2011 Mazda 2: What's It Like to Live With?
Read the latest updates in our long-term road test of the 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 as our editors live with this car for a year.
What do you want to know about?
- Introduction
- Separated at Birth
- Teen Machine
- Keeping It Simple
- Terrific Shifter
- Track Test
- The Intimidator
- Seeing Red
- Fiesta Worthy?
- The Simplicity of Inexpensive
- No Pods, Please
- Night and Day
- Power and Weight
- Track Tested
- Good Highway Car?!
- Meet Baby Sparkles
- No Respect, No Respect
- Cargo Capacity
- Built for Touring
- Something's Missing
- Idiot Lights Abound
- Taking I-5 to Thunderhill
- A Brother Tackles Thunderhill
- Cruising Back From Thunderhill
- Tall-Friendlier Than Big Brother
- Shift Tower
- Slow Car, Driven Fast
- No USB?!
- Give It A Rest
- Victory by Design
- Blindfolded
- No Goldilocks Zone
- A Nice Take on Basic
- Back Seat versus Fiesta
- A Comment on Packaging
- Everyone Should Own One
- Enjoy the Silence
- Not an IIHS Top Safety Pick
- No Where To Hang
- A Macro Look at Interior Materials
- Enjoyable Runabout
- Touchy Throttle Response
- Pleasing Design
- The Way Forward
- Goes Down Easy
- Sufficiency
- Groooooovy
- Not the Most Serene Ride
- Needed a Little Oil
- At The Wheel
- 7th Least Expensive Hatchback
- Feels Mighty Real
- You're Doing It Wrong
- Cargo Hauling Reality Check
- Who Needs a Hybrid?
- Safe From Spiders. You're Welcome.
- Basic Transport
- Heel-And-Toe Blows
- Blind Spots Begone
- Great First Car?
- Choosing Mazda
- Liking the Goofy Shifter
- Does The Bike Fit?
- Fine Upholstery
- Service Time
- Spot-On Effort Levels
- Cheapest Service Appointment
- Tripping Out
- Maxfield Parrish Edition
- From LFA to...
- In-Car Boombox
- Slots
- Real Lateral Bolstering
- Summer Fling
- Mazda Gets an "A" for Effort
- Best Small Car in the Fleet
- Rear-Ended
- Assume the Position
- Back on the Road
- 2 > 3
- Sent to the Poor House
- Back Where I Belong
- Another Nice Detail
- Embrace the Shopping Cart
- Mazda Fit
- Looming C-Pillar
- Least Popular Small Car in the Fleet?
- Rearview Mirror Complaint
- But Will It Change Minds?
- Who Says This Thing Is Too Small?
- Simplicity
- Take the Mazda or the Mustang?
- How It's Better Than the GTI
- Tempting to Modify
- Keeps On Ticking
- Top 10 Things I Like About It
- Hey Look, Another One!
- Liveliness
- At Home In The Front Row
- Economy Car Litmus Test
- A Weighty Issue
- In the City and for the Dogs
- Wishing for Six
- 2011 Mazda 2 Touring/Commuting
- A Car for the Person I Used to Be
- Satisfying Clutch and Shifter
- Rear-End Damage, Again
- Does it fit?
- What is it about hatchbacks?
- Eh, It's Close Enough
- What I Drove on Vacation
- Grab Handle Fail
- Best of the Slow Cars? (with Video)
- Grille Isn't The Only Thing That's Smiling
- 15,000-Mile Service, Part 1
- 15,000-Mile Service, Part 2
- 15,000-Mile Service, Part 3
- 15,000-Mile Service, Part 4
- I Want Different Gauges
- Lateral Bolstering is *Just* Adequate
- Nearly 32 on the Button
- A Terrible Grinding Noise
- Lightweight
- Bigger Than a Coat Hanger
- School Car Pool
- Suspension Walkaround
- Dome Light Morning Surprise
- The Blue Light is Special
- EPA Combined MPG = Edmunds Observed
- Wrap-Up
Introduction
There's a Speed Read section in our road tests that includes a one-sentence summary called the "Bottom Line." For the 2011 Mazda 2, that bottom line read, "An adequate commuter with legit room for four. And not much else."
Believe it or not, there are plenty of people on the road these days who are looking for just that. In their minds, the simplest way from A to B is a car and as long as that's the way it is, they'll drive one.
But that doesn't mean simple, no-frills commuter cars don't deserve the same attention and long-term testing we're known for. In fact, given the ratio of fun cars to commuter cars currently on the road, perhaps the subject is under-covered.
Knowing full well that the 2011 Mazda 2 Touring is fully average, we've added one to our long-term fleet. We've had exceptional (GT-R, Z06, R8) and we've had terrible (Smart Fortwo) and now it's time for a trip in the middle. Twelve months and 20,000 miles in Mazda's new small Honda Fit fighter, the 2011 Mazda 2 Touring.
What We Got
The 2011 Mazda 2 is available in two trim levels: Sport and Touring. The Sport designation means a 100-horsepower 1.5-liter 16-valve inline-4 with a five-speed manual transmission, 15-inch steel wheels with covers, 10.2-inch front discs with rear drums, intermittent windshield wipers, power side mirrors, A/C, power windows, power door locks, cloth-trimmed seats, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, four-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo with aux input, and dynamic stability control and traction control. All of this for $14,180.
The Mazda 2 Touring starts with the Sport and then adds halogen foglights, 15-inch alloy wheels with Yokohama Avid all-season tires, a rear spoiler, chrome exhaust tip, cloth-trimmed seats with red piping, cruise control, trip computer, leather steering wheel and wheel-mounted audio controls; it also replaces the four-speaker stereo with an eight-speaker job.
Of course, there's a price difference here, a reasonable $1,455 in this case. Cruise control alone on the barren, endless, bone-straight highways of California makes that $1,500 worth it. And speaking of the highway, the Mazda 2 is rated at 35 mpg highway when equipped with the manual transmission, which ours is. A four-speed automatic (the Ford Fiesta has a six-speed auto-clutch manual, but we'll get to that later) is available for $800, but brings the fuel economy down to 33 mpg highway.
When it comes to options, our Mazda 2 is relatively light. The Crystal White Pearl paint is $200 and, well, that's it. There's a dealer "installed" Bluetooth kit that clamps to the sunshade, but that Motorola unit isn't a factory option. This dealer option is a necessity for the 2011 Mazda 2, as Mazda didn't think to equip the 2 with either Bluetooth or a USB/iPod cable. Surely nobody looking into a city-slick compact is the type of person to own a Bluetooth phone/iPod. Right?
Regardless, with such scant options available, our 2011 Mazda 2 runs awfully close to its base price, totaling $16,330 including the $795 destination fee. We did not pay $16,330 for this car, however. Mazda provided it to us for the purpose of this long-term evaluation.
Why We Got It
The most obvious and difficult to answer question here is, "Why not get the 2011 Fiesta?" Well, the reasons for this are multiple, but the main ones stand that we already have a fleet full-o'-Fords and the only current Mazda we have, the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3, won't be around for much longer.
And with its 263-hp turbocharged four-cylinder, it's an enthusiast-only machine. But the Mazda 2 with its 100 hp, 15-inch wheels and all-season tires is an example of the kind of Mazda real people buy. And the kind of car Mazda is hoping will make lots of real people turn their attentions away from the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and the 2's cousin, the 2011 Ford Fiesta.
But why would they? The Mazda 2 isn't the fastest, cheapest, roomiest, most flexible, best optioned, best handling or most fuel-efficient. Is being a solid all-arounder in a highly competitive automotive industry going to cut it?
Life in the Average Lane
TV chef/awesome guy Alton Brown has a theory on unitaskers. The theory is to stay away from them. It's not that a garlic press is the worst thing in the world, but a flat chunk of granite can press garlic, too. And shell nuts. And keep papers from flying around. And kill rats.
That seems to be the theory behind the Mazda 2. It's not the class leader in any category, but the aggregate value should be high enough to justify its existence. Which is why we have one for the next 12 months. We plan to put 20,000 miles on our new five-speed 1.5-liter 2011 Mazda 2 Touring to see if the average really is good enough.
Current Odometer: 1,642
Best Fuel Economy: 36.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 29.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 33.5 mpg
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Follow the long-term road test blog for updates about our 2011 Mazda 2 Touring.
It's the Friday before Halloween. I'm gonna save the informative posts for Monday as I have our newest long-termer, the 2011 Mazda 2, all weekend. Since I had it last night, I'm considering the interior materials, Bluetooth or unusual placement for the gearshifter to blog about. Where to start?
Til then, ponder this. Does our new 2 remind you of someone?
Boo! I mean, Shmoo! Happy Halloween! Be safe!
After driving our brand-new 2011 Mazda 2 all weekend, I flashbacked to when I was a teenager all those eons ago, learning to drive for the first time and how I had to do that in my mom's white 1979 Monza wagon. So not cool. Plus to add insult to injury, it had a vanity plate with my mom's name on it. OK, OK, I was lucky to have even gotten a car at all. But if I was a kid now, I wouldn't have minded having this 2 as my first vehicle.
For $16K ours has some pretty decent features that any adolescent driver would appreciate, like cruise control, power windows/door locks/mirrors, wheel-mounted audio controls and an aux input. Sure, it's not as fun or peppy to drive like the Fiesta but parents might not mind that, you know, because with great power comes great responsibility. (Now as an adult, I don't understand why some parents give their teens M3s for their first car.) In any case, the 2 is also cheaper than the Fiesta.
And sure, it's small but as a teen, I wouldn't need that much just to get around from school, home and to my after-school job. My parents wouldn't let me drive my friends around anyway. But more importantly, it's cute and not overly so, even with that grin. In other words, I wouldn't be committing social suicide by driving it. Although, I would have probably picked that Spirited Green Metallic or black over the boring white.
One of the first things I noticed after jumping behind the wheel of our brand-new 2011 Mazda 2 is the gearshifter's odd placement, sitting up just below the center console and not between the seats. Kinda disorienting at first but over the weekend I got used to it. Bonus is that it prevented me from clashing elbows with my passenger.
Besides the gearshifter, I appreciated the overall layout. Not only is it clean, simple and intuitive but everything is within easy reach. Of course, it is a small space so how out of reach can something be in there? Only thing was that the steering wheel blocks the tuning buttons on the radio, but no biggie once you know where to feel.
How do you like the interior?
Our longterm 2011 Mazda 2 proves that inexpensive cars don't have to have crummy shifters. In fact, its shifter is pretty danged good.
Light and whippy shifters like the one in the Honda Civic Si have their place. The reward that comes with using the Mazda 2's shifter, however, is more about substance.
The shift gates are distinctly defined and the lever moves between them with precision and... solidity. That's the word. Slop is minimal. There's a hint of notchiness to the 2's shift action, but not too much. Just enough to give it a nice mechanical feel without adding resistance that would slow down your gearchanges.
It offers positive and solid engagement that you don't expect in a car this affordable. You can shift it quickly and shift it hard and it never feels flimsy.
It simply satisfying to use. Good thing, too, because you need to stir that lever quite a bit to get the most out of the little engine.
Track Test
Back in July of this year, the Straightline blog did an IL Track Test of the 2011 Mazda 2 Touring, the same model that we picked up as our long-termer, although this one is in the green color I love. Handily enough, the post also throws up the performance numbers for the 2009 Honda Fit Sport and the 2011 Ford Fiesta SES for comparison's sake. Suffice it to say the Fit garnered the best numbers (besides braking distance and price).
Driving around the city in a tiny, 100-horsepower car like our 2011 Mazda 2 Touring, the chances of getting bullied by the many larger cars around are high. Case in point, this morning I had a standoff with a GMC Terrain in this alley by my apartment. I was in the alley first but when the Terrain driver saw me he sped up so that I would have to be the one to move over. When I threw up my hands at him gesturing WTH, he lunged his SUV at me as if threatening to hit me. Shaking my head I then moved over. But as he squeezed past me he spit on the 2! So mean!
On my way to work I couldn't help but wonder, if I had been driving an intimidating car like the Challenger, would he have reacted the same way? I told my story to the other editors and they started coming up with suggestions on how to make the Mazda 2 tougher.
"Put it in the Raptor or have it follow the Raptor around."
"Outfit it with missiles a la James Bond's Aston."
"Strap an airhorn to its roof."
"Put spikes on its wheels."
Photoshop wizard Mark Takahashi was the one who came up with the ultimate LA city edition of the Mazda 2, or as he calls it, "Mean Mazda Deuce."
What do you think?
I drove home to Long Beach late last evening and was back in our Santa Monica office before dawn today, which means most of the driving I've done in the 2011 Mazda 2 Touring has been in the dark.
And at night, the instrument panel illuminates like a fiery blossom from hell. (A newspaper reporter I once knew tried to work that description into his stories as often as possible — preferably as a quote from someone. I'm just carrying on the tradition.)
Seriously, though, between the ruby glow of the instrument panel and the glare of red tail lights in traffic, it was a hellish round trip.
I spent the weekend in our Mazda 2 and I found it pleasant overall, considering its modest $16,000 pricetag. It's a relative of the Ford Fiesta, which happens to be one of our top picks in this economical category. The Ford is only slightly more expensive than the Mazda, but I think the added cost is worth quite a bit more.
In terms of exterior styling, I'm a much bigger fan of the Ford Fiesta. It lacks the Mazda's grinning grille and has a bit more visual excitement in both its shape as a whole and in its details. On the inside, you'd have a hard time finding any soft-touch materials in the Mazda 2 — nearly every surface is covered in hard plastic. The Fiesta has its share of the cheap stuff, too, but adequately cushions most touch points.
When it comes to features and options, the Ford Fiesta is a runaway winner. A USB port is standard and the available Sync also tacks on phone and navigation functions. The Mazda 2 offers Bluetooth and a removable Garmin nav unit, but only as dealer-installed options. Finally, the Fiesta just feels like a more solidly built car.
Don't get me wrong, the Mazda 2 is a nice car for the money, I just think that the Ford Fiesta is much better for a little more money.
If there's one thing that makes cheap cars endearing, it's that they're cheap. Want another one? How about simplified center stacks. With no need to squeeze in stuff like navigation systems, seat heater buttons, telephone pads, massage functions, voice control activation switches and all the other stuff typically found in today average car, you're left with three-dial climate controls and a radio.
Granted, there's not much stuff to play with and I would probably want some of those features during day-to-day commuting, but once in awhile it's kind of nice to just look down and see simple controls and nothing else. Wonder how long it will take before I'm over them?
Sure, cheap and cheerful transportation appeals to everyone and you don't have to look much further than the crazed enthusiasm for the impending arrival of the Fiat 500 in Chrysler dealerships to find the evidence.
But no one wants to drive around in a pod, some kind of weird plastic bubble that makes twittering noises like George Jetson's flying car. And the best thing about the Mazda 2 is the fact that it's not just a pod.
There's plenty to talk about when it comes to the way the Mazda 2 drives, of course, but for me it's just the fact that you can actually see out of it.
Most of these small front-wheel-drive cars derive most of their chassis rigidity from the front bulkhead, so when you take a seat there's this giant plastic-covered structure in front of you. As great as the Ford Fiesta is in every respect, you can barely peer over the dash and see the road ahead, even when you jack up the height of the driver seat. Maybe it's supposed to make you feel safe, but instead I feel like I'm sitting in a transportation pod, not a car.
In comparison, the Mazda 2 lets you actually see the road in front of you through the windshield, while the low beltline of the side windows helps enhance the sense of spaciousness. The visibility might be the same as George Jetson's plastic bubble, but I don't hear any twittering noises. It's more evidence that the ergonomics of small cars are just as important as the horsepower under the hood.
It's going to be interesting when cars like the Fiat 500 and Chevrolet Spark show up in the U.S. We'll see if people embrace them as cars or dismiss them as clever but essentially irrelevant imitations of George Jetson's pod.
Night and Day
I have two different commuting experiences to share.
Driving the Mazda 2 home in crawling traffic on the freeway. And I mean crawling. Never stopped so I could take a break, never moving enough to be able to fully remove my foot from the clutch for more than a second or two. Not fun. Thankfully, the clutch is light so my leg didn't give out completely. But it is very springy, too. So, you can't wiggle your foot around much.
Next morning, driving on the streets with light traffic and no one in my way. The springy light clutch helps you take off quickly on hills. When you are driving on a level plain, the car is so light that the engine seems peppy enough. We had some fun together. Going up a hill is another story. It only wants to play "I Think I Can, I Think I Can."
This would be a good car for a beginner to learn to drive because you really have to drive the Mazda 2. You can feel everything it is doing. It would give a new driver a good understanding of how things work.
Power and Weight
Weighing in at only 2,274 pounds, our Mazda Dos is easily the lightest car in our test lot. I like lightweight cars and that's definitely a good start. But its tiny 1.5-liter engine only manages to produce 100 horsepower. I'm pretty sure my food processor makes more. This weight-to-power ratio certainly isn't favorable, especially when you consider that our long-term 2004 Prius weighs 2,966 lbs and produces 143 hp. Each horsepower in the Mazda has to lug 22.7 pounds while the Prius only has to pull 20.7.
