Hands on with the Mazda 2

Thanks to Steven and Anika I was able to take out the new Mazda 2 for a couple of days. I did a bit of driving around the city as well as out of town to Punta Fuego. To put things into perspective, I’ve always been a sedan guy (I own the new 2010 Honda City A MT) so this is the first time I’ve been behind the wheel of a compact sports sedan. Note that I’m not part of the motoring media and do not review cars often so what I write really comes from first-hand buzz from friends and my own thoughts about “things” that are supposed to take you from point A to B.

Read on for the hands on.

Mazda had a lot in mind for the youthful and edgy market with this car, and you can first see it from the choice of two other colors available apart from red, white and black — the flashy blue (Aurora Blue) and neon green (Spirited Green). The head lights and front grill successfully convey a happy car, obviously driven by someone who is stepping up the corporate ladder in utter nonchalance, or is 26 years and below with a really rich family. It’s not a “man’s car.” It’s a “guy’s car.”

Coming from a Sedan, the City namely, which offers “something for everybody” the Mazda 2 spares you from anything classic looking and doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to giving you a damn great ride. It’s not classic – it’s edgy. Albeit small. And that’s expected from a sports sedan. Behind the wheel, I was transformed from my mild mannered self into a quasi-unbridled “guy” who can find every excuse to drive out. The smirk I had on my face matches the smiley of the front grill.

The market philosophy of the Mazda 2 (1.5 Liter) can be clearly seen from the middle panel, that houses the AUX port for your iPod or any 3.5mm compatible player, the lighter, and a removable ash tray so you can dump it anytime. Removed, the bin houses one cup holder. If you think these are excellent, then pat yourself on the back dear friend … you are the Mazda 2’s target market (as well as the Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris). Seriously though, only one cup holder?! OK maybe I’ve gotten used to the City — it has 5 cup holders! The Mazda 2 has a protrusion on the utility slots on the door, which I think is made for cups as well. So if you want to push it, you get 3 cup holders.

Look at this dash board. Like most higher end models for cars today, the dash board control for the audio is replicated on the steering wheel. At night, the LED backlight is colored amber.

The Mazda 2 is sporty and light. The car is very responsive to the wheel. Coming from a Honda City owner, the Mazda 2 takes me out of my comfort zone and puts me under the wheel of a car that can whirl through traffic and ignite adrenaline.

Other things:

• The internal light is located at the front of the car, not at the middle, making trunk visiblity a bit bad at night. To remedy this, there’s a white light located at the right side of the trunk.

I’m a bit iffy about the glove compartment. Instead of having to fully open it, you can just throw small stuff in. If you need to put in bigger items, you can open it fully. I can see the logic behind this and all is well. The drawback is the aesthetic dampening.

• The Mazda 2 comes with keyless entry and a folding key. I think all Mazda models have this in stock.
• I like the location of the gear shift. It is a bit higher, almost on the front console itself so if we’re to wait for the MT version (right now we only have the Automatic) and they place the gear shift in the same place, this would be very ergonomic.