-6 gas engine, I averaged 20.1 mpg.

The new Sienna’s overall length is 3 inches longer than last year’s model, though cargo space behind the third row of seats has been sliced from 39 cubic feet to 33 feet. The Sienna Hybrid AWD Platinum model weighs a hefty 4,625 pounds.

At a Sunday evening birthday gathering on the patio of our home, the Sienna Platinum minivan parked in the center stall of our garage drew immediate “oohs and aahs” from three granddaughters, Cambrie, Missy and Nicole. Parked beside the Toyota, though not drawing such reaction, was a 2003 50^th anniversary Chevy Corvette, which I’m helping to sell.

A favorite of the interior of the new Sienna by Nicole was “the extra cubby area under the center console,” and Missy loved “the leather seats and that it had a charging station for phone, and that the rear air control was in the middle where both captain seats could reach it, in my older Sienna only the left chair can reach it.”

I liked the cypress green color of the Sienna, a new hue to the Toyota minivan.

Base price of the high-end Platinum model is $50,640, and price climbed to $54,212 with addition of a rear-seat entertainment system with 11.6-inch display and digital rearview mirror.

The Sienna review model was built at Princeton, Ind.

Following a year of successful performance results in the GMC Sierra 1500 pickup, the Duramax 3.0-liter inline-6 turbodiesel engine has been added to the 2021 Yukon and Yukon XL SUVs.

Paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, the turbodiesel develops 277 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque at 1500 rpm.

Sent my way was the ’21 Yukon 4WD Denali turbodiesel. Redesigned for this year, the Yukon competes against the Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada, Toyota Sequoia and the sibling Chevrolet Tahoe.

Fortified by the light-duty diesel, the Yukon defies its size (17 ½ feet) and weight (5,400 pounds) with smoothness, agility and steering response. We climbed mountains to the west; on occasion we switched to four-wheel control, as simple as pushing a button to the left of the driver.

It is quiet and roadworthy with magnetic ride control, independent rear suspension and four-corner Air Ride Adaptive Suspension, all part of the $11,205 Denali Ultimate Package.

The diesel gives the big sport ute an EPA fuel estimate of 20/26 mpg, and the Yukon delivered with an average of 24.8 mpg.

Added cost of the inline-6-cylinder turbodiesel is $1,500, the 4WD system is a $3,000 expense and the upgrade from Denali also includes a rear-seat entertainment system, sunroof, 22-inch bright-machined aluminum wheels, enhanced automatic emergency braking and trailer brake controller.

As large as is the Yukon, the Yukon XL is 15 inches longer and has 41.5 cubic feet of cargo space, compared to 25.5.

The Yukon review model was built in Arlington, Texas.

From south of the border, down Mexico way, came two small, front-wheel-drive offerings carrying “can’t -miss attributes” – fuel -mileage estimates in the 30s and relatively low sticker prices.

They are the 2021 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, a German-based compact four-door sedan built in Puebla, Mexico, and the ’21 Nissan Kicks SR, a Japanese-based subcompact crossover, assembled in Aquascalientes, Mexico.

Sticker prices were $31,740 for the 3,200-pound Jetta and $26,730 for the 2,650-pound Kicks.

While in possession of each of these models for a week, the Jetta delivered a high-mpg reading of 33.8, while the Kicks averaged 32.3.

The Jetta, with manual transmission, was car of choice for carrying Jan and me on our annual Memorial Day weekend run to Wray, Sterling and back home. The 340-mile drive was virtually all highway travel, resulting in the 33-plus mpg for the VW, which is EPA-rated at 24-33.

At the Grandview Cemetery at Wray, while standing at the gravesites of my father, mother and grandparents, we met and visited with Bea Brueggeman, a postmaster at the little town of Vernon. Bea’s mother, Caryl Jones Sturch, was a classmate of mine at Wray Junior High School many years ago, and Bea’s husband Greg Brueggeman is a son of the late Clarice Ann Muller Brueggeman, who was a cousin of mine.

A 228-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and the 6-speed tranny added good performance to the Jetta; plenty of passing power was used several times on the two-lane U.S. 34 from Brush to Wray. The Jetta, with GLI Autobahn trim level, rides on Hankook 225/45R18 tires.