Mazda positions itself as a more exciting alternative to other brands, and despite the unimpressive figures above, the Mazda 2 manages to qualify as a fun driver, but just barely.
Off the line, il due is pretty anemic. Traction control shuts down the party quicker than a police cruiser in your driveway. With it disengaged, it allows for a little bit of wheelspin, but the engine lacks any real power low in the revs. There's a little more power around 4,000 revs, but it's nowhere close to exciting.
So where's the fun? Handling. In the absence of power, the light weight pays off in the corners. Combined with a short wheelbase, it's considerably tossable. There's a decent amount of body roll and the tires probably won't react well to being driven at ten-tenths, but up to that point, it's enough to induce a giggle or two.
On a winding canyon road, le deux is a pleasant little teaching aid. The lack of power forces you to maintain as much momentum as possible, improving your ability to tie one turn to the next in a beautiful sinuous ribbon.
So yes, the Mazda 2 has enough double zoom to qualify as fun. Fun enough to be a zippy "reasonably priced car," I say.
What say y'all?
With a 100-horsepower 1.5-liter inline-4, our Mazda 2 is the least powerful car we've had since our time with a 2008 smart fortwo. But that car, with its 70-horsepower 1-liter, was a two-seater with two doors, the engine in the back and cartoonish looks. You half expected it to be painfully slow.
But this 2011 Mazda 2 has four doors (five if you're one of those 'a hatch is a door' folks) seats five and looks like a car. It should work like a car, right? And then there's that zoom-zoom thing Mazda's known for, it should work better than a normall small car, right?
Well, we brought our 2011 Mazda 2 to the track recently to find out. Full results after the jump.
Vehicle: 2011 Mazda 2
Odometer: 1,829
Date: 11/2/2010
Driver: Mike Monticello
Price: $16,330
Specifications:
Drive Type: Front-wheel drive
Transmission Type: Five-speed manual
Engine Type: 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 1,498/91.4
Redline (rpm): 6,300 rpm
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 100 @ 6,000
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 98 @ 4,000
Brake Type (front): 10.2-inch ventilated discs, sliding calipers
Brake Type (rear): 8-inch drums
Steering System: Electric power-assisted steering
Suspension Type (front): Independent MacPherson struts, coil springs, twin-tube dampers
Suspension Type (rear): Semi-independent twist beam-axle, coil springs, monotube dampers
Tire Size (front): 185/55R15
Tire Size (rear): 185/55R15
Tire Model: Yokohama Avid S34F
Tire Type: All season
Wheel Size: 15-by-6 inches
Wheel Material (front/rear): Cast aluminum
As Tested Curb Weight (lb): 2,274
Test Results:
0-30 (sec): 3.2
0-45 (sec): 6.3
0-60 (sec): 9.9
0-75 (sec): 16.0
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 17.4 @ 78.5
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 9.6
30-0 (ft): 33
60-0 (ft): 133
Slalom (mph): 65.0
Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.82
Db @ Idle: 32.7
Db @ Full Throttle: 86.4
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 77.1
Acceleration Comments: When enabled, the Mazda 2's ESP system completely bogs the car down at launch. Dropping the clutch at 4,000 rpm with ESP off enabled decent wheelspin. The 2-3 shift is at an unfortunate 60 mph. The Mazda's shift throws are longish but can still be shifted quickly due to well defined gates. Wish the tachometer wasn't so small. Engine revs very slowly.
Braking Comments: Despite weighing so little, the Mazda 2 takes a surprisingly long time to stop. Tires are no doubt a factorhere, but the brakes themselves don't feel very powerful. Still, it only stopped one foot longer from the 1st to the 6th stop.
Handling Comments: Skid pad: On/off throttle has a big effect in the little Mazda and it can easily get into a tail-out, front-drive drift. Although the chasis is very communicative, the slippery tires hold it back from a better performance. Slalom: This is a quick-steering, nimble little car that displays a surprising amount of tail-out action around the cones — it's great fun, and pretty darn quick. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it's so short, narrow and light. Just think what the Mazda 2 could do with grippier tires.
| 2011 Mazda 2 | 2009 Honda Fit Sport With Nav | 2011 Ford Fiesta SES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-45 mph (sec.) | 6.3 | 5.9 | 6.0 |
| 0-60 mph (sec.) | 9.9 | 9.5 | 10 |
| 0-75 mph (sec.) | 16.0 | 14.3 | 15.1 |
| 0-60 mph with rollout (sec.) |
9.6 | 9.4 | 9.7 |
| 1/4 mile time @ speed |
17.4 @ 78.5 | 16.9 @ 81.1 | 17.2 @ 80.4 |
| 30-0 mph | 33.0 | 34.0 | 29 |
| 60-0 mph | 133.0 | 136.0 | 119 |
| Skid pad (g) | 0.82 | 0.82 | 0.82 |
| Slalom speed (mph) | 65.0 | 64.4 | 62.2 |
| As-tested weight (lbs) | 2,279 | 2,511 | 2,557 |
| Price as tested | $16,330 | $18,820 | $17,795 |
Good Highway Car?!
Welcome to Lancaster, California. As you see here, somebody woke up fresh as a daisy after staying at an Intercontinental Hotel Group resort. I put about 200 highway miles on our long-term 2011 Mazda 2 Touring over the weekend, and I was surprised by how good the highway ride is on this car. It's controlled, and compliant — bordering on cushy.
I really didn't expect this level of compliance and isolation from a sub-2,300-pound subcompact. Instead, I expected the Mazda 2 to ride more like our departed 2009 Honda Fit, which weighed nearly 2,500 pounds. The Fit was well mannered on the highway, but not a bit soft and cushiony.
And though the Mazda 2 lacks much of the Honda Fit's utility, its above-average ride quality could swing a potential buying decision in its favor if you're a long-distance solo commuter.
I'm fervently against naming your car. Unless it's "Batmobile," "Eleanor," or in rare instances "Oliver," a man has no business personifying his ride with a moniker. It's definitely a girl thing, because only girls have ever asked me "what's your car's name?" and walked away disappointed when I've said "Jetta" or "Z3."
So I could only facepalm (visual representation below) when my girlfriend's Mazda 3 was christened "Mr. Sparkles" by her mother due to its sparkly Crystal White Pearl Mica paint. I was loath to refer to it as Mr. Sparkles and thankfully, my girlfriend was as well. Yet, like a parasitic creature, the name wove its way into our lexicon and sporadic, usually ironic references to Mr. Sparkles began (though rarely uttered by me).
Then we got our new long-term Mazda 2 in Crystal White Pearl Mica. As I drove it home the first night it joined our fleet, I pulled into our house right behind my girlfriend's 3. A horrible thought crossed my mind ...
"Behold, Baby Sparkles." And thus, I had named a car for the very first time. Crap.
Maybe I should name the Mazda 2 Rodney instead, because it gets absolutely no respect on the road. People turn in front of you constantly, just assuming that you suck and are content to drive at a pace matched only by the Columbia Glacier. I can't tell you how many times I caught people by surprise as they turned in front of me, only to discover a big happy face grille quickly filling their mirrors. Or, as I turned right onto Wilshire Blvd yesterday evening, a woman in a Prius coming the opposite direction started to turn right in front of me only to end up slamming on the brakes and coming to a stop in my direction in the left-most lane. She apparently wasn't expecting me to accelerate so damned fast.
But wait, you're thinking, isn't the Mazda 2 one of the slowest cars sold in this country?
Correct, our long-termer was clocked at 9.9 second from zero to 60 mph. Yet, you must remember that people accelerate unbelievably slow relative 0-60 times. A time of 9.9 seconds is good enough to leave just about every driver in your dust, and I'd say that's about the pace I normally accelerate regardless of the horsepower I possess.
Take Friday evening, when I came to a stop light alongside a Honda Accord Coupe V6 with tint and dubs. The light turns green and as always in the 2, I gun it, absolutely embarrassing Mr. Accord. He, not surprisingly, was shamed by getting roasted off the line by Baby Sparkles, and then proceeded to out horsepower away to maintain his manhood. This episode has already been repeated several times ... twice with BMW 3 Series drivers.
See, I feel compelled to drive the snot out of the 2. For starters, I'd prefer to accelerate at my normal pace and not in fact be slower than the Columbia Glacier. And second, the 2 is a fun little car that's really quite a hoot to drive quickly. Yet, when people see our little white hatchback, they don't expect you to be having fun in such a small car. No, we've clearly "bought" it because we're poor and couldn't afford a real car. We're probably 83 years old and our color certainly doesn't help despite being fancy metallic white.
On the contrary, I say. Little, underpowered cars like the Mazda 2 can be just as fun as they are economical, and I think I shall continue startling the masses with my oh-so-blazing speed.
There it is, a quick peek at the 13.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity offered up by our 2011 Mazda 2.
Fold the 60/40-split second-row seats down and the trunk expands to 28 cubes.
A 2011 Ford Fiesta offers 15.4 cubic feet with the rear seats in place, and maxs out at 26 cubes.
Built for Touring
It being Thanksgiving and all, the talk is of long-distance travel. And when I tell people that I've once done the drive from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area in the Mazda 2, they look at me in a certain way. It's not a good way, either.
Then they tell me all the reasons that come to mind for avoiding Interstate travel in a car that's smaller than a pocket battleship and powered by an engine less powerful than a hydro-electric generator at Hoover Dam.
And they have a point. The Mazda 2's short wheelbase makes it sensitive to the fore-and-aft pitching caused by the rolling, broken cement slabs of California's overused freeways. The torsion beam rear axle is a little heavy in the unsprung weight department, and the ride can be a bit springy. And it is actually necessary to shift the transmission when accelerating onto an onramp after getting a tank of gas. (Of course, the Mazda 2 gets such great gas mileage that you don't have to stop for gas, really.)
But when I tell people about the back roads where I've been in the Mazda 2 when I get to the Bay Area, they understand. Suddenly all the car's imagined liabilities become assets. The short wheelbase that enhances manueverability. The light weight that fosters agility. The quick-shifting manual transmission that makes the frugal inline-4 engine feel as if it's bred for racing.
We all natter on endlessly about light weight when it comes to sports cars, but we frequently forget that light weight improves almost everything about the way any automobile drives. After all, when you go for a run, you don't carry a 50-pound sack of rocks on your back.
Probably the Mazda 2 would get a little more respect for the purposes of cross-country travel if it looked more like a sports coupe and less like than some weird vegetable from the designer grocery. (Cauliflower from a particularly remote Asian country, I'm thinking.)
During my first few minutes behind the wheel of the 2, I felt as if something wasn't quite right. I wasn't quite as comfortable as I wanted to be in the cockpit.
Couldn't put my finger on what the problem was was first, but then I figured it out: The car doesn't have a front center armrest. Hadn't ever seen myself as one of those people who's picky about the whole armrest thing, but that's probably because pretty much every car I've ever driven has had one.
A front center armrest isn't currently available on the 2, but the feature will make an appearance later on in the model year as a no-cost option. Do you need a center armrest to feel comfortable behind the wheel?
If there's one thing that bugs most enthusiasts about economy cars, it's the presence of the much maligned "idiot lights" in place of actual gauges. As you can see, our Mazda 2 is full of them, including the blue "your engine coolant is cold" light you see here. I don't have a problem with them though.
Sure, the lights exist because people can't be bothered with know anything about their cars, but they're acceptable in a car like the Mazda 2. I mean, let's face it, people who drive a car like this don't really want to know about cars, they just want to get to where they're going and get out of their car as soon as possible.
Better to get their attention with a flashing light than hope they realize that 250 degree coolant might be a problem. Sure, the average temp gauge has a red zone and all that, but it doesn't turn all bright and shiny when things go bad.
So, idiot lights aren't all bad, as long as they're in the right kind of car.
NASA's 25-hrs of Thunderhill road race is this weekend, and it's one of the coolest enduros of the year. Positioned on the calendar after all road race seasons have ended, this races draws cars and racers from all over the country — even other parts of the world — for one last go before next season starts.
So I climbed aboard our 2011 Mazda 2 and made the 513-mile trek to Willows, California to check it out.
Our Mazda 2 handled the long, boring interstate that is the I-5 with ease. It tracked straight and true, as if it were a much larger car. The driving position was great and the seat stayed comfy and supportive over the 8-hour drive. The lack of an armrest was no big thang, but the presence of cruise control on our Touring model was a huge plus.
I averaged 32 mpg over the two tanks, but I was going with the flow of traffic, and the flow of traffic on I-5 runs faster than an EPA dyno, which rates this car at 35 mpg on the highway, 32 combined. I'll run with the trucks on the way home and see if it can do better.
No, this is not our 2011 Mazda 2 Touring long term test car with a covering of stickers. It is in fact a race-prepped Mazda 2, built to compete in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race.
Mazda, Honda and other manufacturers are discussing a rules package for a proposed "B-spec" series for a range of subcompact cars that are known as b-segment cars within the industry.
In addition to Honda, which brought a race-prepped Honda Fit of their own to Thunderhill, the Ford Fiesta, Chevy Aveo, and Toyota Yaris are among others that could be eligible as early as the 2011 club-racing seasons in SCCA, NASA or both.
Prepartion costs are to be kept to a minimum, with unmodified factory engines paired with approved bolt-on suspension, tire, brake and exhaust mods. The above cars also have gutted interiors, which allows for proper welded-in roll cages, makes them look racier and, more importantly, improves performance by cutting out a couple of hundred pounds of weight.
What do you make of this? I think it's cool, but then I come from a background of racing small subcompacts similar to these. I can't get enough of this stuff.
Since the Thunderhill 25 Hour Enduro is, well, a 25-hour enduro, I decided to park our 2011 Mazda 2 for another night after the race ended, get some much-needed sleep and make the 513-mile drive back to SoCal on Monday morning.
Good call. A Monday morning liftoff allowed me to miss I-5's notorious weekend traffic mayhem. It's only got two lanes in each direction, you see, and the car and truck speed limits differ by a full 15 mph, and any pickup or SUV towing anything at all has to abide by the commercial truck limit. California is stupid like that. This makes for an infuriating drive when you factor in a bunch of weekend traffic as people attempt to stream back to LA from San Francisco and other points north.
Missing this mess by one day played in to my plan to run a conservative pace for a shot at good mpg, but the drive started off with rain and a stiff headwind. Mother Nature seemed to have other ideas.
Undeterred, I set the cruise control at 65 mph, 5 mph below the posted automobile limit here but equal to the speed limit in a lot of other states.
For the first 80 miles, the wind blew in from the one-o'clock position at 25 mph or so. As you might expect, there was a little extra wind noise. The chassis didn't seem to notice, however, as the Mazda 2 tracked straight and true with no need for corrective steering inputs.
But the near-headwind couldn't have been doing my fuel economy any favors. I considered abandoning my quest and resuming traffic speed, but the gusts abruptly stopped as I came into Sacramento, so I kept at it. The clouds completely dissipated further south and it turned into a very nice day.
I made it to Lost Hills just after noon with 323.3 miles on the trip meter and the "E" light blinking. In went 8.936 gallons of unleaded. The math worked out to 36.2 mpg, a full mpg better than the Mazda 2's 35-mpg highway rating.
Mission accomplished, I set the cruise to 70 mph for the duration of the trip. I would have to climb up and over Tejon pass, which would deposit me in the LA basin just in time for the leading wave of commuter traffic. My plan was to drive straight home, commute to work in the morning and then fill up near the office before hanging up the keys. It had to be worse, right?
Nope. LA traffic was at the point where it flowed at a moderate pace but never got quite got stopped-up, so 247.1 miles and 6.787 gallons later I was sitting in the Edmunds parking garage with my calculator, staring at 36.4 mpg.
Tall-Friendlier Than Big Brother
It seems counterintuitive, but tall-old me finds the tiny Mazda 2 more comfortable than the bigger Mazda 3. The seat seems to be mounted higher, which creates more thigh support and allows me to sit closer to the wheel. That wheel doesn't telescope, but then I find the 3's wheel doesn't telescope enough to counteract the fact that its seat doesn't adjust adequately for me. Specifically, the back of the seat bottom doesn't go low enough (see VW GTI). This was just a bit worse with the old car.
Another advantage of the 2's high-mounted front seats is that its back seat seems to have just as much leg room as the 3 when I'm driving and hogging all the passenger space.
Now, if you get the 3 Grand Touring with the power seats, much of this is a moo point, but something to consider should be ignoring the 2 because of interior space.
The shift lever looks a little funny, since it seems to jut right out of the instrument panel. Seems like it should come out of the floor, like a shift lever should.
But after driving around an old Porsche 911 recently, it's pretty clear to me that Porsche has something to learn from this cheap and cheerful Mazda. All you have to do is take a look at the proximity of the Mazda 2's shift knob to the rim of the steering wheel.
