Those funny talkin', quirky dressin', slow eatin' Your-ah-pee-ins got all the cool stuff. But with automakers looking to streamline global product lineups in an effort to save a substantial amount of money, the times are changing.
Typset-confounding nomenclature aside, the
Mazda2 is exactly what you'd expect: A smaller companion to the automaker's tremendously successful Mazda3. (Don't look for a Toyota iQ-sized Mazda1 any time soon!)
It might not be the first European offering we'd ask for in a game of “Red Rover,” but we won't complain. Mazda thinks about 20,000 will find buyers annually in the United States and another 20,000 will make their way into Canada, a market that loves Mazdas.
Hardly a late-comer
On sale overseas since late 2007, the
Mazda2 was designed in Europe and Japan primarily for the former's hatchback-friendly market. Although just arriving now in North America, don't think we've been shafted yet again by getting a product at the tail end of its cycle. The
2011 Mazda2 that goes on sale here in August is actually a refreshed model that, for a change, bows first in North America before reaching the rest of the world later this year.
Though it might look mostly like the outgoing 2, it has been substantially revised underneath. The 2 shares its platform and some of its basic structure with the Ford Fiesta, but the two cars are hardly kissing cousins. Credit both Ford and Mazda for reaping the cost benefits of platform sharing without making two badge-engineered twins. The two cars share only a handful of minor parts like wheel bearings and screws.
Unlike the Fiesta, the Mazda is available in just two trim grades with only an automatic transmission on the options chart. Mazda isn't aiming for the premium subcompact market Ford wants to tackle, so luxury features are relatively limited. Still, even the base Sport trim includes keyless entry, power windows and locks, a CD player and a rear wiper for $13,980. The $15,435 Touring adds alloy wheels, fancier seat fabric, a few external styling touches, leather wrapping for the steering wheel and a pair of additional speakers (6 total). Only a five-door hatchback will make an appearance in North America.
Finding inner peace
Mildly modified from the outgoing world-market
Mazda2, the new cars's inner trappings should be familiar to those with experience behind the first generation Mazda3. The 2's two-tier-style dashboard and central control layout is clearly of the same vein, although the dash-mounted gear lever is new.
The front seats offer plenty of stretch out space, although their padding felt a little flimsy and, like the Fiesta, the 2 lacks a center armrest. The rear seats actually boast the most legroom in the subcompact class, but they're still not comfortable for adults. Regularly carry four? Buy a bigger car. At least Mazda offers a 60/40 split folding capability as standard, so the modest cargo bay can be enlarged for plenty of storage room.
Mazda carefully selected nicely grained low-sheen interior materials. The early production test cars we sampled in Montreal felt exceptionally well screwed together, giving the interior a high quality feel lacking on most rivals.
Jenny Craig's secret
The already light Mazda2 went on a diet for the new model year, shedding an impressive 240 lbs. for a new total weight of 2,306 lbs. with the base five-speed manual. That figure is nearly identical to the first generation MX-5 Miata, a fact Mazda's engineers excitedly bring up as often as possible – and with good reason. Mazda looked high and low to drop pounds, shedding wiring, reworking the suspension and increasing the use of high tensile steel in the structure.
The Jenny Craig plan saves the Mazda2 about 200 lbs. compared to the Fiesta and the Honda Fit, a fact not lost on us as we chucked our Spirited Green test car through the relatively soft corners that make up the rolling terrain surrounding Montreal.
Driving dynamics
Employing tried-and-true suspension technology like MacPherson front struts and a twist beam rear axle, the 2 benefits from the automaker's typical meticulous tuning efforts. Mazda engineers put their effort into making the small car fun to drive and it shows through.
Highly tossable, the Mazda2 reveals its European-tested suspension settings. A stiff structure combines with a compliant but firm suspension to provide a high quality, responsive feel. The gas-and-cost-saving electric power steering has been carefully honed to provide maximum feel and quick response, but we most appreciated its terrific weighting. Mazda is relatively new to the electric steering game, but its first effort, the RX-8, set the bar high. Electric steering rarely works this well; Mazda ought to teach Ford and General Motors.
The 2's suspension proved comfortable over the worst roads Quebec could throw at it. The Francophone province is hardly known for the quality of its pavement, but you would not know it inside the rock solid hatchback, which quietly absorbed ruts and patches with the quality feel of a car costing more than twice as much.
Under its short hood, the 2 offers up a sprightly 1.5-liter, 100-horsepower four-cylinder. With just 98 lb-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm, it's hardly a speed demon, but the car's extraordinarily light weight and a pair of low tech but well-matched transmissions help make the most of the available power. The standard five-speed stick is expected to account for about a fifth of all sales, where buyers will find an exceptionally light clutch and notchy shift action. Step up to the $800 four-speed automatic and you'll find particularly smooth shifts and rapid kick down. Despite the gear deficit, the conventional four-speed is actually smoother operating and better matched to the 2 than Ford's trick twin-clutch six-speed automatic in the Fiesta.
Where the 2 falls flat compared to its Ford cousin is in the fuel efficiency department. Mileage of 29/35 mpg city/highway for the five-speed and 27/33 mpg for the automatic isn't bad, but it pales compared to the Fiesta's 37 mpg (stick) and 40 mpg (automatic) ratings. That could be a major downfall for Mazda.
Why you would buy it:
You're looking for a dynamically impressive car that doesn't cost much.
Why you wouldn't:
You simply cannot live your life without Ford's sophisticated Snyc system (Mazda does offer Bluetooth as an accessory).
Leftlane's bottom line
We'll have to wait for a more in-depth evaluation on more varied roads, but for now we're quite confident that the
Mazda2 is the sports car of the subcompact class. Equally as poised as the Fiesta or Fit, the Mazda manages to provide an unexpectedly high level of driving refinement for an inexpensive car.
The Fiesta offers more tech and a flashy marketing effort, but the Mazda counters with a more refined overall driving feel.
