New Budget Cars, 101: 2010-14 Mazda 2 Review

Oh Mazda, the current 2 is such a tease!

The Mazda 2 has the potential to be a really great subcompact (if not, the the greatest subcompact) on the market, but it currently has a few shortcomings...

The Mazda 2 is called a few things around the globe and at one time it also shared a platform with the Ford Fiesta. It is almost the smallest car in Mazda's North American lineup, as the 2-seat Miata (MX-5) sports car is smaller. It is a fun and inexpensive little car that has a lot of potential to be a fantastic car to drive.

Lets take a look:

Different Styles:

The Mazda 2 only comes as a 5-door hatchback with a 1.5L, 4 cylinder engine. It comes with a very plain 5-speed manual transmission or a relatively old 4-speed auto.

Styling and comfort Impressions:

This is one of the last Mazdas to keep the super huge grin on the front grill. For this tiny car, this actually works pretty well. The Mazda 2 has generally good looks on the outside. While it doesn't look very sporty, it has enough curves to give people the impression that it could be fast to throw around. All the proportions seem about right from the outside, good windows, lights and wheels. While to some it may seem a bit cheap looking, it also has to be remembered that this is a relatively inexpensive car to begin with and while the looks may not be the highest, the driving dynamics will make up for that later.

Going inside there is some good and some not so good. The dash and media controls, pretty good. While the materials are not super fancy, they don't look or feel ridiculously cheap either. The layout of everything is very good and everything is easy to use. The front seats have OK head and leg room, more would be nice, but it provides enough that it's not uncomfortable. It may not be ideal for long drives. The seats themselves are decently comfortable with sporty-looking cloth and OK lumbar support. For a car that is from a "sporty car" company, they could have done a bit better.

Lets take a look:

The sound system is not so great. It only comes with 2 standard speakers. Come on Mazda, that's not very cool or "sporty" at all! The mid option 4 speakers are not very powerful or super clear but it gets the job done. Didn't get a chance to hear the 6 speaker setup but I'm assuming it is better than the 4, which could then be pretty good for a small car like this. The rear seats are a bit tight with just enough headroom but not enough legroom. I will give props to Mazda for making the rear seat head restraints lay down almost flat with the seat back so visibility isn't restricted. Finally, the trunk space. While it isn't huge, it is enough for a few small suitcases and once the seats are folded down (almost) flat then the space is much larger.

Driving Impressions:

Finally, we get to the good part. This is a small and relatively light car. The windows are large, even the back one, so visibility is good in every direction. The engine is pretty small and you can hear it a bit even under slower city diving. While the 4-speed auto is pretty old by current standards, with a small car like this, it provides better acceleration than competitors that have more gears, I would even go as far as to say it felt somewhat sporty when you gave it the gas. Now due to the small engine size, under hard acceleration it is pretty noisy, and even at highway cruising it is noticeable; as well as wind and road noise. But this bit of noise is worth it if you actually like driving and have fun taking turns a bit faster than you should because the Mazda 2 has great handling with wheels in each corner and a small turning circle. This thing is fun to just punch the gas and throw it around corners seeing how far you can push it until the small, narrow tires start to lose grip. The overall ride is not bad, while bumps can be felt more than larger cars, it does a good enough job of smoothing them out and the sporty handling will make up for it.

Overall:

If you just skimmed over the review, it may seem that the Mazda 2 has a number of faults. But they are small things that are completely outweighed by the positives. This is a small car that would be great as a second car for short commutes or for people that will just be in the city. At this price point it gives you a good deal of fun driving dynamics and it doesn't look half bad either. There is however going to be a redesign coming out for later 2015 that uses the new Mazda look ( like the current 3, 6, CX-5...) and promises to be slightly larger and more powerful. I will definitely try to review that one as well when it comes out!

Facts/ Figures:

Price (for mid trim level): was about $19,000+

FWD

Max HP: 100

Max Torque lb/ft: 98

MPG (approx*): 27 city. 33 highway.

Cargo room (approx*): 13 / 28 CuFt

Length: 156"

Width: 67"

Tank Size (gal): 11.3

Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 339

Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $10,000+

* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic.

**No pictures featured are my own, they have been taken either from Google images or the manufacturer's website and their rightful owners should get any credit for them. This review featured all pictures from the manufacturer's websites ( some through Edmunds.com).