After driving around recently in a Porsche 911SC — a car of the early 1980s, when the Porsche 911 still carried the DNA of the Volkswagen Beetle — it made me wonder how anyone could drive those early 911s very quickly. You practically have to reach all the way under the dash to find the shift lever, which is about two inches too low and two inches too far forward. It makes you feel like you're driving some ancient tractor, pretty much the opposite of what you'd expect from a sports car. No wonder there's still a thriving trade in aftermarket shift linkages for early 911s that moves the lever back between the front seats where you can reach it (and never mind the comfort of the front seat passenger).
The Mazda 2 addresses the same issue of limited space between the front seats by making the shift linkage do the old rally car thing and come out from the dash — it's one of the advantages of having the engine in front of you instead of behind. There's no fumbling beneath the dash for the shift lever; just move your hand a few inches and there it is. A crisp, sure shift action in the Mazda style with light-effort throws, strong spring loading into the shift gates and firm gear engagement does the rest.
When you've got an engine that needs an active hand with the gears to get the best from it, everything has to be right. From ergonomics to the mechanical bits, the Mazda 2 is a good lesson in how to do it right. Now, if we could just do something about action of the clutch pedal, eh?
Slow Car, Driven Fast
The Mazda 2 is a great example of the theory that it can be more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow. Sure, the Mazda 2 feels painfully underwhelming when accelerating at low revs, even with its Slim-Fast curb weight of 2,274 lb. But all that does is goad you into driving it for all its worth, constantly winding the little 1.5-liter four-cylinder to its 6300-rpm redline to extract the full might of its 100 horses as you snick through the five speeds of the high-mount shifter.
You don't have to act like a total hooligan to test the limits of adhesion in tight corners, either, the slippery tires giving up grip rather quickly. Yet the 2's quick steering and lively chassis mean it responds to driver input far better than the typical understeering econobox.
It's not often you can wring just about everything out of a car on the street with so little worry about attracting attention (helps the car is white, no doubt).
Sometimes the Mazda 2 does feel fast, though. Like when you're really honking down the highway, and spot a cop: "Uh-oh, I'm screwed," you think. Then a quick glance at the speedo reveals you're only doing 70. "Whew!"
Of course, there's also something to be said for using the Mazda 2 to the best of its miserliness potential. Maybe tomorrow. But that doesn't sound like near as much fun.
Say what you want about sportier handling and it not being a Ford, but if you're selling a car to the youth market, why would you not even offer a USB port as an option?
It's not like your virtually in-house direct competition (Ford Fiesta) has one of the better iPod integration systems. Oh. Wait....
There are a lot of things I can get used to with a car: door locks on the center console for example, but as a living, breathing, i-addicted millennial, there's no way my hard earned money will ever go to a new daily driver that doesn't accommodate media players. Period. Surely there's something on your 'absolutely not' list.
The Mazda 2 is fun to drive, though...just wish I could've listened to music and not the tire noise.
Give It A Rest
A decent armrest, that is. It's not such a big deal that our long-term Mazda 2 doesn't have a center armrest, but I wish it had a more comfortable door armrest for lengthy journeys. Okay, what I really mean is that I wish the door armrest had any semblance of comfort at all; the one in the Mazda 2 is as hard as, uh, plastic.
I end up in a perpetual elbow shift between the door armrest and the window sill, with neither one doing the business very well. Maybe my arm keeps thinking that some padding will magically appear.
Victory by Design
Expensive cars have trim — exotic woods, crafted metal, unborn suede. All those costly extras. Cheap cars have only design, because there can be no extras.
I prefer design, and the center stack of the Mazda 2's dash shows you why. It's a masterpiece of art transformed by function.
It just looks great. A fine sense of artistic proportion, a kind of clever symmetry. The CD changer at the top and the radio display in the middle with its array of control buttons at either side. Then the knobs and buttons and lever that operate the ventilation system below. And a little bit of shiny piano black heightens the presentation, so you know that there's art here as well as function.
And yet it is the function in the Mazda 2's center stack that really makes it all work. The rotary knobs for the ventilation system are way better than fussy little buttons. No illusion of temperature control with a digital readout; just turn the knobs until you get what you want. I liked this setup on the Saab 99 EMS and still like it now.
It all works because everything in a cheap car must work. Sure, expensive cars have a certain sense of extravagant style, but cheap cars teach you that real design is found where art meets necessity.
If only the dash of our 2011 BMW 528i looked as good and worked so well.
There are very few cars that, were I blindfolded, I would be able to tell you what I was driving. Granted some cars, usually by manufacturer, have a unique new car smell which would give them away. Our Chevy Cruze, for instance, smells like egg nog while our BMW 528i smells like cookie dough. Delicious chemical smells notwithstanding, I could tell you, while blindfolded (please don't try this), that I was behind the wheel of our Mazda2 or any Mazda for that matter.
Mazdas just have this unique feel to them; they never bombard you with too much information. Mazda has balanced what you need to know with what you think you need to know, perfectly. BMWs used to have a similar balance, but now... not so much.
What's the big deal? Well, in today's world of electric steering, which can be like turning a stack of soggy pancakes, and multi-modal electronic suspension trickery, Mazda has stayed true to what it's always done best - good, honest feel. Everything from the CX-9 down to the Mazda2 (yes, I'm ignoring the Tribute) feels like a Mazda, and that's still a good thing.
At 5'10" and 160 lbs (or so), I think I represent the average American male. I fit just fine in most every car — with or without seat height adjustments or telescoping steering columns. Drivers of Riswickian proportions generally have issues in these regards, but in our Mazda 2, the tables have turned.
I can't seem to find my optimal seating position in the 2. When I get in a car, the first thing I do is adjust the seat travel so my left foot can easily press the clutch pedal to the firewall. Then I adjust the steering wheel to a lower position, followed by the seatback angle. I also tend to drop the seat height to its lowest position.
In our Mazda 2, my problem seems to be with the seatback adjustment. The space between each detent seems too wide, making me feel like I'm either too close or too far from the wheel. I don't think a telescoping wheel would solve this issue, either, since I also feel too upright or reclined, respective to the angles.
Some would speculate that I'd get used to one of those positions if I drove it on a daily basis. I don't think so. I had the same problem with my 1995 Mustang GT. With leather La-Z-Boy seats that failed to anchor anyone in the curves and a headrest that was too far back, I was constantly looking for an aftermarket solution. At least the Mazda's seats are supportive and comfortable (seatback angle issues excluded).
The more time I spend in the 2, the more it grows on me. It's just so tossable - I like the fact that it's got enough fun in its gun to slip a sly thrill or two into my daily commute. I like the thoughtful, attractive layout of its controls. And I respect the fact that it offers impressive fuel economy - last month, it was the second most fuel-efficient car in our fleet.
The car's horsepower shortcomings aren't an issue with the manual transmission, but of course, most buyers will go for the automatic. I'd love to spend some time in the automatic to see if it's as sluggish as I imagine.
Anyone out there driven a 2 with the automatic transmission?
Our long-term Mazda 2 and the Ford Fiesta I drove in Toronto share a common platform, though each has a very different driving position. I mentioned this fact in my Fiesta in Canada blog, but what's the difference between the back seats?
Well, the 2's front seat is taller and thus doesn't need to go back so far in its travel. This creates more back seat legroom than the Fiesta even though the two cars share an identical 98-inch wheelbase. I can (barely) fit behind "myself" in the 2, whereas it wasn't possible in the Fiesta. However, the Fiesta has enough headroom for me to sit upright, whereas the 2 requires me to cant my head heavily to the right.
As such, I think I'm giving the Fiesta a slight victory here. The driver can always scoot his seat up, but you can't raise the roof. Well, you could technically raise the roof, but then you'd look like somebody's dad thinking he looks awesome dancing to Lady Gaga at a wedding.
Follow me on Twitter next week at the Detroit Auto Show @jriswick
Driving our Mazda 2 is pleasant enough, what with its small size and nicely tuned chassis, but the little car is not a hit with my significant other when he's riding shotgun. The footwell is narrow and cramped, he says.
And sure enough, there's an usual amount of intrusion into the footwell by all the stuff that Mazda had to package into a subcompact body. It's not quite as bad as in some old conversion van, but it nonetheless requires the average-size adult to sit with his legs offset.
I don't recall this being a problem in other subcompacts I've driven in recent months — and this is one more reason that I prefer the Honda Fit, which turns packaging into some kind of art form. Nope, the Fit doesn't ride or steer like the Mazda 2, but in this class, I'd trade that dynamic edge for leg space and magic-foldy seats.
Well, everyone who lives within 50 miles of a major metro area, anyway. If pod cars are our inevitable future, I won't mind this one.
Each time I drive it, the Deuce reminds me of the '02-'05 Civic Si. The EP3 might be the least desirable Si, what with its 2.0-liter neutered at the altar of fuel economy and front struts replacing beloved wishbones. But I always felt it got a bad rap. It's got good reflexes, quick throttle response, tight ratios and easy throws. A car that can bob and weave through heavy traffic, and - once you've got it slightly on boil - can sprint effortlessly to 90 MPH.
The Mazda 2 exhibits a similar character. It generates less power than the EP3, but also weighs 400 lbs. less. Its wheelbase is also a few inches shorter. And once you're up around 3,000 rpm and drop it into fourth, it can dart just about anywhere you point.
Even its shifter placement (top) recalls the seventh-gen Si (below). The Mazda 2's nimble enthusiasm makes joining the rat race for another day not only tolerable, but enjoyable.
Not sure it could be my everyday car, though. The clutch is spongey hooking up to first gear. The engine sounds kinda bratty at highway speeds. It could use a sixth gear. But as a car to drive a few days a week, to and from the office, to the market, to snag a parking spot in front of the lunch counter, the Deuce makes a strong case for itself.
One of our colleagues who has driven the new Ford Fiesta, built on the same platform as the M2, says the Mazda's handling gives it the edge. The beauty is that buyers now have two great choices.
On the way to Supercar Sunday to get my classic/muscle/exotic car fix, I didn't notice something about the Mazda 2 — excessive noise at freeway speeds. Other staffers have commented favorably about the 2's fairly compliant highway ride, and you can include me in that camp. But while cruising at 70 mph (a rarity on an L.A. freeway) I was struck by how quiet the Mazda was — no buzz from the powertrain, no annoying road rumble and minimal wind noise. As a result, no need to blast the radio to drown out noise as in some other subcompacts.
For those shopping the Fiesta against the 2011 Mazda 2, thought you might be interested in this: The 2011 Mazda 2 lost the IIHS's Top Safety Pick to the Ford Fiesta. For the crash test, it scored Good in everything except in protecting the driver's pelvis/leg area where it got a Marginal. Ouch.
From the IIHS site: "Driver — Measures taken from the dummy indicate a fracture of the pelvis would be possible in a crash of this severity. The risk of significant injuries to other body regions is low."
Does that make you like the Mazda 2 a little less?
It's an odd omission, but Mazda seems to have overlooked putting hanger hooks in the back of the Mazda 2. Normally there'd be a hanger hook or even just a grab handle to hang a suit jacket or garment bag, but neither one is present. As you can see, I had to just lay some drycleaning on the seat. Of course, I promptly forgot that I did this until I got home — the clothes were then a piled heap on the floor. Seems I went around a few corners a bit too quickly.
I've found myself pleasantly surprised with our Mazda 2 over the past few days. I haven't done anything in "the Deuce" other than drive around town, but I've enjoyed its nimble size, comfortable ride quality and tractable 1.5-liter engine.
For the latter, I've found I can shift right at 2,000 rpm for each gear and be in fifth gear by about 37 mph. Yeah, the result is pokey acceleration — in contrast, James is compelled to always drive the snot out of it — but I've found it's still sufficient to keep up with city traffic. And the payoff is better fuel economy.
It's been a while since we've had a subcompact in the fleet. For me, it's a refreshing change.
One annoying thing I've noticed about our Mazda 2 is its touchy throttle response. If the car's in neutral, for instance, and you just barely depress the pedal, the engine revs up more than it should given how little you actually pushed.
To be fair, I've mostly noticed this when trying to make heel-and-toe downshifts — this non-linear throttle response makes it tricky to actually match revs. But it does show up some in normal driving, too, like when you're starting out in first gear. Depress the throttle pedal too much — which is easy to do — and the engine zings its way up and you're like, "Umm, no, I really don't need this much, thank you."
Maybe Mazda tuned it this way to compensate for the small 1.5-liter engine. But I'd much prefer a more nomal and linear throttle response.
A couple other editors have mentioned this as well (here and here) but there really is something pleasing about our Mazda 2's instrumental panel. Just this morning I was feeling a bit agro after waiting way too long for the 2 to get cleaned up at the car wash. But once I got back into the Mazda, I instantly felt at ease. Of course I was glad to get away from the pokey car wash, but I'll also chalk it up to the 2's symmetrical and smooth-edged dash design. It just looks simple and classic, unlike what you'll find in most other cars in this class (Nissan Cube or Toyota Yaris, for example).
The Deuce has taken some deserved heat for not being as upscale or feature-rich as the Ford Fiesta, but it still has some admirable elements.
I was looking at sales figures for January today. Mazda sold 479 last month, which isn't a terrible number for within the brand (only 202 Tributes were sold in the same period, for example) but it's well off the pace of other subcompacts like the Honda Fit (4,314 sold), Ford Fiesta (4,270), Nissan Cube (1,661) or even the Suzuki SX4 (978).
Obviously, the 2 is just now building up consumer awareness. But as much as I like our long-termer, I think the 2 is going to be a tough sell. For what people are shopping for in a subcompact, I think other cars are simply more appealing, whether it's the Fit for versatility or the Fiesta for features and an upscale vibe. The Mazda 2 does hold advantages in terms of handling and price. But handling is only a minor consideration for this class of car, and I'm just not sure being $1,000 cheaper is enough of a draw.
Am I wrong here? And if not, do you think Mazda has a hope for increased Mazda 2 success?
Here's my suggestion: Add more features to make the Mazda 2 more competitive from this standpoint, even if that increases the price. These could be simple things like standard Bluetooth and USB. Also, offer a sport package that enhances the car's handling to really make it stand out and be, well, more Mazda. The 2 won't ever be able to compete in terms of versatility, but with a couple changes it could be much more of a viable alternative.
The photo above shows the view from the bottom of the ramp that leads to the underground parking structure at the Whole
Paycheck
Foods store near the Edmunds hive. Between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays, the structure is often crowded to capacity with the cars, minivans and SUVs of shoppers replenishing their groceries after work.
It can be hard nabbing a parking space there, but last night the task was a lot less challenging, all because I was driving the Mazda 2.
As I inched down the ramp last night I noticed that though the structure was packed, the first two spots were free. Cool! The catch is, these spots were right at the base of the steep, narrow ramp and required a very sharp turn-in. Tricky for a larger car to pull off, but no problem for the compact, nimble Mazda 2, which has one of the smallest turning circles in its class (32.2 feet). Gotta love a small car, especially one that's as fun to drive as the peppy little 2.
What kind of turning circle is your car working with?
Sufficiency
In the space of just 3 months, so much already has been written about our unexpectedly fun-to-drive Mazda 2, about how well it rides on the highway, about its excellent fuel economy, about how well it fits into our cramped world, and how simple and honest its design is. I couldn't help but notice that there's a thread through all these Mazda 2 entries that has struck a chord with me recently.
Sufficiency.
Sufficiency is the lack of scarcity and the lack of abundance. Sufficiency is neither going without nor stuffing your face until you feel sick. Sufficiency is being happy with exactly what you've got — nothing more and nothing less. To me, this is the quality of the Mazda 2 that each staff member has written about in his or her own way without knowing it.
Isn't 10-seconds a reasonable amount time to get to 60 mph? Aren't 13.3 cu-ft enough for most runs to Trader Joe's? Isn't seating for 4 almost always enough or more-often too much? Sure, it could use an armrest up front, and a Bluetooth phone connection would be nice, but it seems most of us just can't help but love this $16,000 Mazda2. (I know ours is white — that's a press-kit photo I used.) And like Brent said, I also think Mazda might find more buyers for the Mazda 2 if they upped the standard features for small bump in price.
But it sure seems most of us want/buy/drive/pay/park/insure more car than we really need. Sure, some families need more space, more seats, more ground clearance, or even 4WD, but not many of us really do. Really?
The Mazda 2 just might be the next big thing. After all, small is the new big, right?
Don't get me wrong. My favorite car on the planet is still the uncompromising Porsche 911 GT3. I was positively gob-smacked by the 2012 Nissan GT-R when I got to test it at the track last week. And one of the best track days of my life happened behind the steering wheels of three Corvettes.
I'm not getting soft or losing my edge. I'm just growing to recognize and appreciate the simpler things in life — along with the extremes at either end. Recognizing and appreciating sufficiency is a pretty liberating thing. It lets you get off the better, faster, bigger, cooler, gotta-have-it hamster wheel. You should give it a try.
