But we think the hatch is the way to go, as it's by far the better-looking and more expressive of the two; the sedan is respectably styled, if a bit frumpy. Single-Serving Fun Ultimately, our Mazda 2 was a good small car best enjoyed in small doses. Overall, the interior has held up nicely during its stay with us so far, showing nary a scrape or gouge—impressive for hard plastics. The engine is gutsy and delivers excellent fuel economy with an easy-to-use manual or available automatic. In any case, the decals are coming off soon. The tool: this very Mazda 2. .
Colour options for the 2 include Snowflake White Pearl, Metropolitan Grey, Aluminium Metallic, Black Mica, Soul Red, Deep Crystal Blue, and Dynamic Blue Mica. Find a little narrow, rough backroad and the Mazda3 is a riot to drive; the suspension feels way more sophisticated than you might expect in a budget hatch, and it doesn't succumb to plowing and understeer at the slightest provocation. That said, the interior is otherwise a pleasant place, with generous, supportive front seats and a reasonably accommodating back seat—plus a low, flat cargo floor with the seats folded down. The previous version was criticized for a stiff and noisy ride at times. The suspension underneath is fairly conventional, with MacPherson struts in front and a trailing-arm twisting-beam rear suspension, but in the redesign, the engineers have done some interesting things with the suspension mounts and bushings that yield a much flatter ride through high-speed corners and quick-reacting suspension that doesn't make a lot of noise or transmit a lot of bumps and humps to the seats inside the car.
The little engine is gutsy, with a sporty note at upper revs. It was far from the fastest, biggest, or most well-appointed car in our garage, but in its 12 months and 18,000 miles, the peppy green hatch won the hearts of almost everyone on staff. Some vibration persisted, so we had the wheels rebalanced, which finally returned the 2 to its chipper, shimmy-free self. Along with that are a new upper and lower grille design, new hood, new fenders, new lamps, new bumpers and air intakes up front, with body-colored door handles all around, new taillamps, liftgate, and wheels. It's roomy for four and offers good cargo capacity.
It's styling a features make it a great choice for those looking for a stylish compact car. In either of its forms, the Mazda3 feels best engaged from about 45 mph to 75 mph, the perfect working powerband for commuter traffic. A quick search of some Mazda enthusiast forums tells us other 2 owners are experiencing the same intermittent problem. However, it still manages to look smart and different from the sea of other hatchbacks. This resulted in new anti-roll-bar bushings, a new rear shock, and a new steering intermediate shaft being fitted under warranty. The engineers seem to have made the new car more resilient, yet suspension and road noise sometimes overwhelms the cabin.
It sounds good at the top end, and it's not buzzy. We did, however, hit some snags along the way. The larger engine gets a six-speed manual transmission as standard and the same optional five-speed automatic as the base car. At the rear, the Mazda 2 gets a rakish rear windscreen which makes the car look aerodynamic and swoopy. The all-new five-seat, front-wheel-drive subcompact was designed to take on a wide range of competitors, such as the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, and Kia Soul and Rio.
Some steering-wheel shudder persisted as we awaited the arrival of four new tires that were replaced under warranty because of premature wear from the faulty suspension. Still, we have a few gripes. It entertained us on our daily commutes and averaged 31 mpg overall. Mazda2 Touring gets upgraded cloth upholstery with three-dimensional seat fabric with red piping, six-speaker sound system, multi-functional leather steering wheel, rear roof spoiler, fog lamps, and 15-inch alloy wheels. Recall Date 2017-02-09 Description Mazda North American Operations Mazda is recalling certain 2011 Mazda2 and 2010-2011 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles equipped with a manual seat lifter.
A trip to the dealership confirmed our suspicion that a front brake rotor was warped, and it was replaced under warranty. It maneuvers rewardingly in tight driving situations, making it easy to park or thread through thick traffic. The problem initially manifested itself as a vibration in the steering wheel at highway speeds, so we had a local shop rebalance the wheels. On its return to the test track at 40,000 miles, the 2291-pound Mazda needed six more feet to stop from 70 mph 184 feet than when new, yet it circled the skidpad at 0. The Mazda 2 Touring version adds front fog lamps and a rear roof spoiler. A leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls was included, as was an upgraded stereo with six speakers instead of four. The Mazda 2 is the smallest offering by the Japanese brand in the country.
Service, Shaking, and Stickers On the service front, we spent 42 bucks for a checkup and oil change, but we also had an unexpected dealer visit. The fuel efficiency is also quite appreciable at 18. And for those who would rather avoid accidents in the first place, strong four-wheel disc brakes are included in all Mazda3 models. But tech-savvy shoppers will be kept happy with Bluetooth standard on most models, along with steering-wheel audio and phone controls. It's a common refrain: carmakers have to balance out look and feel with the cost of the cabin, and the Mazda3 balances the two better than most, but some color choices accent the grainier plastics. Our 2 Touring slogged through two winters without issue on Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires and performed better than expected on its few extended voyages, the longest of which was to Calgary, Alberta. Those looking for something entry level but with enough interior comforts and technology, should opt for the Sport model.