Convertible Commentary

As mentioned, our test car had the retractable-hardtop roof, and Mazda's implementation of this type of roof has a few advantages over those from other manufacturers.

First of all, it's fast; it only takes around 15 seconds to lower the roof. You have to manually release a lever in the center of the windshield frame to release the top, but after that you only have to press a button on the dashboard and it powers down, stowing beneath a hard tonneau cover. Raising the roof takes the same amount of time.

The hardtop is also compact. When lowered, it fits in the same well as the soft-top behind the seats. With this setup, the top doesn't intrude on the 5.3-cubic-foot trunk, which is decently large for a car this size.

It's pretty breezy in the cabin with the top down, even when driving at city speeds. On the highway, taller people will feel the air buffeting the top of their head and rushing around them.

The retractable hardtop doesn't restrict visibility that much when up. Checking your left-side blind spot means leaning forward a little to see around the roof support, but you get a good view when checking the right-side one; the roof pillar isn't big enough to completely obscure another car.

    See also:

    Automatic Transaxle Fluid (ATF)
    Inspecting Automatic Transaxle Fluid Level The automatic transaxle fluid level should be inspected regularly. Measure it as described below. The volume of fluid changes with temperature. Fluid m ...

    Tiedown Hook
    CAUTION: Don't use the tiedown hook under the rear for towing. It is designed ONLY for tying down the vehicle when it's being transported. Using it for towing will damage the bumper. Tiedown Ho ...

    Types of the Climate Control System
    Manual type and automatic type climate control systems are explained separately. Check your vehicle's climate control type and read the appropriate pages. Manual Type Automatic Type Type A ...