Just like the 2011 Mazda 2 and our staff, you might find yourself inexplicably happy with something you already have.
You might be able to tell I've been doing a fair share of navel-gazing recently from this post and you'd be right. I've been reading books and blogs about being more authentic and choosing to be a happier person. Sorry if this is a off-putting, but it's where I am right now — and I'm okay telling you about it.
Here in L.A., nearly every stretch of highway surface has rain grooves. These small channels are cut into the concrete surface in an attempt to direct water off of the driving surface. To the beginner motorcyclist, these rain grooves make it feel like you have a flat tire. In our long-term Mazda 2, it feels squirmy.
Maybe it's the narrow-ish 185-width tires. Maybe it's the all-weather tread pattern or short wheelbase. More likely, it's a combination of these. I rarely feel the grooves when I'm riding on wider or higher-performance tires.
When these rain grooves don't follow the lane direction (maybe the operator spilled his coffee and the cutting machine wandered off its path), the Mazda feels like it has four-wheel-steering that has gone awry. It's not that big of a deal, though, just a semi-rare occurrence. Just like on a bike, if you relax your grip on the wheel and let it do what it's going to do, you get used to it.
Last night I put a quick 70 miles on our long-term 2011 Mazda 2, all freeway. Once again, I noticed the little car's compliant ride, but this time I also couldn't overlook the fact that the cabin is just plain noisy at 70 mph.
Most of it is road noise (though you hear the wind a bit, too), and it comes at you from all directions in the 2. The factory stereo's automatic level compensation (ALC in the head unit menu) becomes a borderline necessity at highway speeds. Also, the fact that the Mazda 2 doesn't have Bluetooth begins to make some sense, because it would be next to impossible for the person on the other end to hear you over all the racket anyway. Incidently, for this very reason, my passenger decided against calling to firm up our dinner plans and instead texted our friend.
Yet, it's hard to knock the Mazda 2 for the cabin noise, because this is a side effect of its lightweight, minimalist constuction — which is something I'm supposed to like. This little hatchback weighs less than 2,300 pounds.
Perhaps I wouldn't even have been annoyed by the Mazda's lack of serenity if I hadn't rented a Nissan Versa 1.6 sedan last week in Chicago. I was never a fan of our long-term Versa, but it's an unusually quiet car (by B-segment standards) on the highway, even in base 1.6 form. Mind you, I didn't like driving the Versa 1.6 as much (it's pokey with a 4-speed auto, and its steering is vague), but when you're just making laps up and down the freeway/tollway, a serene cabin is a pretty nice deal.
The auxiliary audio controls on the Mazda 2's steering wheel probably aren't the most eye-pleasing ones I've come across but I like the way they function. In particular, I like the control used to govern volume, primarily because I find it easier to work than a button. I also like the fact that it feels completely different from the adjacent radio preset buttons, so there's never any risk of confusion.
And let me also say how cool it is that auxiliary audio controls are now pretty commonplace in vehicles living in this humble price range — within the Mazda 2 lineup, they're standard on Touring models like our little whippersnapper.
What do you think of the car's auxiliary audio controls?
Attention, college students, Edmunds' list of the Top 10 Least Expensive Hatchbacks and Wagons of 2011 just came out and the 2011 Mazda 2 came in at 7th with an MSRP of $14,180, pricier than the Versa and cheaper than the Cube. But I think out of the vehicles listed, I'd be more inclined to buy the 2. How about you? Which budget hatchback do you prefer?
Most of the time, the Mazda 2's ride quality is quite accommodating, but the car definitely speaks up when covering coarse stretches of pavement. This morning's commute took me over some moderately uneven tarmac and the 2 let me know it by quivering like a swooning Belieber as the going got rough.
The feedback wasn't unpleasant and I actually kinda liked it. It lent an engaging, go-kart texture to the proceedings, one that seems pretty appropriate for a small, relatively bare-bones piece of work such as this.
You're Doing It Wrong
You know, I've driven lots of cars that have had funky clutch action.
Big racing cars with V8 engines and big heavy clutches. Little racing cars with tiny, fragile carbon-fiber clutches. Shifter go-karts. Any number of Ferraris with manual transmission, notably the thoroughly awful 1976 Ferrari 512 BB. Crappy little cars with light flywheel engines and flimsy clutches, like the Toyota Matrix.
I've navigated a Jeep over boulder-strewn trails. And once I even drove a 750-hp Saleen S7 supercar with its racing-style gearbox through the middle of tourist-crazed Laguna Beach at high noon on a Saturday just to see if it could really be driven as a street car. (It can only stalled it once).
But I can't drive this Mazda 2.
I've put more miles on this car than most of us, yet I feel clumsy every time I get into it. And it's not just commute traffic that proves challenging. Every stoplight and stop sign is a challenge, a reintroduction to the Mazda 2's frustrating combination of an engine with a light flywheel, aggressive throttle action, an odd pedal arc for the clutch, a high engagement point for the clutch, and a driving position that's scaled for smaller drivers.
Every time I drive this car, it's telling me that I'm doing it wrong. Maybe I am, but I sure don't like being reminded of it every second.
Seats Up: Easily swallowed a GiddyUp 'N Go Pony that's 33 inches tall and 30 inches long.
Seats Folded Down: The GiddyUp 'N Go Pony plus a sizable couch ottoman that measures 36 inches long, 27 inches wide and 18 inches tall.
Gotta love a little hatchback.
With all the news of rising gas prices (predicted to reach $5/gallon by Memorial Day), I reset the average fuel consumption computer before I drove home last night. Just a 41-mile drive, and some of it was in stop-and-go traffic on the infamous 91 East freeway, and this is what I saw when I arrived at home an hour and a half later. Yes, that's an average of about 27 mph, but earning nearly 41 mpg consumed about 1 gallon of gas.
I used what I'd describe as a moderate-hyper-miling technique: upshifting at 2,000 rpm, downshifting instead of braking as much as possible, never coasting in neutral, and (without being a nuisance) I tried to keep a buffer between the Mazda and the car in front of me so that I could maintain a reasonably constant speed. I watched the Camry in front of me bounce back and forth between me and the Suburban ahead of him — like a game of Pong — for about an hour.
Are you worried about fuel prices now? How are you going to change your driving habits? Or are you going to dust off that bike in the corner of the garage?
Today
Yesterday Mazda announced what has gotta be the scariest recall reason ever: Spiders! Apparently, the Yellow Sac spider, a common arachnid in the U.S. which is said to bite humans more than any other spider (shudder!), loves the smell of gasoline and will follow the scent and then build its web in the car's emissions system. This in turn, according to the NHTSA, could block a vent line and increase pressure in the fuel tank eventually resulting in a crack and potentially leading to fuel leak and increase fire risk. Double eek.
Oh noes, what does that mean for our 2011 Mazda 2? Fortunately, the spider is picky, only preferring the Mazda 6, so 2009-2010 Mazda 6s — over 65,000 cars — will be recalled.
From Reuters:
The affected model, the Mazda 6, has two pipes coming out from its gas tank, which is extremely rare and means that the smell of gasoline is strong enough to draw the spider in but not strong enough to kill it, [automotive journalist Mitsuhiro] Kunisawa said."
Thank goodness our little Mazda is safe. Else I'd have to avoid it altogether, don't care how cute it is.
Basic Transport
Not gonna lie to you: There's few things better in life, for car enthusiasts at least, than spending quality time with a car as stonkingly fast and manly-sounding as, say, the Ford Mustang Boss 302. But as much as I cherish driving pumped-up beasts such as that, there's other times when all I need is a car like the Mazda 2.
Just give me a manual transmission (none of that sissy paddle shift stuff), a tachometer (albeit in this case a tiny one), a proper handbrake and some form of an iPod hookup, and this 'ol boy can be pretty dang content.
Sure, it's a tad slower experience. And if given the choice for the weekend, I'll take the 'Stang. But you can have some good low-speed fun in this Mazda 2. It's back-to-basics driving.
Heel-And-Toe Blows
It doesn't completely blow, but it's certainly not easy to perform heel-and-toe downshifts in the Mazda 2.
There are three contributors here: First is the wider-than-preferred spacing between the brake and throttle pedals.
Second, the throttle pedal needs a really good stab to get it to blip with any forcefulness.
And third, there's the slightly mushy, unfeeling brake pedal.
True, the Mazda 2 isn't a performance machine. But if a car has a manual tranny, even an econobox, you should still be able to blip the throttle while you're downshifting and braking for a turn. Yes, you can do it in the Mazda 2, but it takes more of a concerted effort than the second-nature intuitiveness found with Mazda's other manual transmission-equipped cars. And because of this it brings down the car's fun factor a bit.
First thing I noticed during my commute home last night - tons of glass.
As you'll notice in the above pics, the Mazda 2's visibility via the mirrors and side windows is great. No rubbernecking or obscene movement to check that blindspot for lanesplitters. Also, as I'm a tad bit over 6 foot tall with an abnormally long torso, I sit much higher up in the seat. Rear view mirrors tend to block my "at 2 o'clock" visiblity (especially at 4-way stops). The Mazda 2's rear view mirror is set higher up on the windshield and poses no such problem.
Great First Car?
My nephew Dino is 10 years old. My godson John is 13. At those ages I couldn't wait to start driving. What a thrill it was just to sit in a driver seat. Of course, at that age, I was coveting all sorts of vehicles that would've probably killed me — a Porsche 914, an Alfa Romeo Spyder Veloce or a Honda Interceptor 500, to name a few. Magrath would probably crack wise and ask if the wheel was even invented back then. Jerk.
My first car ended up being the 1982 Toyota Corolla that was also my brother and sister's first car. That ol' Crapolla had me thinking that our Mazda 2 would probably make a great first car for my nephew or godson. In some ways, there are similarities between the two cars.
Like the Corolla, the Mazda 2 has just enough power to get into a little trouble, but not enough to get into a whole lot of trouble. There's little in the way of extras to distract me from driving and I probably wouldn't feel totally embarrassed to pull into the student parking lot in it.
I'm guessing that both Dino and John are smarter than I was back then (I didn't exactly have a grasp on what mortality was), so here's to hoping they're more responsible than I was. With antilock brakes and stability control today, I think they'll be just fine — no need for Ford's MyKey nanny here.
So what do you think? What was your first car, and what do you think makes a good first car today?
Choosing Mazda
Somebody stopped me at the ATM to ask about the Mazda 2. This happens a lot to all of us at Edmunds. The people asking about cars part, not the ATM part.
Her VW Passat is getting tired, so she's thinking about handing it down to her 18-year-old daughter for school and then buying something simple to get back and forth the few miles to her job in the environmental safety office of one of the local refineries. Like a lot of people these days, she's looking for something simple.
The surprising thing was, she already knew a lot about the Mazda 2, and preferred it to the Honda Fit.
She hadn't really been in a Mazda 2 although she'd driven a friend's Fit, so we did a walkaround and then I let her take a seat. She liked being in the Mazda because of the good visibility, and she also found the interior to be much in the same European style that she liked in her Passat.
I gave her the usual advice. Told her that the three leading candidates in the segment for me were the Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit and Mazda 2, and said to go around and get into each and she'd be able to make a good choice.
The interesting thing to me is the fact that she already knew so much about the Mazda 2 — its size and features and fuel economy, not to mention its competition. It made me think again that Mazda people seem to know the deal a little better than enthusiasts of other brands.
Of course this is probably because it takes some effort to swerve out of the mainstream and seek something out of the ordinary, so naturally this would select for the kind of buyers who would be studying up, since they'd need some facts to help persuade them to adopt a different kind of choice.
That's the trouble with being a small critical success — only the smart people can find you. Mazda probably would settle for a few more dumb ones besides, of course.
Normally, shifters mounted in the console like this are awful. It's no fun ripping gears with a stick that you pull up and down instead of back and forth.
Now from a usability standpoint, a shifter in such a location is great. Minivans often stick their automatic shifter levers on the console to make them easy to reach. Fair enough.
So I found it odd that I actually liked the shifter action in the Mazda 2 while driving around last night. Maybe it was my low expectations. After all, this is a 100-horsepower car, can't really expect to have that much fun no matter what the shifter feels like.
Throw the little 2 around a bit, though, and it responds well to quick shifts. The gates aren't particularly distinct, but the shift action is smooth. It takes plenty of back and forth to keep this Mazda moving, so the slick shifter is a nice little bonus.
Does The Bike Fit?
Follow the jump to find out:
Yup, sure does. Course, I didn't say anything about the front-seat passenger still having room to sit, at least not without removing the bicycle's rear wheel.
Still, pretty good that a bike can be squeezed in at all (and quite easily, I might add), considering the diminutive size of the Mazda 2. A mountain bike, with its wider bars, could prove a bit more difficult. But it should still fit.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the upholstery found within cars in a certain price range called to mind things like smelly retirement-home blankets and Aunt Lenore's tattered bathroom rug. Happily those days are long behind us and the Mazda 2's relatively snazzy upholstery is proof.
It looks attractive and not especially cheap, and I dig the red piping. It hasn't been soiled, stained or scuffed yet, so it appears to be pretty durable, too.
We still have the paper plates on this guy and we're bringing it in for it's first service. We've tallied 7,653 miles thus far and it's due for an oil change and a tire rotation. The estimated damage is $33.
I don't know if I was inspired by my time in Project Miata, but I enjoyed the Mazda 2 a little more than usual last night. For reasons I can't exactly explain, I've never been all that excited about the 2, even though I usually like small hatchbacks.
Last night, though the car was really working for me. I realized that the seating position, though awkward for several of our editors, actually fits me well. Pedal spacing could be better for heel-and-toe downshifting, but well, maybe the Mazda engineers figured no one does that while running around the city. I do, because it entertains me.
But whatever, what I mainly noticed during this drive, was that the effort levels for the shifter and steering are right-on.
Yeah, both the shifter and the steering wheel are dainty in size, and you look at them and expect they'll be really light in their effort. And there is an easiness to them. I go from gate to gate with my thumb and forefinger.
But there's nothing loosey-goosey here, certainly not by subcompact standards. The shifter slots positively into each gate. The steering is steady on center, and as you add input, there's a nice fluidness to it along with some very definite information about which way the front wheels are pointing.
And I feel like the effort I apply to the shifter is of exactly the same intensity that I use for my steering inputs. We're all working together as one thing, moving parts in a single machine. And that's a pretty neat feeling to have for $16K.
Cheapest Service Appointment
We dropped our 2011 Mazda 2 off for service last week but didn't report the service details until now. So here is the lowdown.
This was the most inexpensive service we've encountered in Santa Monica, a town known for having higher rates than its neighbors. But it may have been a fluke. You see, the 7,500-mile oil and filter change on our Mazda 2 was supposed to cost $93. Mazda of Santa Monica happened to have a coupon rate going at the time of our appointment. We paid $32. That is on par with doing it ourselves.
Total Cost: $32.34
Days Out of Service: 0
For some people, a trip computer may seem superfluous. I'm not one of those people. Although I'm not averse to keeping tabs the more accurate, old school way by "doing the math", it's still nice to see at a glance about what I'm getting for fuel mileage. And, while on a road trip, knowing roughly how many more miles I can go before I need to refuel. The Touring trim of the 2 comes with a five function trip computer that provides those two functions in addition to current fuel economy, average speed (you don't want to know if you live in L.A.) and outside temp.
If I were buying a 2, the Touring has a few other features that would sway me towards it versus the base version, namely the leather-wrapped steering wheel w/ audio controls, cruise control and the fancier seats.
Nothing in particular to share with you except an incredible sunset that happened this weekend and what felt like a daring foray deep into "E" on the fuel gauge. When the "REMNG" range showed "0 mile," I decided it was time to visit the gas station. Guess how much of a comfort cushion Mazda gives its owners when it appears the car is running on fumes?
I watched the distance-to-empty change from 1-mile to 0-mile as I pulled into the filling station and snapped this shot. I proceeded to put 9.5 gallons in the tank which means there were 1.8 gallons left or, assuming a similar driving style/fuel consumption, about 65 miles before the car truly had zero fuel. Does this sound to you like an inordinate amount of idiot-resistance or are most carmakers this worried about people running out of gas?
The next shot was a mile down the road. That's a decent range for any car much less one with an 11.3-gallon tank.
From LFA to...
So was it a big let down to go from sharing driving duties of a Lexus LFA for three days last week with Senior Editor Josh Jacquot to...a Mazda 2?
Talk about polar opposites: one is a near-gutless econo car while the other is an exotic, 552 horsepower road burner that gives its driver (s) instant rock-star status.
While I'll never forget what an awesome experience it was to drive Lexus' supercar, our plain-white long-term Mazda 2 actually served as a reprieve. It was nice to fade into oblivion; settling into the normalness that is the Mazda 2; enjoying a true manual transmission that works quite well, vague clutch on take off notwithstanding; not worrying constantly about any little scratch or ding or scrape the car might get, either at my hands or someone else's. Or that dump truck I got stuck behind.