Finished in tornado red hue, the Volkswagen has matching red brake calipers. The sport sedan has lots of rear-seat roominess and a large trunk, which easily carried our luggage and the plants and flowers for the cemeteries. The front seats, though well-contoured, are somewhat smallish for proper amount of support.

The Jetta’s $31,740 price included heated and ventilated front seats, BeatsAudio premium sound with subwoofer, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping system.

The little Nissan Kicks, introduced in 2019, is gaining popularity. Among Nissan SUVs, crossovers and trucks, only the popular Rogue is outselling the Kicks.

The Kicks’ front-drive crossover, with 125-hp, 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission, is much slower in performance response than the Jetta. Normally, the Nissan would exceed the Jetta’s fuel mileage average, but the difference between much in-town driving for Kicks and all-highway travel for VW took a toll.

The Kicks is finished in blue with black roof; inside NissanConnect provides Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, 8-inch color touchscreen, Bluetooth and Bose Personal Plus Audio with eight speakers.

Advanced Nissan Safety Shield 360 technology includes class-exclusive rear automatic braking, forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and automatic high-beam headlights.

Among other options in the $26,730 price are rear roof spoiler, interior ambient lighting, heated front seats and heated steering wheel.

Delightful, spirited driving in the rain came my way in the form of the 2021 Mazda3 hatchback; after an eight-year absence, the little compact regains optional turbocharging.

Precise, light steering complements performance by the new turboed Skyactiv-G, 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine developing 227 horsepower and tied to a 6-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive. It offers normal and sport modes.

On a muddy, slippery road out east of Galeton, which is east of Eaton, the merits of its relatively new AWD system kept us pretty much in forward direction. The optional AWD was added two years ago, lending the little compact more suitability to driving in Colorado. It is called i-Activ AWD and uses “four-wheel vertical load detection” to control torque as needed between the front and rear wheels.

The turbo enhances the acceleration and twisting capabilities of the hatchback, which uses front strut suspension with coil springs and a rear torsion-beam setup.

The stylish “3” sports a distinctive rear end featuring a large spoiler over a raked rear window. Inside, it is finished in a more luxurious fashion than most competitors. Rear seating is somewhat cramped, though cargo space is 20 cubic feet and expands to 47 feet with the back seats folded.

The Mazda3 was chosen earlier this year as “car of the year” by Rocky Mountain Automotive Press and will be honored for the award at the Denver Auto Show in September.

Much as I like the little Mazda, it didn’t get my vote for “top car.” I cast my ballot for the Chevy Corvette Stingray. If ever the Vette earned recognition, this is the year, with its evolvement to Formula One racing style, midengine layout after all these years of front-engine placement, 495-horsepower and an 8-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission, another first for the rear-drive Corvette.

Other honors from RMAP are the GMC Yukon Denali as No. 1 in SUV-of-the-Year competition and the Ram 1500 TRX Crew Cab as Truck of the Year.

Testing the turbo took a toll on the Mazda3’s fuel mileage; overall it  was 25.6, the lower half of its EPA estimate of 23-31. The hatchback is shod with Bridgestone Turanza low-profile 215/45R18 tires.

The hatchback’s length of 175.6 inches is almost 8 inches shorter than a Mazda3 sedan. Wheelbase length is the same for both at 107.3 inches.

Besides the turboed engine, two others are available for the Mazda 3 – a base 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder of 155 horsepower and a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter of 186 horsepower.

Sticker price on the Mazda3 Turbo hatchback, built in Hofu, Japan, is $34,945, including Android Auto/Apple CarPlay capability, 18-inch black alloy wheels, heated seats and steering wheel, Mazda radar cruise control/lane-departure warning/traffic-sign recognition, 360-degree view monitor, Bose audio, navigation and moonroof.

Mazda entered the U.S. market 50 years ago with a rotary-powered R100 coupe. Today, with all its sleekness, high-tech and performance, the Mazda3 is far behind in sales of other Japanese-based and Korean compacts in the U.S. Over the first four months of 2021, Toyota Corolla has sold 103,742; Honda Civic 84,317; Hyundai Elantra 40,451; Kia Forte 37,354; Mazda3 13,786.