YouGottaBeLeaf- Not sure when Mazda reformulated their clear. It was pretty hard on our '93 RX-7 (hard but brittle paint), but the stuff on the '02 MPV really is pretty good and tough. Regular washing with BHBs and only semi-annual polishing- it just amazes me. Given that it's silver, anybody else would probably *not* bother polishing it even *this* year (you can't see any marring unless you *really* look for it under certain lighting; it's even OK under parking lot lights at night).
Maybe all those layers of SG has something to do with it. I can still feel the SG on the paint, so maybe it's taking all the abuse. Though a similar regimen on a WRX resulted in far more marring than the MPV has ever had.
It wouldn't be surprised if they use different paints on the Miata and the MPV. No idea *why* they would, but if every Mazda clear were as hard as mine, we'd all know about it. If I remember correctly, they even did some Miatas in single-stage.
FWIW, the replaced/repainted bumper cover on the MPV isn't *nearly* as hard as the original paint. It's "normal for a repaint", which is a *lot* softer than the rest of the vehicle.
lpquick- Well, maybe if the new vehicles didn't have any marring. But even then I wonder what the big advantage (over other pads) would be. Like Bill D, I'm sorta tempted to see it as just marketing hype. But it might just be something that some people *like* using, in which case, cool :xyxthumbs