Plus, I had an experience this morning that you could never have with a car like the LFA: racing a Nissan Frontier pickup to and through the two-lane on-ramp onto the 405. In the LFA, you'd give it half throttle and be gone in a cacophony of V10 rage. In the Mazda 2, it was full wood all the way, hoping the skinny tires offer some grip through the turn. And just barely edging ahead. Nowhere near as exciting, for sure. But somehow more satisfying. As odd as that sounds.
In-Car Boombox
Our long-term 2011 Mazda 2 Touring's radio has a good old fashioned CD player stuck smack dab in the middle. It gives it the nostalgic appearance of CD boomboxes of yore, 2Pac and LL Cool J blasting on summer nights in the 90s (fyi: Ladies Love Cool James).
Nowadays, instead of rhyming, LL is acting on NCIS Los Angeles, and only dinosaurs like me still buy pre-recorded CDs.
Although I have an iTunes account, I prefer to buy and own CDs as my music source in case the iTunes pseudo cloud fails, or we all switch to the new format in the coming years. I can always rip them to the next format, and I don't have to worry about "digital rights management."
I'll always have my CDs, just in case. Have you completely gotten rid of your CDs?
Whenever I get into the 2011 Mazda 2, I half expect to be inconvenienced by its lack of amenities. Oh, it's far better appointed than the car I drove in college, or even economy cars of 10 years ago, but it doesn't have a center armrest or a USB port or... well, ultimately, I never end up caring. Especially during baseball season when I'm listening to AM radio anyway.
I digress, but these slots in the center console one thing that really make the Mazda 2 livable for me. See, I travel with a lot of stuff, not for any good reason, but just because I do, and I always have a place for that stuff (including my cruddy sunglasses case that holds the sunglasses I paid a bit too much for) in the Mazda 2. That's not a given in other economy cars. Add in the slick shifter, lively handling and compliant ride, and well, you can have yourself a fine evening in this car.
Real Lateral Bolstering
The suspension tune on our long-term 2011 Mazda 2 is not overly aggressive. The little car turns in nicely, but there's enough body roll to keep it honest about its economy bent and its puny but adequate 185/55R15 Yokohama tires.
Yet, as you bend into a turn, what looks to be fairly modest bolstering on the front seat-back cushions actually proves to be quite effective. It actually goes some distance in holding you in place. After spending the last week in various other economy sedans, all more expensive than our Mazda 2, I'm reminded that real lateral bolstering is hard to come by in this price range (~$16K), and I'd be more likely to buy the 2 because of it.
Summer Fling
I think our Mazda 2 Touring is in a funk. It's like the sort-of-cute high school boy who isn't really a standout at anything, but has enough charm and looks to get some dates — provided he has no serious competition.
Well, our Mazda 2 has lots of competition in the fleet these days, what with the Mini Cooper S Countryman All4, the Nissan Juke and that new Italian exchange student, Rosso Fiat the 500th. And so the mildly cute, moderately sporty but ultimately uncharismatic Mazda 2 got passed over on the editor signup sheet Monday. It was about to go dateless again Tuesday.
Moved by pity, I took it home. It was 87 degrees in the L.A. area yesterday and the Mazda 2 proved to be a fun, zippy drive on a sunny, breezy, nearly summer day.
It's small, so its AC system brings the temperature down fast. The fabric seats stay cool. The shifter has minimal metal surface, so it doesn't sear a brand into your palm, like some of our cars' shifters do (I'm talking about you, Buick Regal CXL Turbo).
Granted, it's not a perfect car, but with a Diet Coke in the cup holder and AC/DC on the radio, I was glad the Mazda 2 was my first summer date.
I have to hand to Mazda. The company preaches a philosophy of sportiness and it lives up to it.
Case in point: This button in the Mazda 2. Clearly, it disables the car's traction control system, something you might want to do in a sporty car.
But this is a Mazda 2. It has all of 100 horsepower and only 98 pound feet of torque. Traction control or not, you're not breaking anything loose in this thing. Still, I'd rather have the ability to at least try. Thanks Mazda.
Recently in the comment logs, I noticed someone wondering if we'd forget about the 2011 Mazda 2 (accidentally, of course) now that we have a cool Italian subcompact hatchback in the fleet. So after a night in the Fiat 500, I spent the next 24 hours with the Mazda 2 to see if my feelings for the latter have changed due to the former.
They have. But for the better.
I'll start off by acknowledging that this hardly qualifies as any kind of official, complete or apples-to-apples comparison. The Fiat 500 is one size down from the Mazda 2. Under the Fiat umbrella, the Fiat Grande Punto and Alfa MiTo are more appropriate competition for the 2, but neither is sold in the U.S. (though I rented a diesel MiTo once — it was cool).
So, whatever. Back to the Mazda 2. For me, at least, the Mazda has a far better driving position. Neither of these cars has a telescoping steering wheel, but in the Mazda, the wheel is an appropriate reach for my arms. In the Fiat, it's half a mile away. In the Mazda, I sit in a nicely shaped seat, and my left foot extends to put the clutch in at a natural angle, and I can easily see over the dash. In the Fiat, I'm perched on a barstool fumbling with the pedals and still feel like I'm looking over a mountain of plastic. In the 2, the clutch has a nice short takeup. In the 500, the clutch engages sky-high in the long pedal stroke.
The Mazda 2 also feels far more like a real car that I'd be willing to drive every day if that's how the chips fell. It's more than an urban runabout. There's more than enough torque to stay ahead of traffic if you're willing to work the gearbox (whereas in the Fiat, I'd call it barely enough). Also, someone spent some time tuning the electric power steering to get it to feel really natural in terms of effort level, and the 2 just feels more planted going around corners.
If anything, having the Fiat around has just made me appreciate the Mazda 2 even more.
You haven't heard much about our 2011 Mazda 2 lately. Well, that is because last week a careless motorist crashed into the back of it while we sat stopped in traffic.
The car sits down at the body shop now waiting for the insurance companies to reach an agreement and the actual repairs to begin. We'll let you know once it's back on the road. It could have been worse.
More pics after the jump...
Assume the Position
I thought it'd be an interesting exercise to drive our long-term Mazda 2 the day after I drove our Fiat 500. Now, I'm a big fan of the Fiat 500, with its Italian charm and zippy nature. But if I were to decide between the two for one of those ridiculous, "If you only had to pick between the two, and for the rest of your life on a deserted island" scenarios, I think I'd choose the Mazda 2.
The Fiat's driving position is very upright. It's almost as if you're driving a cargo van. With the sunroof rails cutting down on headroom, my hair is constantly brushing up against the headliner. At 5'10", I feel like I just barely fit.
The Mazda 2 has a more conventional driving position and I have no headroom issues with it. I also prefer the more laid back position when I want to have a few laughs on some twisty roads. On a longer trip, I also think I'd be more comfortable in the Mazda.
What do you prefer? Upright or laid back?
Back on the Road
If you couldn't figure it out by reading Mark's post, our 2011 Mazda 2 is back on the road. The Mazda spent, coincidentally, 2 weeks on the DL. We needed one week to sort out the insurance details and another for the body shop to put humpty back together. As we were not at-fault, the repair bill didn't have our name on it. That was a good thing considering the total for repairs was $1,585.
Total Cost: None
Total days out of service: 14
I can't lie; I've been avoiding our long term 2011 Mazda 2. I drove the car for our Long Term introduction photo shoot, but then never again. The reason I've been avoiding it is that sometime in the recent past I was the owner of a Mazda 3 and while I liked that car every time the road got twisty, I was not a fan of commuting with it. The suspension that absorbs mid-corner bumps so well is nervous with unnecessary information during an average drive to work. I figured this smaller, manual-transmission car would be about the same if not a little worse.
Was I ever wrong....
I'm not sure if it's a sidewall advantage, or if they tuned this more for city roads than mountain roads, but whatever caused it, the Mazda 2 rides extremely well on the nightmarish roads of Los Angeles. It doesn't crash uncomfortably over potholes but still has enough Mazda in it to be able to quickly dodge and cut through traffic with precision.
If my Mazda 3 rode this well on my normal drive, there's a chance I'd still have it.
Sent to the Poor House
For the better part of two weeks, I've been driving nothing but loaded luxury cars: Equus, Genesis R-Spec, Infiniti M56 and Mercedes-Benz CLS550. Alas, my time in the latter came to a gut-wrenching, tear-streaming end and I was forced to resume my normally scheduled long-term duties. As I had been making my way down the LT board alphabetically, I landed on the Mazda 2. Talk about austerity measures.
The first thing I noticed was that I had to suffer the indignity of inserting the key into the ignition and turning my wrist in order to start the car. Seriously, I might've been injured. When I reached to engage the cooled seats, I found a huge slidey thing that when slid failed to properly chill my hind quarters. Perhaps it's used as a release to dust crops. As I felt under my butt to confirm its lack of chilling, I also noticed a distinct lack of cow hide. My poor trousers.
But my dear friends, it gets worse. Not only did I have to shift my own gears (what's next, fetch my own slippers?), there were only five of those gears. Not seven and especially not eight. What kind of heap is this? As I pulled out of the Edmunds garage, it became ubundantly clear that the Mazda 2 did not have a twin-turbo V8 and was aghast that it obviously didn't have 443 pound-feet of torque. When I got to the office this morning, I discovered it only has 96 torques. 96? I'm fairly certain my blender has more. As I turned up the radio to wash out the loud buzzing, there were sadly 11 fewer speakers than I had in the Genesis.
Yet, I suppose there is something to be said for the 4 extra feet left over between the 2 and my wife's car in our tandem parking spot. And it was kind of fun zipping around corners. Otherwise, I miss my Benz. I think I shall retire to the kitchen and weap over my morning Earl Grey latte.
I don't know what it is about me, but I love bombing around west Los Angeles in subcompacts. Not all subcompacts (or if you want to get precise, compacts, based on modern interior volume measurements), but the ones that have some personality. Our 2011 Mazda 2 certainly does.
Its 1.5-liter four-cylinder is short on low-end torque (as if it would be any other way) but feels more potent than the 1.4-liter in our long-term Fiat 500... these engines have the same published torque rating at the crank — 98 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm — but a different torque curve, I'm sure. And interestingly, the Mazda is about 150 pounds lighter if you want to talk total curb weight.
More importantly, the 2's 1.5-liter makes a pleasing growl as it revs, and when I'm in this car, it's revving quite a lot. I'll beat you to that hole in traffic, I will.
Working through the gears is fun even if the slightly awkward seating position sometimes results in me executing shifts that aren't quite perfectly smooth. I'd probably still rather teach someone to drive a manual transmission in a Honda Fit, but this setup is pretty forgiving, so we'd make do in the Mazda.
Finally, we've written about it ad nauseum (maybe?), but the rightness of the electric-assist power steering in this car can't be overstated. It's quick and precise with logical effort levels and there's some genuine feedback here. This is how to do steering in a subcompact/B-segment hatch. Everybody should do it this way.
So glad to see this car in my carport once more.
The Mazda 2 isn't the least bit fancy. In fact, dressed in refrigerator white like our test car, it's about as homely looking as a new car gets, at least on the outside.
Mazda's designers might not have done much with the exterior, but they added a little bit of flair to the interior where they could. Most hatchbacks in this class are saddled with plain old grey cloth from top to bottom. The Mazda 2 mixes it up with contrasting fabrics and red piping, at least on the Touring model. The base model doesn't get the red piping, but at least it has contrasting fabrics.
None of this is groundbreaking stuff, but when it comes to $16K cars, it's an indication that the designers are at least trying to make a go of it.
Embrace the Shopping Cart
I'm the first guy to tell you that a car should be more than just a shopping cart on big rubber wheels, but it seems like the Mazda 2 doesn't work too well for me because it doesn't have enough shopping cart in its DNA.
Sure, it goes to work right enough, recording 31 mpg in the daily commute. Of course, it carries stuff all right. There's plenty of cargo capacity behind the 60/40-split folding rear seat, and naturally you can make more room if you need it. As soon as the weekend comes, though, the Mazda just sits in the driveway.
Maybe the problem is the way it drives in parking lots. I feel like I'm asking for trouble every time I'm weaving among the Explorers and Tahoes. The Mazda 2 is a little too lively at low speed when what you want is deliberate pace. It's not like one of those shopping carts with a rogue wheel fluttering away, but it answers the accelerator pedal and the brake a little too eagerly, while the awkward clutch engagement is always a distraction.
All this is a bigger deal than you realize, because a parking lot is probably the most dangerous place that you can drive, since there are so many vehicles all moving randomly in different directions, while the drivers are completely distracted and so even more witless than usual. You're on the verge of crashing every second.
The Mazda 2 is fun when you go fast, but it doesn't drive slow in a way that makes me happy. If you're driving in a parking lot, what you really want is our Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which doesn't do anything quickly.
Who knew that being able to drive like a shopping cart could actually be a good thing?
"It's a Fit. But, it's a Mazda."
That was my cryptic description of our Mazda 2 to Magrath before he drove it for the first time in months. And you know what? I was right.
I spent some time in the 2 this weekend and as much as I liked our 2009 Fit, the Mazda 2 is simply a better Fit than the Fit.
While the Fit is nimble, it is to the point of nervousness, much like a Mini. The 2 is simply nimble. It loves to change direction, but it won't do so until you tell it to. It's not darty, nor does it get unsettled on our second world freeways; it's very tied down, much like any other Mazda. And while the 2 gives up some practicality to the Fit (the Fit's trick rear seat has not been matched by anyone in the class), it's close enough 95% of the time so you won't notice. And then there are the front seats; the 2 takes this one hands down - barcalounges to the Fit's folding chairs.
Perhaps the most surprising advantage however, goes to the 2's engine. For the first time in as long as I've been around, a Mazda has a better engine than its Honda competitor. Neither engine is going to win any awards, but the Mazda's feels more robust and is decidedly less thrashy at higher rpms. I only wish the tachometer was a little bigger.
The 2 is a quality small car.
I've been zipping around in the Mazda 2 a bit this week, enough for me to realize I have an issue with the rear view around the C-pillar, especially while changing lanes.
Any Mazda 2 owners note this as a complaint, or just something you become accustomed to after spending more time in the car?
If you've been following or voting in Donna's recent Long-Term Road Test blog poll, then you know you're looking at everybody's least favorite small car in our fleet. I take issue with that, because the 2011 Mazda 2 is my favorite small car in our fleet. (I had planned to drive it to Montana, until it was suggested that the BMW 528i needed the miles.)
To me, the Mazda 2 is the easy pick out of our current stable of smallish cars. (Well, easy, with the acknowledgement that Project Miata is sidelined right now and, that even when it's running well, it's still an elderly car that wouldn't be a great choice as your sole daily driver — though some kind of platoon deal with a newer econobox could work.)
I argue that the 2 has the best steering in this group — it's precise with near perfect effort levels and a lot more feel than you expect from EPS. It also has an easy clutch takeup (at least it does in my preferred seating position) and I like how the shifter moves through the gates (medium-length throws). And I kind of enjoy the growl from its 1.5-liter engine.
None of the other cars you voted on can compete in these areas. I would have expected I'd lobby for the Mini Countryman, but no, the clutch doesn't give you enough feel and it's hard to complete a gearchange smoothly. Also, this Mini is unsmall, and it lacks the Cooper hatch's wonderfully unencumbered feel through corners.
The Fiat 500 has its moments, but it doesn't feel quite like a real car compared to the Mazda. The ride is busier, the seating postion is more of a perch at your local watering hole than an actual seat, and acceleration is hopelessly pokey. Unquestionably, the Fiat is better looking than the Mazda (which looks like a bald old man when it's painted white), but that's not how I choose cars.
Finally, the Nissan Juke. This strange crossover brew is a lot more enjoyable than any of us expected, but it's high off the ground and ours is missing that all-important third pedal. So Mazda 2 all the way.
I never imagined I'd be complaining about this in any car, but the placement of the rearview mirror in our long-term 2011 Mazda 2 Touring bugs me. It's a combination of three things:
--> The mirror is mounted fairly high up on the aggressively slanted windshield (it's set at a pretty laid-back angle for a non-sports car).
--> The Mazda 2 has a very small rear glass area and it's set at a very upright angle, so you're limited in how you can adjust the mirror and still see out the back.
--> Even though I have a short torso (i.e., I don't sit up tall), I put the seat height as low as it will go in this car to maximize legroom.
With these factors in play, I always I feel like I'm craning my neck to look up into the mirror — I can never just look over to it. It's probably not a deal breaker, but it's a continuing source of minor discomfort and probably my second-biggest complaint about the Mazda 2. (My #1 complaint is the lack of cargo-hauling flexibility compared to the Honda Fit.)
As mentioned ad nauseum, I enjoy driving our long-term 2011 Mazda 2 Touring. Leaving the Mini Cooper off to the side, I think this little Mazda sets some new standards in the B segment class of subcompact and really small compact cars.
