Tomica Mazda Atenza (6) and CX5

I recently acquired quite a few Tomica cars over the last year, so expect plenty of articles on them later.  One of the first ones is the Mazda twins, the Atenza sedan and CX5 SUV.  It is sad that none of the American diecast manufacturers have followed the sporty Mazda brand aside from the MX5 Miata, so it is nice to find something like this from other brands like Tomica.

Mazda Atenza (6)

Mazda's mid-size sedans have never caught on with the public like the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord over the years have.  The mid-size sedans were rather small and very plain-jane, but that all change with the introduction of the Mazda 6, or Atenza known elsewhere.  The 6 first arrived in 2002 as a sedan, a 5-door hatchback, and even a wagon.  The styling was more sporty and the handling match the zoom-zoom profile.  Even the V6 models can have a 5-speed manual transmission.  For the second-generation the 6 was smooth out and longer, while dropping the wagon and hatchback for the sedan-only bodystyle.  The look was clean and fresh, but started to look dated so the third-generation fixed this issue with a more bolder look with an upright grille in the front to match the Mazda 3 in the same way it matched the Mazda 3 back in 2004.  The dashboard integrates latest tech with the sportiness of driving featuring a 3-spoks steering wheel.  The engine is a 2.0L DOHC Skyactiv I-4 that produces 184 horsepower with a six-speed automatic or manual transmission.

This Tomica casting looks good, if a bit plain compared to the real car.  Both this and the CX5 share the same red paint with slightly different tones.  The front has round teardrop headlights with the upper portion connecting to the large black shield grille and lower bumper with foglights.  The side beltline is clean with the exception of flared front fenders and detailed window trim.  The rear has flowback taillights with a chrome bar that attaches them in the same way the grille up front attaches the headlights.  The base shows off a few drivetrain bits, while the doors open up to reveal an interior that has seating for four, right-hand drive layout, and a detailed dashboard that earlier Tomica castings lacked.  Handling is good with the working suspension, but the narrow Tomica tires are noisy and do not help with traction.

Mazda CX5

For years the Mazda SUV started with the Navajo, based on the two-door Ford Explorer, and migrated to the Ford Escape-based Mazda Tribute at the turn of the century.  When the Ford and Mazda parternship ended Mazda needed a new small SUV and one that fits the zoom-zoom nature of the brand.  The CX5 was born.  Unlike the CX9 the CX5 is a more upright SUV designed to take on the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4.  Based on the Mazda 3 the CX5 uses the same sharp styling as on the 2014 6 sedan and combines it with an upright profile.  Performance and handling was definately zoom-zoom and more proactive than other SUV's in its class.  The interior has a simple dashboard layout and you can even get a six-speed manual transmission with the CX5 or the 6-speed automatic to the 2.0L DOHC Skyactiv I-4 that produces 162 horsepower.  The CX5 has really helped boost Mazda sales and also has spawned a smaller CX3 SUV based on the Mazda 2.

As with the 6 the CX5 looks great if a bit plain from some angles.  The darker red looks great on this SUV and gives it a bold look.  The front has large swept-back headlights, black shield grille, and lower bumper grille with foglights to the side.  The side profile is typical tall SUV with some slight creases on the beltline and lower black plastic trim details.  The rear has high-mounted taillights and a lower black trim diffuser.  The rear hatch opens up for functionality, but these hatches from Tomica have rather large dogleg hinges and impede with the rear seat design (blackening out side window trim at the rear does not heip to cover it up).  The base shows off the independent suspension and all-wheel drive system, while the interior has seating for five and a well-detailed dashboard that has the steering wheel on the right-side.  Both are nice castings from Tomica, but if you want even more clearer details on both of these Mazda models look for other replica's in larger scales.