As someone who has driven a lot of “green” and fuel-efficient cars, I was anxious to try the Mazda2, the latest in the line that a journalist at USA Today reported will “zoom right into your heart.”
Many auto critics have called the Mazda2 the best-kept auto secret in America, and one drive shows you why. Like its siblings including the red-hot roadster MX-5, the Mazda2 is a handling champ, effortlessly gliding on the highway or over country roads.
Like its older siblings, the car is quiet and steady. No annoying road noise seepage and minimal jostles when you hit a rough patch of road. Every time I drive a Mazda, I’m reminded that it’s a terrific ride. The Mazda2 is no exception.
The Mazda2 was first introduced in 2007 in Europe, Japan and Australia and almost immediately won a host of car design and performance awards plus the World Car of the Year award at the 2008 New York International Auto Show.
While the automaker is rightly proud of the high crash safety performance ratings and fuel efficiency (29 mpg city and 35 mpg highway), what stood out to me was the design of the car, both outside and in.
In a world where “subcompact” is equivalent to “box” in many cases, the Mazda shows a touch of sportiness — you’ll see it on several elements including short body overhangs and sculpted body lines such as are on larger models — without going too far over the top. The automaker rightly calls it “Zoom Zoom concentrated.”
What really sold me on the Mazda2, though — which isn’t true of all the automaker’s smaller models — is the incredible head-and-legroom in both rows of seats — 42.1 inches of front legroom and 39.1 inches of front headroom compared with 34.8 inches of rear legroom and 37 inches of rear headroom. Add to that an interior cargo volumes of 27.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, and you can tell Mazda was ultraefficient when planning space in a car that measures 155.5 inches long and 66.7 inches wide.
The feel of space continues in other interior design elements including the instrument panel that curves forward for a stylish, contemporary look that melds with stylish, circular climate control vents and other controls. The look is again sporty and modern also because in part of the silver and black trim.
Add to that a lot of nice features that you never miss until you don’t have them — including a tilting steering wheel and cruise control — and you have a “beginner” car that outshines models priced significantly higher.
To borrow an old phrase, the Mazda2 proves the best things still often come in small packages.