Its electric power steering has just-right effort levels, and it's precise and communicative off-center without being needlessly fidgety on-center. Further, shifting the five-speed manual gearbox is usually a pleasure because of the positive feel as you run through the gates. This is a subcompact for an enthusiast — an enthusiast with no money, mind you, but still, an enthusiast.
Yet, I don't think this Mazda is going to be a revolutionary. It's not going to talk average drivers out of wanting something larger and nicer.
Why not?
Well, for one, there's not a good automatic option on the Mazda 2. I've driven a Mazda 2 with a four-speed automatic, and it's a joyless experience of continual gear hunting. The twin-clutch 'box in the Fiesta is much more tolerable, as is the six-speed automatic on the new Hyundai Accent. And Chris came back from the Nissan Versa sedan launch raving about the CVT in that car.
For another, the engine is just loud. I enjoy its growlly sound as I'm accelerating, but Mazda's meticulous efforts to minimize weight on this car means that there's not a lot of sound deadening material. And so the engine's soundtrack gets tiresome even when it's just at 3,000 rpm while you're cruising at 70 mph.
Finally, the driving position is just a little too funky. It needs a telescoping steering wheel to not feel awkward for most. I'm comfortable enough around town, but on the open road, I'd probably be stopping every 2-3 hours just to stretch (which you should do anyway, but still).
I know, the Mazda 2 isn't a great vehicle for hauling stuff. Still, I figured the wheel from my motorcycle was small enough to fit in just about anything. And sure enough, it is, but not by much. It was a good reminder just how shallow the cargo bay in the Mazda 2 can be when you're trying to fit stuff back there.
Of course, I could have just dropped the rear seats if I needed even more room, but I didn't want to get grease on the seatbacks. I also like the idea of the wheel being firmly secured in the cargo bay. Can't imagine what would happen if I had a panic stop with it sitting on the folded back seats.
Sometimes it's good to remind yourself of just how little you really need in a car. One day recently, I realized I hadn't driven the Mazda 2 in awhile and resolved to sign it out when it was next available. I actually found myself — I wouldn't say pining — but kinda longing to whip the little pod into a freeway on-ramp with its little 100-hp engine rasping away. And the Mazda 2 is not a car you really look forward to driving on a long commute.
It's small. You don't stand a chance against semis. Your nerves would like a sixth cruising speed. There's no Bluetooth, no USB (although there is an aux jack), no navi, no sat radio, no dual zone climate control. Yet I'm still trying to find something I don't like about it. If pressed, I'd say the manual transmission, while easy and slick-shifting, feels slightly Fisher — Price. I'd like to feel just a little more weight, as if there's real metal linking everything together.
But that's it. It's got power windows and mirrors, simple climate control, supportive seats, even a good stereo that pulls in a local college radio station. A Wilco b-side followed by some old R.E.M. works fine. The Maz2 isn't my first choice for a long-range daily commuter, but it does the job well and it's got spirit. Still enjoying it.
"Do you want the Mazda 2 or the Mustang?"
This was Mike Schmidt last week asking me what car I wanted to take for next few days. Hmm. One car has iconic styling, herculean power and a fresh set of tires that needs to be "broken in." The other has pod-car styling, asthmatic power and economy-biased tires.
Well, I took the Mazda.
There were a few reasons for this. For one, I haven't driven the Mazda 2 since January. It doesn't get much love around the office — I figured it could use some. But more importantly, I just couldn't commit to the Mustang. (At least not this time.) Yes, the Mustang is easy to drive and a fine daily driver, but there's a lingering expectation that when you grab the keys you're going to go out and live life like you're a cancer patient with one month to live. In contrast, my weekend "bucket list" plans consisted of schlepping my kids around, picking up some gear at Pep Boys and then parking at the airport for a trip today.
The Mazda was the right car for the job — four doors, a decent backseat, an near-invisible profile to thieves/vandals and easy to park.
Just like Erin, I really do like this car, pod-car styling, asthmatic power, economy-biased tires and all.
Remember how the cargo cover broke in 2010 VW GTI, because the upper attachment point was just a dinky plastic peg molded onto the hatch's interior plastic trim? Well, that's never going to happen to our 2011 Mazda 2.
And that's because the 2's cargo cover attaches via sturdy metal clips that are directly attached to the metal hatch itself, not some plastic panel. They're unassuming, and they get the job done — just like the rest of the car.
If I owned a Mazda 2, I'd be tempted to modify it some. At the top of my list would be handling. The Deuce is blessed with precise steering and light weight, but the combination of the two highlight the car's potential for even better handling. Holding it back are economy-biased tires and commuter-friendly suspension tuning. Therefore I'd probably look at getting gripper tires and some sort of aftermarket spring and damper combination.
Actually, I did that this morning by poking around CorkSport. And yeah, you can get all of the above plus the ubiquitous intake and exhaust. But then I had a reality check. If I owned a 2, presumably I bought it because I was on a tight budget. And if that's the case, would I really then go off sinking thousands of more dollars in aftermarket parts? Probably not.
In all likelihood, I'd just get a set of performance tires and wheels and leave it at that.
While we've only marked up 13,000 miles so far in our Mazda 2, I'm pretty impressed on how it's faired so far. Other than the oil change at 7,500 miles, we've paid in nothing extra (the rear-ender wasn't our fault). Nothing's broke, nothing's gone on the fritz and nothing has fallen off. The interior is rattle-free and solid. A small victory for simplicity, perhaps?
Anyway, for an inexpensive set of wheels, the Deuce is so far having a nice showing of durability.
I've spent a lot of time with our Mazda 2 since we got it back in October last year, and I've found myself liking it more as time goes on. Here are 10 reasons why.
1) Fuel Economy. Our car is meeting its combined EPA average of 32 mpg and, outside of the Jetta TDI, is a leading car in our fleet.
2) Easy to park. Its petite size means it's easy to fit in even tight parking spaces. (Yes, this is your golden opportunity to comment given the photo I used above.)
3) Snappy shifter. The Mazda 2 has a really nice shifter. It falls readily to hand, moves quickly from gate to gate and has just the right amount of heft to it.
4) Comfortable. For a subcompact, the 2 rides quite well. The front seats are nice, too, even for long distances.
5) Worry free. This is more of a potential ownership aspect. But there's just less stress driving the 2 than other pricier (M56, for example) or police-attracting (Mustang) cars in our fleet.
6) Quick steering. Along with the shifter, this makes the 2 pretty fun to drive.
7) Simple controls. It doesn't get much more classic or easy-to-use than this.
8) Slow. Yes, sometimes it's actually fun to test your skills with a slow car.
9) Decent interior storage. For a car that lacks a center storage bin, the 2 does pretty well here.
10) Easy to see out of. Compared to many modern sedans with their coupe-like rooflines, it's a revelation to actually be able to see things.
Don't know about you, but I haven't seen many other Mazda 2s around. Or even, well, any. Granted, I could have been more aware since I was driving our 2 at the time, but I think this green one I came across yesterday was the first one I've seen that wasn't ours.
I thought we might actually have a moment, too. You know, share a nod or brief hand wave and bond over the aspect that we're driving/owning a car that hardly anybody else in America even knows exists. But nope. The driver just kept her eyes straight ahead as I passed slowly on the
right
left.
Liveliness
Most people probably would describe the Mazda 2 as lively.
For me, it's simply springy, bouncing up and down on its suspension like some kind of spaniel straining at its leash. It's pretty much the opposite of the typical Kia, which usually has an overly damped suspension that packs down over a series of bumps.
One goes for liveliness, and the other goes for control. You pays your money and you takes your chances. Of course, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, and maybe that's why the Mazda 2 just leaves me shaken but not stirred.
Obedience training, that's what the Mazda 2 needs.
You look at the 2's small footprint and you expect a cabin that hits you with some compromises when it comes to spaciousness. But every time I slide behind the wheel, I'm pleasantly surprised at how well the front row accommodates my 5'11" frame.
There's lots of room for my legs, there's a generous amount of shoulder room and my skull is never in danger of getting too friendly with the headliner. I always feel comfortable behind the wheel (though a center armrest would be nice), and that's half the battle, really.
There are certain things that people look for in economy cars. Fuel economy is one of them, and another would probably be value. And I imagine that many buyers in this segment appreciate a car that transcends its price tag; in other words, a car that doesn't look nearly as cheap as its low price suggests. That's a nice extra, and one that lots of models deliver these days.
I can think of one other thing that people probably hope for with an economy car purchase...
...and that's durability when it comes to the car's interior. It's not a good look if the cabin looks 10 years old four months after purchase.
We got our Mazda 2 back in October of last year, which means it's been with us for nearly a year. With almost a full 12 months in the trenches, the cabin is holding up pretty well.
I noticed one of two scuff marks here and there, but nothing major. And much respect to that seat fabric; like Ed, I'm a fan of that snazzy red piping, and the upholstery overall has shown almost zero sign of wear.
What factors do you prioritize when evaluating economy cars?
When the all new Mazda 2 debuted, the taut new sheetmetal and the fact that it was coming to the U.S. sort of overshadowed — at least in the U.S. market — that the car had lost 220 pounds generation over generation.
Weight loss in a new model is a great trend that we're going to see more and more of as this fuel economy thing gets more popular. Of course, we all know the "add lightness" maxim, but what does this much weight mean for performance?
Well, 5th Gear the second best car show on the planet (TGUSA is getting close, though, the Death Valley episode was solid) took a look into it using the normal Mazda 2 as a baseline, and then filled it with Heavy Terry and ran the numbers again.
Video after the jump.
In the City and for the Dogs
It feels like forever since I last got behind the wheel of our 2011 Mazda 2 Touring. I forgot how much I liked it! All this time our long-term Fiat 500 was my favorite little car in our fleet but after driving our 2 I almost prefer the Mazda.
And yes, car buyers normally wouldn't cross-shop these two: the Fiat's Euro cuteness puts it up against the Mini while the 2 competes with the equally practical Honda Fit. But those interested in the Fiat would be doing themselves a disservice by not test-driving the Mazda 2 first. It, like the Fiat, is a great urban runabout, small enough for parking in the city, fun to drive and I think it looks pretty cute, especially in that Spirited Green Metallic.
Plus after driving the Fiat all this time I can really feel the difference between it and the 2. The 2's shifter feels much more solid and sure and its engine sounds smoother and not as truckish compared to the 500.
And if I had to pick between the 2 and the 500 for a weekend car, I'd go with the Mazda. Not only is it more practical with more cargo room to facilitate errand running but my dog Mya fits comfortably in the backseat. Again, I realize that the 2 and the 500 wouldn't normally be cross-shopped especially talking 4-door versus coupe but just in terms of having to pick between our two current long-termers, I'm making the comparison.
More on how the 2 does as a doggy hauler after the jump.
It was really easy for Mya to jump in and out of the back. And I like how the rear seatbelt fasteners protrude from the bottom seat cushion, making it easier to belt her in via her harness even with her doggy blanket spread out.
Since the 2 is pretty basic, it doesn't have any schmancy rear climate controls or vents but I just direct the vents in the center dash toward the back so that Mya can get some air.
Just as a reminder, here's Mya with the Fiat. There, she can spread out in the backseat, too, and the seatbelt fasteners also protrude for easy fastening. She doesn't get as much of a view out the backseat in the coupe as she does in the 2, though, and thanks to the gray cloth, I fear that it would be harder to clean off than the 2's dark cloth.
Wishing for Six
Have you ever climbed a set of stairs where that were taller than you expected? If you're not careful the first one can trip you up.
The 5-speed manual transmission in our 2011 Mazda 2 is like that. First gear is a little taller than its little motor would like, so you've got to wind it up a bit more than you'd like to forestall an embarassing stall. Oh, sure — you get used to it, but still...
And then, after trudging up steps designed for Blake Griffin, the last tread stops short of the landing. I mean, 2,800 rpm at 65 mph is no way to live on the freeway — especially if you're prone to cruising at 70 or 75 mph, at which point the 1.5-liter 100-horsepower 4-banger is ticking over at something north of 3,000 revs.
Another gear would allow for steps of a more suitable pitch for this "short" engine, giving it some much-needed breathing room on the top and bottom ends. MPG, good as it is now, would be even better.
Tiny cars with weeny engines need 6 cogs way more than something powered by a honkin' V8 with torque enough to span wider-spaced gears. That's all I'm saying.
Welcome to my Wednesday. I usually leave my house at 5:00 am to avoid exactly what you see above. But Wednesdays are different. After dropping my daughter off at school, this is what I face for the next two hours (it has lasted as long as three). At worst, I arrive (41 miles later) detesting all humanity and ready for two fingers of single malt. At best, I use the time to carefully examine a long-term test car. Follow me to the next page to see what I learned about the Mazda 2 this morning.
The clutch pedal spring is light enough to endure (I'm guessing) 400-500 shifts. Also while the pedal feel itself is a little lacking as to where the engagement point truly is, the motor can lug along in 1st gear with the clutch engaged at very low speeds — negating the need ease it out of gear to coast.
The shifter's elevated location is very good — no reaching necessary. There's very little vibration in the knob. Also the linkage/bushings are on the soft and rubbery side which might feel less-than-positive, but I'd rather have it this way on a grinding commute. Can't imagine the fatigue an Audi R8 driver would feel click-clacking 400 times with his gated shifter.
There are plenty of nooks for stuff, like my mobile breakfast. Had I been able to simultaneously take a photo of my phone while it also rested in the empty square space, you'd see a map showing red and yellow traffic congestion and few other options.
I did wish several times for the conspicuously absent Bluetooth and/or USB jack so I could use my phone either as a hands-free communication device, or to listen to an audiobook or stream Pandora. Seems like a pretty big oversight to me.
So there you have it my friends. Woof. The fact that it was an uncharacteristically overcast morning has lent an even gloomier look than it normally has. Now where'd I stash that Macallan?
A Car for the Person I Used to Be
As a cub reporter for a big daily newspaper, I spent a lot of time driving to a wide variety of assignments. It could be anything from interviewing an accused murderer at Orange County Jail to a stroll through the coastal foothills with an expert in edible wild plants.
It was a job that called for a car that was nimble, reliable, easy to park and cheap to buy, gas and maintain. (Newspaper reporters always were underpaid. Now they're mostly just unemployed.)
If the Mazda 2 Touring had been on my radar then, I would have enjoyed its company. I'm a different kind of car owner now, and it doesn't suit me quite as well. Small size is less of a consideration. I want more creature comforts now. And my passion for a manual transmission is a sometimes thing. But if I could send a note back to the car owner I used to be, I might say: "Leave the Corolla. Take the Mazda."
And for God's sake, girl, keep up with your oil changes.
Satisfying Clutch and Shifter
After my weekend in the Explorer, I was kind of tired of electrons ruining my day so when the car sign-out board hit my desk, I gravitated to the least-fancy car we have the fleet made after 1999. The Mazda 2 doesn't have nav, or iPod, or heated seat controls buried in a touch screen or even heated seats at all; it's just a car.
It only took a few seconds for me to remember one very nice thing about this car: The shifter and clutch are fantastic. The clutch is light enough to use in heavy traffic without my knee, which tried to eat its own meniscus a few years back, complaining once. It's also not so light that you need to wear racing flats to feel the catch point. It just...works. Well. I could drive this clutch in bumper-to-bumper traffic until time stopped and not feel any pain.
And then there's the shifter. This thing has a relatively long shift action, but it's light and the gates are easy to find. Beyond that, though, is the feel of the shifter. It clicks and clacks in all the right ways and makes you want to downshift through all of the gears on every deceleration and race through 'em on the way up.
It's kind of sad that people aren't driving manuals anymore, but maybe if more clutches were this intuitive and easy to modulate (**ahem** Mini ) and shifters this light-yet-rewarding (**ahem almost everyone else) they wouldn't have the stigma of being work. Or maybe this car just clicks with the way I drive. Michael Jordan seems to have a different take. *Edit: As someone just pointed out via the emails, Jay Kav agrees with me, too.*
Roughly 5 months ago our 2011 Mazda 2 Touring was rear-ended by a fellow motorist. We repaired that damage. Now we find this on the rear wheel opening, courtesy of another incosiderate human. Thanks buddy.
You know the scenario: late for a meeting or appointment, you prowl the concrete tree house looking for that one spot, as close to the staircase as possible that somebody just vacated. You find one! Alas, the parking stalls, despite the ever-increasing size of most vehicles in the U.S., have grown narrower. Have you noticed? Maybe it's just an L.A./O.C. thing. At any rate, I was so happy to be driving the Mazda 2 because I doubt even a Mazda3 would have fit in the stall — I did have to fold the driver's-side mirror to thread my way between the cars, however. Thanks to this compact car actually fitting in a "Compact" stall, I made it to the meeting with plenty of time to spare.
