2022 Mazda MX-30
HERNDON, Va. — It wasn’t long after Japanese automaker Mazda introduced itself to America that it reintroduced the rotary engine — initially known as the Wankel rotary — to that same American market. With fewer moving parts, an extremely compact package and an almost electric-like smoothness, the rotary was perfect for a family of compact coupes and sedans. But it was also thirsty, and Mazda’s timing — on the cusp of our first OPEC crisis — couldn’t have been worse.