Thoughts on the Mazda 2

Well yesterday I got to go by my local Mazda dealer and see the brand new Mazda 2. It was in pearl white, Great looking body style great looking interior. I wasn't able to test drive it. I am going to go back soon to try to get a test drive. The wheels seem a little to small for the car. It makes the car look like its lifted. Maybe if they used bigger wheels or if they lowered the car just a little bit to have a little less wheel gap. Other then that it I liked the styling that Mazda has used with it seems to fit with almost every other Mazda on their lot. I asked the sales man if they have had much interest in them or really any questions about it and he said they hadn't just yet. He said he is hoping with the new commercials and more Mazda 2's on the lot that they would have more interest about the cars. The Mazda dealer around me only had two Mazda 2's. He said they hope to have around 5 to 10 by the next month to really kick off sales. I will be updating my post a little more once i get to test drive it and get a feel about how they drive.

Thanks everyone for reading. I hope it wasn't to much rambling.

Subbing for more impressions (cool)

Nice intro...Interesting to see that Dealers are getting just a couple or so at first and than more soon after instead of a larger shipment up front...I'm looking forward to your driving impressions...Thanks for the post! (2thumbs)

Girlfriend wanted one. Seems quality and she likes the look and so do I. But it seemed a little underpowered. But she doesn't really need it.

Hopefully final resort doesn't mind, but i will give my thoughts on the new 2 here as well.

So, a few days ago, i got to drive a mazda2. My 5 was in for an oil change, and they just got a few 2's in at the dealership. (the first ones in MI)

They weren't even prepped yet since their guy was out sick. Apparently they have to do some extra things to the manual transmissions before they can be test driven, so they brought out an auto touring model for me to check out. It had no gas in it, so they had to go get some first. Also, being not prepped, the electronics weren't working at all. No radio, no electric locks, so i cannot say anything about those. I couldn't even open the rear hatch since there was no electronics and no key hole. (and we couldnt find a lever from the inside either.)

First look. I like it. The smile isn't crazy. (black does hide it best though)
(sorry, only cell phone pics)




The seats are comfortable, and the interior is nice and simple, the way i like it. Just don't expect any high end materials here, it is an economy car in the purest form. Fit and finished seemed nice though. I like the seat that the touring gets.





It has traction control... silly government needs.

Anyways... I'm 6'0'' and have fairly long legs. I was able to be pretty comfortable in the 2. As will the other 2 mazdas i own, i had the seat all the way back. Even so, I sat in the back seat, (with the drivers seat still all the way back) and was ok. My knees touched, but only when my legs were together. Cannot say the same about my protege5.

I kind of wish the rear seats folded all the way down. It looks like they could have easily done like they did with my protege5 to accomplish this. Have the bottoms of the seats rotate forward leaving room for the backs to fold down.

So, driving impressions. This is where the 2 shines. Still wish i could talk about the manual, but oh well. The steering is spot on. You touch the wheel, and it goes that way. It handled the crappy MI roads very well too. It was quiet (way quieter than my protege5) and composed. When you hit the gas, you could still hear the little 1.5L scream to get you going though. I thought the 2 had plenty of power. I drive a protege. It is slow, i understand how to drive slow cars. But it is plenty of fun. The auto was eager to downshift with little to no lag whatsoever! Now, what surprised me is that mazda has been making all their autos sport automatics since 2003. This one did not have the manual function. I call this a miss in my book. That is a lack of zoom zoom. Like i said, the auto downshifted when needed, but i use my sport auto function in my protege5 all the time, and find it odd that it was missing in this car.

So, nice little car here, at a descent price, but how will it fair against the competition. Others compare it to the Fit, or Versa, but the most direct competition I think will be from its own sibling, the Ford Fiesta.

The fiesta is slightly larger, has a larger, more powerful engine, get better MPG (so the EPA says) and has the option of a 6 speed DSG auto. I have priced them out, and for what I want (5 door, manual) the 2 and the fiesta price out almost even at 16K. Now, the Fiesta has way more options, and can be over 20K if you want.

So basically I need to drive a fiesta now. It will come down to driving impressions for me. The 2 is very nice, but the fiesta is just as nice, and has more to give. I'm guessing that the 2 will be sportier to drive, but most Americans will not car.

I would though. So it will have to be seen as to how nice the fiesta is on the road.

Mazda 2 2009

I own a Mazda 2, let me start by saying. The little guy rocks! I live outside of the US and it was launched here in 2009. I bought it off a guy that was hard up for the cash and got an awesome deal on it. Thats what drew me to the car itself (the price) but as I get more aquainted with the car I like it more and more. Its as simple as simple can be and it has great pep for a little guy. the inside is very roomy and the sound system is perfect, again for a little guy.
I do however have one complaint. The place were I live is very dusty and has a ton of road debris. My cabin air filter seems to be clogged because it doesnt throw out any cold air. That brings me to my question for this forum.
How in gods name do I change the cabin filter?
I want to change it but cant locate it.
Thanks,
Marlon

Thanks for posting Rocking!! i havnt had a chance again to get down there stupid school! Marlon welcome to the forums!! Glad to hear others are enjoying mazda 2's!! and I am not sure about the cabin air filter im sure if we give it a little time someone will do a how to.

Car and Driver comparison.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/10q3/2011_ford_fiesta_vs._2010_honda_fit_2011_mazda_2-comparison_tests

The 2... places a fitting 2nd. Mainly due to the Fit having so much space inside. They tried to like the ford, but yeah, same conclusion as I had. Plus the fiesta has no rear leg room!

Still, for 3K less than the fit, you have room to buy some fun extras!


Also...

I didn't get to drive the fiesta, but I did get to sit in one and look around. It was a manual that I got to sit in. They only had 2 fiestas at the dealership. One in the showroom (the manual hatch that I looked at) and an auto sedan outside. I'm not looking for the sedan. Anyways, I sat inside, and got comfortable in the drivers seat. The steering wheel was tilt only, no telescoping. (I know chris, who cares, but I have long legs, and like a better steering position) Still, wasnt too bad inside. Looked nice, but felt cheap... to me. The door handle felt light and cheap, and the plastic was rough. But, this is an economy car here, but my protege felt better put together.

So, I got the front seat the way I wanted it. Wasnt all the way back like I am in the protege. They must make these for americans, but still, a big guy would be cramped I believe. I tried to get in the back seat, behind the driver, and couldnt get my feet to fit except if I put them sideways. It was really cramped back there. I was confused. I had enough room in the Mazda2, but this fiesta was much smaller back there. Hmm... so I looked up the figures later, and you can see, that the fiesta has 31.2 compared to the Mazda2 at 34.8. That is 3.6 inches LESS than the Mazda2! These really aren't the same car! My protege has 35.4. The cargo capacity behind the rear seats is much bigger than the Mazda2 though, but I want more passenger room than that. This pretty much ruled out the fiesta for me. I need a car that can still seat 3 other people with a baby in a baby seat.