Call me crazy, but I think hatchbacks look cooler and are more useful than their sedan brethren. I know there's no such thing as a Mazda 2 Sedan, but you have to admit the Mazda3 is a more coherent design as a hatch and the new Chevrolet Sonic hatchback looks cooler than the sedan. Same goes for the Ford Fiesta. Don't you think? So why has it been (with the exception of Nissan Versa which sells at a rate of 3 hatches to 2 sedans) with U.S. car buyers that we shun hatches?
Here's a sidebar to Warren's 10 Memorable Steering Wheels list on our Straightline blog: I have always liked-loved the steering wheel in our Mazda 2 (left). It's not identical to the wheel in the MX-5 Miata (right), but it's the same idea and feels pretty much the same, which is to say good.
It helps that we have a Touring model, which gets a standard leather wrapping, but beyond that, I like the positioning of the spokes on this wheel. Whether you do 9-and-3, 10-and-2 or 4-and-8 with your hands, it's going to work out fine with this steering wheel. That's definitely not the case on some other cars in this price range.
You haven't gotten an update on our long-term 2011 Mazda 2 in exactly a week, and the reason is that I took it on vacation. Unfortunately, we didn't get as far as Montana, because this was one of those economical vacations during which I stayed home and took stock of my disheveled apartment. It turns out if you're always driving somewhere else, your own somewhere gets pretty disorganized.
I felt a little bad using the Mazda 2 for this boring chapter of my life (especially with its time in the fleet growing short), but I drove it every day and it invariably brought a moment or two of joy. I've already told you pretty much everything I think about this car.
The steering feels quick and precise, and has real feedback. The engine doesn't have much low-end grunt, but there's power you can use further up, and the 1.5-liter is pretty smooth and sounds good when you rev it. The clutch takeup is a touch funky, but the shifter slots solidly into each gate. The car likes to change direction, but there's still enough compliance in the suspension so that it doesn't beat you up over rough pavement.
After spending a week with the Mazda, I'm thinking the same thoughts, but I'm also impressed by how well everything works together on this car. Often in this price range, cars will drive like they have a little of this and a little of that (which isn't necessarily bad), but they don't feel like one thing. The Mazda 2 feels like one thing — everything on it (at least on the five-speed manual version) feels like it's tuned with an eye toward making the car handle, ride, accelerate as well as it can with the components it has been allotted. Oh, and it brakes well, too. Very good pedal feel and surefooted stops, even with its modest Yokohama Avid tires.
You can really appreciate this unified package when you're running around a city like L.A., which has a mix of hard-core city stuff and tight parking lots, plus lots and lots of freeways. In this environment, it isn't critical that the Mazda 2 be fun to steer or shift, but it sure brought cheer to my days. On Sunday, I saw another woman driving a Mazda 2, a black one with a Yak rack. When I noticed it was a manual to boot, it made me really happy.
This week I'll be driving the Mazda 2 on a shorty road trip to Carlsbad (with a possible midweek Mt. Palomar detour if I can squeeze it in) and taking care of the 15,000-mile service — I have an appointment for Thursday.
I picked up some dry cleaning last week and went to hang it on one of our 2011 Mazda 2's rear-seat grab handles, and uh-oh.
So this was my workaround. I'm sure it saves a little cost, omitting the rear grab handles, but a four-door hatchback needs to have them — at least on the 2's high-line Touring trim level. Some of us still have to dress up for work now and again.
Work stuff took me to Carlsbad, California, this week, and when everything wrapped up around 1 p.m. yesterday, I couldn't face a drive back into Los Angeles on I-5/I-405 — not without having some fun in the Mazda 2 first. But there wasn't time to go Mount Palomar and that left me with Ortega Highway (California 74).
Ortega's kind of a good road, but it's also a major commuter artery between Orange County and Lake Elsinore, so thinking you're going to get any kind of open stretch on a weekday afternoon borders on delusional. For that reason, I avoid it. Ordinarily. And then I remembered this little road that meanders south from Ortega Hwy just before you get to the lake. The long-term Mazda 2 and I had our mission then.
Not sure why I've never driven the Mazda 2 on a back road before, but I hadn't. Maybe I was worried about the lack for torque for accelerating out of corners. Maybe I was worried about climbing hills — Glendora Mountain Road, for example, has a lot of those.
But on this road, at this pace (brisk, but not all out, as I encountered other motorists who weren't so mindful of the double yellow boundary) the Mazda 2 had just enough at 4,000 rpm in 3rd gear. The engine was smooth and happy and sweet sounding at this speed. Of course, I'd drop to 2nd or upshift to 4th at times, just because I enjoy the shifting.
I really enjoyed the rest of the package, too. This road is a little bumpy, but the 2 has enough suspension travel/compliance that it never got uncomfortable. It was composed, too, over the bumps and wrinkles in the road, so there's no reason to complain that, 'eh, this car has a twist-beam axle so that's a liability for handling.'
Turn-in is quick, not as ridiculously sharp as a Mini Cooper, but still great for a car in this class. The excellent steering feel we keep writing about really comes into play on a road like this, because you know what's going on with the front end and you have the confidence to press harder.
As you'll see if watch more than a few seconds of my long, riveting (riveting being a euphemism for mediocre) video, I made a couple laps, because it was such a good time. Didn't use the brakes hard, because the pace wasn't fast enough and because I didn't want to be scrubbing off speed if I didn't have to. But when I did use them, the pedal feel was good.
It was a great autumn afternoon (finding a 4-mile open stretch on a particularly twisty part of Ortega Hwy was icing), and I just don't think I can't let the Mazda 2 wrap up its tenure in our fleet without me taking another drive like this. So I'm angling to keep it for another weekend.
Some cars have the wonderful ability to put a smile on your face, no matter how crummy the day is. I count the Mazda 2 among these cars. It's perfectly eager and fun, and never fails to cheer me up when I'm behind the wheel. I'll be sad to see it go.
Which cars lift your spirits?
On Monday, I made an appointment to have our long-term 2011 Mazda 2 serviced today (Thursday). Making the appointment at Santa Monica Mazda was an incredibly efficient experience. The receptionist answered the phone, and transferred me to the service department where someone answered the phone immediately and helped me make an appointment for 8 a.m. On Wednesday afternoon, the service scheduler gave me a reminder phone call about my appointment the following day. So far, so good.
I rolled into the dealership service drive this morning a minute or two after 8 o'clock, and a porter greeted me, and within a minute or two, my service advisor came over and invited me into the small, tidy office.
After taking down the mileage, he began typing on his computer, making friendly conversation, asking me if I like the car (oh, I do, I told him), and it was all going very well until he printed the paperwork and told me what the estimate would be for an oil change and tire rotation...
Uh-huh. It was that bad. Granted, I expect to pay a premium for almost everything in the enclave of Santa Monica, but this was about $20 more than the going rate for this type of service.
I questioned whether this was indeed just an oil change, a tire rotation and the simple inspection items on page 8-4 of the 2's owner's manual. He said it was. I asked about coupons. He said there were none. I then said, "Well, this is a lot of money, it's more than I've paid at other dealerships on this street, what can we do to get the price down a little?"
Not a thing was his answer. And then he printed out the following sheet for me. It apparently shows the "actual retail cost" of this service.
Well, this just can't be, I said, this is ridiculous, you can't expect me to believe this. Well, it's true, he said, and that's why we offer deals like this $89.95 special. Well, there's no way I can spend $90 to have my car serviced, I said. Well, you know, you don't have to, he said, it's optional. Well, I said, I'm going to have to not do this service and take the car back from you. OK, he said.
The porter retrieved the Mazda 2 and I left, oil unchanged, tires unrotated. What to do now? Now that we have a Rotary lift, it wouldn't be hard to do this ourselves, but everybody's frazzled and busy this week, and I wanted to get this done today. Tune in again tomorrow.
Upon my return from the local Mazda dealership, I relayed my riveting story of not having the Mazda 2 serviced to my colleague Rex Tokeshi-Torres, who listened and was spurred into action. He set out to see just how reasonable Santa Monica Mazda's $89.95 estimate for a simple oil change (0W-20 oil) and a tire rotation actually was for this area. Rex called around to the next four closest Mazda dealerships and this is his report:
My opening inquiry: "How much would it cost for an oil change and tire rotation for a 2011 Mazda 2?"
--> Star Mazda in Glendale: On the phone they immediately stated that it required "full-synthetic". $75 for the oil change and an additional $22 for the tire rotation. Include tax and the total was around $110.
--> Galpin Mazda in Van Nuys: Gave me a quote of $60. I asked if that was for "full-synthetic" they replied "no" and said it would cost an additional $25 for full-synthetic. The total would probably be around $97 (including tax).
--> Long Beach Mazda: Very upfront. Said it would cost $39.95 for the synthetic blend and $69.95 for full-synthetic. This included the tire rotation (I asked a couple of times to make sure since the price was so much lower).
--> Browning Mazda in Cerritos: Pretty much stated that a full-synthetic oil change would cost around $69.95.
The different prices Rex got for oil changes with full synthetic and synthetic-blend oil opened up another can of worms for us: What kind of oil does the 2 have in it right now?
Looking back at our paperwork from the 2's first oil change around the 7,500-mile mark back in March 2011, we were charged $7.75/quart for 4 quarts of 0W20 oil (well, we were charged at that rate, and then a $20 parts discount was applied, following by an even big discout for labor... ultimately resulting in a cheap-for-this-area $32 oil change). But the receipt didn't specify which type of oil was used. So I called Santa Monica Mazda's parts department to see what kind of oil they sell.
The first person I spoke to in Parts said that this dealer only sells synthetic 0W20 for its cars, except for the "Mazdaspeed 2" which still uses non-synthetic. Uh... And then it turned out he wasn't working at this dealership back in March, so I asked, well, would it be possible for me to talk to somebody who was. He tracked down the parts manager, who asked me to read him the parts number from the original receipt (0000-77-0W20-QT). Yep, he said. That's full synthetic. "Do you sell a synthetic blend?" I asked. The answer was no. (He added that the price of their 0W20 synthetic fluctuates monthly; for October it's up to $9.54/quart.)
Since our Mazda 2 already has full synthetic in it, we made an executive decision to stick with that and therefore not do a cheaper oil change using one of the blends. The 2's owner's manual (viewable here as a PDF) does not a make a distinction between the two.
So we had a choice: go have the work done at either Long Beach Mazda or Browning Mazda (since these dealers had the lowest quotes for full synthetic changes), or I could call my advisor at Santa Monica Mazda and see if he'd match the offer.
I called him, he remembered me and was still polite. I told him I'd made some calls (well, Rex made the calls, but he doesn't know Rex) and that the Long Beach and Cerritos dealers were willing to do an oil change and tire rotation for $69.95.
"Are you willing to match that?"
"Yeah, I'll match it — I'm not going to argue over $20."
"OK," I said, "when can I bring the car in?"
"Anytime," he said.
"I'll be over soon."
I arrived at the dealer, and the service advisor was polite and acted as if our earlier dust-up had never gone down. He typed up a new service order for $69.95 and I was out the door again in less than 5 minutes. It was now 10:45, and after over two hours of discussion and phonework by multiple Edmunds.com/Edmunds employees, we were possibly on the verge of saving the company a whole 20 bucks.
Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion.
After I dropped our long-term 2011 Mazda 2 off at Santa Monica Mazda a second time — after haggling over the price of an oil change and tire rotation — I received a phone promptly at 3 p.m. (the promised time) from my service advisor who told me, "Your little Mazda 2 is ready."
When I came by to get the car, he greeted me and handed the car's paperwork to the service receptionist-scheduler-cashier, who sits next to him (it's a small office). She moved me through in less than five minutes, taking my credit card payment and calling the porter to have the 2 brought around. I don't think this was a particularly busy day at this service department because I never had to wait while they helped other customers, but regardless, they're efficient (well, provided there's no disagreement on the pricing).
Soon, the car appeared in the driveway, and it had obviously been washed and vacuumed, and both of the porters who spoke to me were friendly. This kind of little stuff goes some distance in making the customer happy, and if weren't the pricing issues, I'd want to return here with a future personal car.
Mind you, I did get the price I wanted. But it's not as simple as that.
This is the final service receipt. Notice that the service advisor did indeed honor the $69.95 estimate, as the final bill was $73.12 with tax.
But there are a whole lot of other disturbing numbers on this paper that make me think I'd have to haggle over the price on every subsequent visit. I submit as evidence the "total misc disc" line item, which lopped $81.53 off the total to get to the price I agreed upon with the service advisor.
And look at the pre-discounted labor charges... they come out to $89.95, which you subtract the $60.45 parts charges from the "Job #1 Total Labor & Parts" line item ($150.40). I don't even want to imagine how much I'd been spending if I'd come here with an out-of-warranty Mazda 2 that needed actual repairs.
Also, in the two hours I spent researching prices and haggling, I could have grabbed a couple coworkers, put the 2 on our new lift and done the services myself. Further, the lost work time associated with the researching/haggling totaled up to quite a bit more than the $20 I saved (or, rather, that my company saved). You can send donations to erinisonlyslightlyannoying (@) edmunds.com.
If you lived in Santa Monica and had a Mazda 2, what would you have done in my situation? Pay the initial price and be done with it? Haggle and stress out over it like I did? Or, straight up DIY?
This is a side note to my service experience with our long-term 2011 Mazda 2, which if you've been reading started with a sky-high opening bid for an oil change and tire rotation, followed my some comparison shopping which ultimately resulted in me getting a competitive price (for the west side of Los Angeles, that is) on the services I wanted.
As I looked over the final receipt, I noticed something curious.
As in, curiously, I was charged for 5 quarts of oil this time versus 4 quarts on the service visit back in March 2011.
Page 10-5 of the Mazda 2 owner's manual (viewable here as a PDF) indicates 4.1 quarts are needed if an oil and filter change is done, while only 3.9 are necessary if you don't replace the filter. Yet, a filter change is required every 7,500 miles, and we did indeed get a filter change on the earlier visit.
So? So? Somebody rounded down on the first visit, but they rounded up this time? It's not like the techs are opening up separate quarts of oil; undoubtedly they're drawing from a tank... the dealer parts manager told me they're putting 0W20 synthetic in all four-cylinder Mazdas (2011 and up), except the Mazdaspeed 3.
In this case, I'm not too bent up about the inconsistency, seeing as how I still got the "out-the-door" price I wanted.
If this happened to you, would you complain?
One thing I still don't like about our 2011 Mazda 2 after 16,000 miles are the gauges. During my back-roads drive last week, I really wanted a bigger tachometer. This car is too much fun to have such a small tach.
I'm also tired of not having a temperature gauge; the car gives you the little blue light when the engine is cold. And it annoys me that the last pip on the digital fuel gauge flashes when the fuel range slips below an estimated 50 miles or so (the flashing is distracting), instead of triggering a dedicated fuel light.
However, I do find the all red color scheme easy on the eyes at night, even if it's a little low on contrast.
You're not going to get great seats in a car that stickers for $16,330, but I'm pretty content with the driver seat in our long-term 2011 Mazda 2.
During my Ortega Highway/South Main Divide Road drive, the seat held me in place well enough. It wasn't perfect, but I wasn't sliding around so much that it was distracting. It probably helps that the seat is cloth (and high-quality cloth at that), because the "leather" in this price range is usually on the slippery side.
With that back-road detour on my drive back from Carlsbad, I ended up spending four straight hours in the driver seat and that included some time in stop-and-go traffic. The seat remained comfortable throughout that trip, providing adequate support. I will say that at 5 feet, 10 inches, I max out all the seat-track travel and I have the seat height set as low as it will go, sooo I'd be pretty surprised if a six-footer could make the same trip and be as comfortable as I was.
In addition, I took the car through countless cloverleaf entrance/exit ramps over the weekend, and by the end of it, my significant other was complaining about "inadequate lateral support." So I guess one person's adequate is another person's needs improvement.
After 16,000 miles in our fleet, our manual-shift 2011 Mazda 2 is averaging 31.9 mpg. That is oh so close to its EPA-estimated 32 mpg combined rating. The EPA's city figure is 29 mpg; the highway number is 35.
Last weekend, I put a lot of miles on the 2 and realized how easy it is to always be in the 30s with this car. (Maybe you'd argue that mpg should always be in the 40s with a subcompact, but at this point in the 21st century, most cars in this class are only in the 30s... our long-term 2009 Fit averaged 31.4 mpg over 21,000 miles.)
My mileage dipped to 31.1 mpg on the tank that included my back-road run and subsequent commute in heavy traffic. But on the next tank, which was mostly open highway, it was back up to 35.6.
I'm certainly not arguing that the Mazda 2 is the perfect small car. The 1.5-liter engine sounds good when you're accelerating hard, but it also never really shuts up, so there's a constant drone on the highway that not everyone will be willing to tolerate. There's also a lot of road noise, which though not unexpected in this class (particularly in the 2, which sacrifices a few comforts here and there to keep curb weight in check; ours weighs 2,274 pounds), nevertheless does get a bit tiresome during longer stints in the car.
