Vehicle Review: 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring - More Disneyland Adventures!

It is time for another vehicle review and this time it is for the 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring! This is my first time reviewing a Mazda3 and based off it's stunning good looks I knew it was going to be a great week of driving!

My best friend Brittney came down to visit me and all of her luggage easily fit in the trunk! It was off to drop off all of her luggage and then to spend our first night in Disneyland!

Reflecting on a magical night in Disneyland with my best friend!

This is what it looks like when you are literally the last car in the Toy Story parking lot! It was such a smooth drive both to and from the park and we would be heading back early the next morning!

And this is what it looks like when you are one of the first cars in the Disneyland parking lot the next morning! The 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring made it such a joy to even drive in Southern California traffic. We zipped our way in comfort and style!

As many of you know one of my favorite things to do at Disneyland is to eat! Stopping at Redd Rocket's Pizza Port in Tomorrowland for lunch!

I am also always on the lookout for new food items to try at Disneyland! Here is the limited cherry vanilla cotton candy! Subtle in flavor but it was so good!

You get a powerful 2.5L 4-cylinder engine that produces 184 horsepower that gets 30 MPG combines and 27 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the highway! This is just a purely fun vehicle to drive and it handles so well on the road! You will just want to hop in and drive, even if you have no particular place to go!

Take a 360 degree look inside the 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring! You get heated leather seats, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a heads-up display, heated steering wheel and a moonroof. 

The 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring comes with a huge amount of features outside of the vehicle as well! LED fog lights, LED headlights and running lights, blind spot monitoring, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, adaptive front lighting and more!

It was a great week of driving around the Southern California area all week! A wonderful vehicle that will become your favorite as it did mine! Great looks, an interior that looks premium, and a fantastic driving vehicle that is very comfortable and stylish!

With all the premium packages the 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring as tested came in at $28,370.

Vehicle Review: 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF - Disneyland and Food Adventures

This is my first time reviewing the Mazda Miata since 2014 and I can already tell there have a been a lot of changes over the years! New for 2017 is this Mazda Miata MX-5 Grand Touring RF. The RF is for Retractable Fastback which refers to the power-folding hardtop. But let's get into the review! 

Thanks to my buddy Mike for the incredible drone photography! 

The cabin is nicely laid out and there is plenty of legroom for myself and I am 5 foot 6 but taller friends had difficulty getting out of the car. 

Gauges are bright and controls are all easily within reach. There is automatic climate control, push button ignition and power everything as to be expected with a vehicle of this type! 

The large 7-inch touchscreen has voice command, HD Radio, Aha, Pandora and Stitcher internet radio integration, SMS text message audio delivery and reply, Mazda Navigation System, SiriusXM, and speed sensing automatic audio controls. The steering wheel has audio, phone and cruise controls. There is a Bose 9-speaker audio system that delivers crystal clear sound with driver and passenger headrest speakers and a subwoofer. There is even a CD player! 

The first place I headed to was of course to Disneyland! My awesome friend Erin and I had tickets to Mickey's Halloween Party, an event that is sold out every single year! We went as Hiro Hamada and GoGo Tamago from Big Hero 6! And yes, that Baymax is a candy bucket! We ended up with more than enough candy from all the treat stops that we didn't even go to all of them! Plus, there are special Halloween fireworks, a Halloween parade and special character meet and greets and other entertainment that make this a good to event every single year!

Halloween also brings special food and drink offerings to The Disneyland Resort! Erin and I both got the poison apple-tini with the exclusive green poison apple glow cube from The Carthay Circle Lounge in Disney California Adventure!

Vehicle Review: 2017 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD - Summer of Heroes, Cars 3 and Legoland

It is time for another vehicle review! This time it is the 2017 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD! I reviewed the 2016 version back in December of last year! The 2016 version was one of my favorite and most luxurious vehicles to drive last year and the 2017 version is largely unchanged. Here is the link to that review:

Vehicle Review: 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature Edition

Let's take a look at the fun adventures I had in the 2017 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD while checking out the Summer of Heroes at Disney California Adventure, podcasting, media screening of Cars 3 and a trip to Legoland California! Wow, a busy week so let's get started!

The sun is rising on a new day and the fluid lines of the 2017 Mazda CX-9 Signature make the vehicle look like it is in motion even when parked. I love the large mouthed grill, the large and expressive LED headlights and fog lights as well as the large 20-inch alloy wheels.

 It was worth it to be up early to get ready to check out the Summer of Heroes at Disney California Adventure for the food, characters and of course the newest attraction, Guardians of The Galaxy: Mission Breakout!

Click the link to learn some of my tips to get the most out of your visit to Guardians of The Galaxy: Mission Breakout!

