Introduction: The Mazda 2 is the smallest car in Mazda's global lineup lineup, its known as the Demio in Japan. Originally made in 1996, the Mazda 2(known as the 121) started out as a small wagon-like vehicle in the segment. To Mazda's surprise it sold very well in Japan. By the 2nd generation in 2002 the 121 name was dropped for the simpler 2 and had mostly gained more modern styling. The car came with much available optional equipment ie. ABS, EBD, etc. now of which is mostly standard. By 2007 Mazda introduced the 3rd generation once again making modest improvements. This would be the first time this car would be available in North America in 2010. The current car is based on the same platform as the Ford Fiesta, the similarities however end from then on.
As with most economy cars, there isn't much interesting history about them. However this particular car I was surprised with how long it took for it to arrive. As I'm writing this post, the design is pretty much the same as what it was back in 2007 so its now a 6 year old design with no real notice of a new one on the horizon. Still as with any new Mazda I'm always eager to see how it drives.
Performance: The North American Mazda 2 only comes with a 1.5L 4-cylinder engine. It produces 100 hp and 98 lb.ft of torque available with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. With the automatic its acceleration from 0-100 km/h is a bit more than 10 seconds, manuals are near 9 seconds. Despite being the weakest car in the segment it doesn't feel that slow although its not going to win a drag race anytime soon. Noise levels as the car is accelerating is acceptable. Fuel economy is really this engine's primary weakness in the segment, due to its aging design and being one of the lightest its still not all that great.
My Score: 6/10 - The engine is acceptable despite its low power, hurt primarily by fuel economy.
Handling: As with any Mazda, how it handles is one of the key items which has put Mazda on top. Well...I got to say Mazda did an excellent job at engineering this car's chassis. When put to some tough corners this Mazda 2 is rather stable and very competent. Due to its slightly tall hatchback body you will notice some body roll but not enough to outright scare you. Even during fast cornering I didn't notice much understeer. The steering feel among the segment is without a doubt the best, the rest all feel artificial and overboosted in feel, this car retains power assist which is a much more superior feel. I really enjoyed driving the Mazda 2 and even with rather capable and fun handling the ride comfort doesn't suffer. This is an agile subcompact that none of the others come close to for making the driver enjoy the task that is driving.
My Score: 10/10 - Handles well, rides well and is actually fun despite being in the economy section.
Interior: This segment of cars is known for being rather no frills until lately with the Fiesta and Sonic adding a lot of gimmicks. The Mazda 2 being an older design has stuck to the older ways and very much looks no frills. It actually comes with power locks and power windows but its lacking in modern feel and modern features like bluetooth connectivity. The digital gauges are indeed rather outdated in look. Much of the dash is made of hard plastic, you will find very little that seems luxurious. However the layout is very simple and is mostly intuitive, there's not much to get lost with. The seats are surprisingly comfortable. The visibility on this particular car is pretty good apart from its short hood where seeing the front is rather difficult. The build quality is rather good, all Mazda 2s for North America are built in Hofu, Japan.
My Score: 6/10 - No frills basically, while lacking in features its not missing critical features either, and its well made, apart from its outdated look nothing else seems wrong.
Styling: The Mazda 2's styling was done before Mazda introduced their standard Nagare smile that is currently seen on the 3 and 5. As a result its a cross between the two retaining a conventional looking grille but since its introduction the Nagare smile was added although its a lot smaller in this car meaning a front plate covers it up mostly. The rest of the car is rather simple and fits with the whole car's bubbly and friendly looks. This is the most conservatively styled of the Mazda cars but considering how some love or hate the 3's looks, the 2 is more likely to not cause such divisions.
My Score: 7/10 - Its mostly conservatively styled, it looks good for the segment while not divisive its also not ground breaking either.
Value for money: This is where things are a bit interesting. Yes the interior is outdated and rather cheap looking, but when the car starts under $15K yet comes with many features people expect as standard it doesn't seem so bad. My advice though is if you're thinking of a GX buy the convenience package, its just a slight bit more but includes A/C and a few interior features that the base GX lacks. Given the GX + Convenience package, its still an excellent value. The car simply put drives really well, and its rather likable. If one was going for the GS trim, that's not good value, but this particular level I'd say its the best priced. No stupid gimmicks in this car means nothing extra to go wrong.
My Score: 10/10 - A lot of the car looks cheap inside, but based on how it drives and what you get...it is cheap and then some.
Conclusion: With all that's said and done, I actually really liked this car. Its one of those cars that doesn't feel like a total downgrade as far as the driving experience goes. Its cheap, fun and rather practical. I'm not put off by its rather simple nature, yes I do wish it came with some new modern features. However, one of the hardest things to engineer into a car is charm and this car funny enough has it. It doesn't give a great first impression when you just sit inside of it, after a proper drive though its very very easy to like it. I enjoyed the 1st gen Honda Fit when it was available because it was so nice to drive I was upset that the current 2nd gen was much more boring. However after trying this car out this car, this is even better to drive than the first Fit. Truthfully all I want in a next Mazda 2 is the Shinari styling(seen in the new 2014 6), modern interior connectivity, preferably nicer materials, but keep everything else. This is one of those cars where I come off thinking a theoretical Mazdaspeed 2 would actually be amazing. The Fiesta sold better than the Mazda 2, but truthfully this is the better car.
Overall: 39/50 - Overall a rather nice subcompact vehicle, an updated interior is actually all it needs.