Yesterday I'm driving our long-term Mazda 2 to work and I immediately know there's a problem. How? By the horrible grinding noise.
It was impossible to miss. But it did stop when the car stopped. So I pulled over to take a look. Sounded like it was coming from the right front, but I wasn't sure. I could see no problem. I drove straight to Mazda Santa Monica anyway.
What could it be? Brake caliper? Wheel bearing? A tire issue? Nope, Coat hanger.
I must have picked it up on the freeway the night before. Somehow it had wrapped itself around the car's right rear suspension and was partially tangled in the drum brake.
The dealership said it would cost $120 for them to remove it. In the interest of speed and efficiency we green lit the work. A few hours later our Mazda 2 was back in our hands grinding noice free.
One of the things that impresses me most about the Mazda 2 is how frisky it feels when you work the throttle, despite the unimpressive 100 horsepower and 98 pound-feet of torque offered up from its 1.5-liter engine.
Its light curb weight plays a big part in helping the nimble little hatch achieve this result. A look at how it weighs in relative to the competition follows after the jump.
Mazda 2: 2,306 lbs
Ford Fiesta: 2,537 lbs
Honda Fit: 2,496 lbs
Nissan Versa: 2,693 lbs
Last Friday, Scott told you about the terrible grinding noise from our Mazda 2 that was caused by some free road wire we picked up in the Mazda's right rear suspension. He called it a coat hanger.
Well, at about 8-feet and nearly as thick as the lettering on a Bic pen, I'd say it's a little more than a coat hanger.
That's a yard stick.
That's a cabinet, a cone and an empty gas can.
I know the fact that it's a pretty big wire doesn't make the $120 bill easier for many of you to swallow, but they had to pull the wheel off and cut portions of this to get it unwound. 6 days out of 7, I'm paying for the convenience of not having to deal with that.
*update: Fine, fine, it's far thinner than that pen. Here's a close up.
Once a week I handle school pick-up duty in the evening, bringing home my eldest daughter and two of her friends after their after-school art program lets out. Every time I'm driving something different, of course, so they never know what car to keep an eye out for. It gets really interesting if their cell phones are dead (or mine) and I can't clue them in ahead of time.
Last night it was the 2011 Mazda 2, a car I signed out before I remembered that I was the night's assigned car pool captain. We're talking high school kids, so they're not exactly small of stature, and they come armed with enormous backpacks.
No problemo. Thie Mazda 2 has a real backseat. Six-foot-two me had only to slide his seat up a notch. I'm used to that.
I should probably bring them home in cars of this type more often, so as to not raise their expectations overmuch for the type of car they'll most likely be driving once they get their driver's license. My daughter is already studying for her learner's permit. *gulp*
Our 2011 Mazda 2 has proven to be entertaining to drive in a small car sort of way, even though the suspension itself is fairly standard, as we'll soon see.
The key to Zoom Zoom is how the inevitable tradeoffs are managed? Is ride more important? Noise? Steering? That hard to define fun-to-drive element? In Mazda's case the answer skews toward the fun end of the meter.
The way they do it is with suspension and tire tuning, through conscious choices made with regard to spring rates, damper settings, bushing hardness and the internal construction of the tires that support it all.
Much of this is invisible in a suspension walkaround, but we'll have a look anyway.
I would be shocked — shocked, I tell you — if I found anything other than MacPherson strut suspension in the front wheel wells.
As you can see I am not shocked.
As you'd expect from a budget-priced car, the Mazda 2's MacPherson strut setup is pretty uncomplicated and straighforward, with no special sauce.
The lower control arm (white) is made of a single piece of stamped steel.
The front subframe to which it attaches (yellow) is an abbreviated example of the species, in that it does not continue forward and encircle the entire engine bay. And no, I did not remove any plastic covers to take these shots.
There's no money for aluminum here; the knuckle is made of cast steel — the precise alloy is hard to know without seeing the drawings, though.
The rear-acting steering (green) is no surprise. Looking at it closer gives the impression that it's a full manual unit because the electric power assist unit is mounted higher up the steering column, hidden under the dash.>
The front stabilizer bar (yellow) loops over the top of the steering rack to meet up with pivot bushings concealed in the shadows behind.
With no perimeter front subframe, the L-shaped lower control arm has no choice but to point aft towards the rear of the car. All in all it's a compact and lightweight layout, as befits a small car.
What? Is that aluminum? Yup. The direct-acting stabilizer bar link is made of 'lum, as dad calls it, and it looks pretty stout, too.
Single-piston sliding calipers and 10.2-inch ventilated cast-iron rotors are more than enough to slow a small car such as the Mazda 2.
Ford and Mazda were still teamed up at some level when the Fiesta and Mazda 2 projects were kicked off, as evidenced by the FoMoCo logo cast into the brake caliper.
A twist beam axle and coil spring support the ass-end of the Mazda 2 — par for the course for cars in the diminutive B-segment.
(Is ass-end supposed to hyphenated? I suppose I should consult the Chicago Manual of Style.)
You've heard me go on about how a twist beam rear axle is essentially a big stabilizer bar with wheels on the end. The degree of twist, of roll stiffness, is largely determined by the torsional stiffness of the beam (yellow) that spans the car. So even though it looks like the Mazda 2 doesn't have a rear stabilizer bar, it kinda sorta does.
A twist beam has another benefit that small cars with ridiculously short rear overhangs take full advantage of, and that's the fact that this smallish beam that takes up very little space is THE ONLY thing that spans the car. There is no space-robbing subframe. So the fuel tank can nestle up close in front while the muffler and some evaporative emission equipment slots in behind. There's also room for a spare tire well in there somewhere, too.
Twist beam axles are notorious, though, for their habit of generating unwanted roll- and compliance-steer in corners and while executing emergency lane changes. Angling the main pivot bushings is meant to counteract this tendency. The ones on the Mazda 2 are angled as much as I've ever seen.
My, what cute little shock absorbers you have. Look, they're only slightly bigger than my thumb.
Let me guess. These simply HAVE to be monotube shocks.
*rummages through Mazda spec sheet*
Yep, I'm right. The diameter of the shock body is too small for this to be a twin-tube shock, a tube within a tube design that would have had an utterly tiny and ineffectual working piston and valve.
Monotube shocks, as the name implies, have just the one tube we can see, so the piston valve's diameter is only smaller by the wall thickness of the tube. That's still a small shock, but the Mazda 2 is a small car.
Also, the shock in this case mounts to the twist beam behind the centerline of the rear axle, when means the damper's motion ratio is greater than 1-to-1 relative to the forward-mounted pivot bushing we saw in the last shot — another peculiarity of the twist-beam axle genre that we don't see anyplace else.
Drum brakes are a novelty these days, but no great liability when the car is as small as the Mazda 2. Engineers have long since figured out how to make them work properly with ABS and stability control. For the record these are 8 inches in diameter.
Our Mazda 2 Touring rides on P185/55R15 all-season tires and aluminum alloy wheels that are 6 inches wide. Together they weigh just 32 pounds, a bowling ball less than most other cars today.
You may not know this, but Tom Bodett drove our 2011 Mazda 2 Touring last night, and he left the light on for me.
Note to HR: That was a joke.
Actually I left the light on for me.
Point is I was met with this ominous scenario when I stumbled out the front door at 5:40 this morning, bleary-eyed and behind schedule. Would she start?
No hesitation, no sluggish starter behavior, no problemo. She fired right up and I was on my way as per usual.
Yes, I know that our 2011 Mazda 2 doesn't have a real temperature gauge, and I know that some feel the blue and red thermometer icons are a poor substitute.
But now that the mornings are getting cold I really like the blue light.
Unlike a near-motionless gauge, the bright blue lamp draws attention to the fact that the car is cold, too cold for the heater to do anything other than pump freezing air into the cabin at a time when I really, really don't want it. And it's timed to wink off when the engine's coolant is juuuust warm enough to make some real heat — an important thing to know in a car with manual climate controls.
Would I like a gauge? Would it accomplish the same thing if I watched for the needle to lift off the peg? Sure, but that's not something I see out of the corner of my eye as easily as this. I mainly use a gauge to monitor things on the hot end of the spectrum.
Even if the Mazda 2 had a proper temperature gauge I'd want to keep this blue light, too. It's special.
Our year with the 2011 Mazda 2 is over. By the time you read this it will have left our hands and the task of writing the wrap-up article will have landed with a thud on someone's desk.
After one year and 15,372 miles of recorded fill-ups the Mazda 2 precisely nailed the EPA's combined fuel economy rating of 32 MPG. Our best tanks have exceeded the promise of 35 mpg highway on several occasions.
But it was close. The Average Lifetime MPG read 31.9 as recently as two tanks earlier, which would still have rounded up to 32 in the all-integer world of window sticker mpg. But a pair of final tanks at 34.0 and 34.5 nudged the average up to 31.98 mpg, which rounds to 32.0 and adds a decimal point of precision to the result.
Thing is, I hadn't looked at any of these figures beforehand. I didn't know it was that close and I didn't hypermile the thing to bring the numbers up. I simply drove as per usual in my semi-impatient style. And those last two tanks weren't highway tanks, either. There was plenty of city mixed in there, too. Seems to me the Mazda 2's rated mpg is getting easier to achieve with every mile.
One thing seems clear: the Mazda 2's predicted window sticker MPG numbers are absolutely realistic.
Wrap-Up
The 2011 Mazda 2 is the antithesis to the garlic press. As Features Editor Mike Magrath explained in the 2's intro, "TV chef and awesome guy Alton Brown has a theory on unitaskers. The theory is to stay away from them. It's not that a garlic press is the worst thing in the world, but a flat chunk of granite can press garlic, too. And shell nuts. And keep papers from flying around. And kill rats."
That seems to be the theory behind the Mazda 2. It's not the class leader in any category, but the aggregate value should be high enough to justify its existence." Is it good enough to compete with the likes of the versatile Honda Fit, low-priced Hyundai Accent or sporty Ford Fiesta? This was one of the questions we asked when ordering up our new-for-2011 Mazda 2 Touring.
We ordered the Touring trim to get cruise control. That was the only optional equipment we cared to add. Actually, our Crystal White Pearl paint job also added $200 to the tab, which totaled $16,385. A 100-horsepower, 1.5-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission granted the power of locomotion. No seat heaters. No navigation system. No frills. Simplicity was its appeal, which made us wonder just how popular the Mazda 2 would be after 12 months and 20,000 miles. There was one way to find out.
From the Outside in
At the time it arrived we hadn't seen a long-term subcompact in awhile. The closest thing to it was our outgoing long-term 2010 Mazdaspeed 3. There was interest, at least once we got past the exterior. "The Mazda 2 isn't the least bit fancy," began one editor." He continued, "In fact, dressed in refrigerator white it's about as homely-looking as a new car gets, at least on the outside."
Inside, the cabin reactions brightened. Sure, the lack of a center armrest and no USB port rubbed some the wrong way. But thoughtful design elements overshadowed them. The simple yet functional symmetry of the center stack was one example. Executive Editor Michael Jordan summarized, "Expensive cars have trim. Cheap cars have only design, because there can be no extras.... Real design is found where art meets necessity."
Editor Ed Hellwig also observed, "Mazda's designers might not have done much with the exterior, but they added a little bit of flair to the interior where they could. Most hatchbacks in this class are saddled with plain old gray cloth from top to bottom. The 2011 Mazda 2 mixes it up with contrasting fabrics and red piping, at least on the Touring model. None of this is groundbreaking stuff, but when it comes to $16K cars, it's an indication that the designers are at least trying to make a go of it."
Initial Driving Impressions
Mazda hangs its hat on building vehicles befitting its performance driving heritage. We expected the 2 to reflect this ideology to an economical degree. Most agreed the shifter and steering were tuned like a Mazda. Senior Editor Erin Riches commented upon her first interaction with the Mazda, "The shifter slots positively into each gate. The steering is steady on center, and as you add input, there's a nice fluidness to it along with some very definitive information about which way the front wheels are pointing."
It was the suspension and clutch uptake that could benefit from attention. Executive Editor Michael Jordan spent more time in the 2 than most of us. Jordan sighed, "I feel clumsy every time I get into this car. Every stoplight and stop sign is a challenge, a reintroduction to the Mazda 2's frustrating combination of an engine with a light flywheel, aggressive throttle action, an odd pedal arc for the clutch, a high engagement point for the clutch and a driving position that's scaled for smaller drivers.
"Every time I drive this car, it's telling me that I'm doing something wrong. Maybe I am, but I sure don't like being reminded of it every second."
On the open road, where its stop-start difficulties were not a factor, the 2 was a pleasant surprise. Visibility was great. Its low beltline emphasized the side windows and gave a sense of spaciousness in the Mazda. The ride was the real bonus. Reactions varied but all centered on the positive. "It's controlled and compliant — bordering on cushy," wrote one editor. Another added, "It tracked straight and true, as if it were a much larger car."
So we sent the Mazda on multiple triple-digit distance road trips. And it performed well for its dimensions.
Rarely First Choice, but Never a Disappointment
One such road trip found the 2011 Mazda 2 on a 1,000-mile-plus trek up and back to the NASA 25-hour endurance race at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, California. The 16-hour round trip was an enduro for the 2 as well.
When Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds chose the Mazda, it was because we wanted to put some early miles on the car. And it seemed appropriate since he was going to drive the B-Spec Mazda 2 and Honda Fit racecars. Initially, he wasn't a big fan of the idea. As the trip went on he changed his mind. Edmunds noted, "Our Mazda 2 handled the boring interstate that is I-5 with ease. The driving position was great and the seat stayed comfy and supportive over the 8-hour drive.... The presence of cruise control on our Touring model was a huge plus."
His experience mirrored our collective impression of the Mazda. As our test progressed, we often hesitated to spend time in it on the basis of it being a subcompact. Yet, the act of actually driving it quelled our concerns every time, as doing so reminded us just how competent a car it was.
Stop Texting and Drive
Our test was moving right along. It was off to the track for instrumented testing. At 6,400 miles the Mazda requested an oil top-off, so we added a half-quart. Shortly thereafter the 2 came due for its first regular service. We spent just $32 for an oil change, tire rotation and inspections. Things were going well.
Just as our test was getting up to speed, it happened. A careless motorist rear-ended our defenseless Mazda as it sat waiting for a traffic signal. Fortunately nobody was hurt and the impact occurred at low speed. The at-fault party paid nearly $1,600 to restore our car to as-new condition. And it cost us 14 days of our test.
Back on the road our Mazda accumulated miles at a far slower rate. Its popularity waned as it settled into the life of city commuter car. While this role filled the niche intended by Mazda, it didn't much help us reach our goal of 20,000 miles in a year. The 15,000-mile service interval arose just three weeks before the car was scheduled to leave us. There was excitement in its final days, as a 7-foot length of wire wrapped itself around suspension components on its right side. We paid $112 for the local dealer to unravel it.
Another Year Behind Us
And so our test came to an end. After 12 months we managed just over 16,000 miles on our 2011 Mazda 2. During this time we matched EPA fuel economy figures, averaging its 32 mpg projection exactly. In some single-tank cases we recorded nearly 39 mpg. This Mazda was not class-leading in any one category, yet here it again teaches a lesson in how to do things right.
The Mazda was unexpectedly fun to drive, rode well on the highway, achieved great fuel economy and stuck to simple, functional design elements. Maintenance was affordable, too. It handled all of the basics with few surprises.
At the start of our test we asked if the aggregate value of "average" added up to success for the Mazda 2. After a year with the car we'd say it adds up to sufficient. Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton summed it up: "Isn't 10 seconds a reasonable amount of time to get to 60 mph? Aren't 13.3 cubic feet enough for most runs to Trader Joe's? Sure, it could use an armrest up front, and a Bluetooth phone connection would be nice." But in the end we appreciated the appeal of keeping things simple. At some point adding more features would cost consumers more. So Mazda drew the line.
This wasn't our favorite long-term subcompact. But it wasn't our least favorite either. The 2011 Mazda 2 simply showed up for work every day and did what we asked while providing a little more fun than we expected along the way.
| Total Body Repair Costs: | None |
| Total Routine Maintenance Costs: | $105.46 (over 12 months) |
| Additional Maintenance Costs: | $112.00 |
| Warranty Repairs: | None |
| Non-Warranty Repairs: | Remove wire road debris from axle |
| Scheduled Dealer Visits: | 2 |
| Unscheduled Dealer Visits: | 1 |
| Days Out of Service: | 14 |
| Breakdowns Stranding Driver: | None |
| Best Fuel Economy: | 38.7 mpg |
| Worst Fuel Economy: | 21.1 mpg |
| Average Fuel Economy: | 32.0 mpg |
| True Market Value at service end: | $12,802 (private party sale) |
| Depreciation: | $3,583 or 22% of original MSRP |
| Final Odometer Reading: | 16,462 miles |
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.