Sasaki Time's Tips for Enjoying Guardians of The Galaxy: Mission Breakout at Disney California Adventure!

I got to meet one of my favorite Marvel characters, Black Widow!

After spending time with super heroes it was time to slow things down and head into Radiator Springs.

While in Cars Land I got to meet Larry The Cable Guy who voices Mater in the movie Cars! Larry was super nice and was happy to take the time to pose for this selfie!

Vehicle Review: 2017 Mazda CX-3 - Pirates, My Birthday and More

It is time for another vehicle review! This time it is for the 2017 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring! Join me and the White Pearl CX-3 for a week of movies, food adventures and Disneyland!

Time to jump into the Captain's chair for the first adventure of the week, a trip to the U.S. Premiere of Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood! The White Pearl CX-3 was the perfect ride to take me to see the Black Pearl!

The interior gauges are simplistic and nicely laid out. Not a lot of changes from last year's model. A central controller in the center console helps you navigate the large 7-inch infotainment screen. You also get a Heads-Up Display called the Active Driving Display that places all the essential information such as vehicle speed in your line of sight so you do not need to take your eyes off the road.

Zipping through Los Angeles traffic, yes actually zipping through Los Angeles traffic from Orange County, I made amazing time in the CX-3 on my way to Hollywood and the blue carpet for the U.S. Premiere of Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales! The drive was smooth and relaxing and the CX-3 had plenty of power to make it's way through Los Angeles.

The cast and crew take to the stage including Captain Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp!

The next couple of days were off to Disneyland to celebrate my birthday! This is what the smooth style, called "Kodo" of the CX-3 looks like in a nearly empty Disneyland parking lot.

The large 18 inch alloy wheels are new for 2017.

The best way to celebrate your birthday is at Disneyland with great friends and of course a special treat or two!

Speaking of treats I treated myself to a Matterhorn Macaroon donut! Disneyland offers handcrafted donuts every day until they sell out.

And it was also a great time to enjoy one of my favorite meals in Disneyland, the chicken meal at the Plaza Inn. The fried chicken is one of the best fried chicken's in the entire area!

An overnight trip was also in order! I headed down to the San Diego area for the night! The drive was perfect and I loved the bright LED headlights with Adaptive Front-Lighting System that curves the road while driving.

The standard SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter engine comes on all models, paired exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine provided plenty of power on the freeway and going up and over the terrain in the San Diego foothills. The powertrain offering produces 146 horsepower and gets 29 mpg city / 34 mpg hwy / 31 mpg combined.

Amble room in the trunk was perfect for an overnight getaway!

And of course food was on the agenda! Sangria flight anyone?

Cajun seafood pasta was perfectly spicy and went perfectly with the sangria!

And a little salted caramel pudding for dessert was the perfect way to end the meal!

Options include a Tech Package on the Touring model, which puts together a premium Bose audio system, the panoramic moonroof and both satellite and HD radio. The i-ACTIVSENSE package, also available on the Grand Touring model, includes Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC), automatic Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) and Smart Brake Support (SBS), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), High Beam Control (HBC), automatic on/off headlights and rain-sensing wipers.

Every model gets standard Mazda Connect infotainment with a 7.0-inch touchscreen and rearview camera, Bluetooth streaming audio and phone connectivity, air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and locks, tilt/telescoping steering wheel with wheel-mounted controls, and keyless ignition.

Touring models get blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, six-speaker stereo, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, heated side mirrors, and brighter interior accents.

Opt for the top-of-the-line Grand Touring model and you get all of the Touring’s features, plus LED headlights with adaptive lighting, LED fog lights, LED taillights, a head-up display, leather seats with suede inserts, heated front seats, Bose audio with seven speakers, satellite radio, navigation, automatic climate control, and paddle shifters.

The CX-3 starts at $19,960 to the version of the Grand Touring I tested that topped out at $27,755. A solid driving experience from a subcompact-crossover combining great technology with a lot of options and features.

2016 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring AWD Review - Food Adventures and e3!

Hey everybody, It's Jason from Sasaki Time back with another vehicle review! This time it is for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring! I got to review this vehicle for a week and took it on some food adventures and media events including e3! Let's get started with the review!

The Mazda CX-3 is part of the subcompact-crossover that has seen several car companies come out with their own take on this segment. Smooth lines and contouring really make this vehicle stand out.

Touring around the front of the vehicle, the stylish super bright LED headlights will easily show you the way on the highway. You also get LED foglights on the Grand Touring.

Beautiful 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels with the Grand Touring. They provide firm traction and maneuverability on the streets and the freeway in Orange County.