How do you guys like your Mazda2 ? / Potential owner

S

Solace87

Member
Hey everyone.
I am interested in the new mazda 2, but I have some concerns.
My current car is a canada spec toyota echo which I bought to keep mileage and parking lot damage off my Mitsu VR4.

I love the echo, but its getting alot of miles and I love the way the Mazda 2 looks. My concern is how does the mazda 2 drive? Is it boring?

I ask because I really like my echo and dont want to consider something less peppy. I see that my echo weighs 400lbs less then the 2 and has 10 more HP.

I know its not all about the numbers, its about how it makes the power and the transmission, and the mazda is a much newer car.

What are some of your impressions?
is 4xMPG on the highway possible in the mazda 2? that is what I am currently getting and dont want to take a downgrade to that.
 
Hmm I see that the Ford Fiesta is more powerful with better mileage and nice interior.
I have always wanted a small car like that with a nicer interior. I have never seen one before, the only small cars I have seen with nice options are roadsters and stuff like that. Not good for friends and family and hobbies haha
 
Solace87 said:
Hmm I see that the Ford Fiesta is more powerful with better mileage and nice interior.
I have always wanted a small car like that with a nicer interior. I have never seen one before, the only small cars I have seen with nice options are roadsters and stuff like that. Not good for friends and family and hobbies haha
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The Mazda2 is a lot of fun to drive, especially with the manual transmission. Don't let the low HP rating fool you. The engine is peppy and sounds great, the steering feel is excellent, and the shifter is very crisp and precise.

The Fiesta is similar overall, but is slightly more tuned for fuel economy and comfort, so the engine is quieter, the ride is softer, and it's also heavier than the Mazda2, so despite its greater horsepower, 0-60 acceleration times for both cars are pretty much equal.

And as for things like the styling and interior, that's pretty much a matter of personal taste. The Fiesta appeals more to the technology buffs with its USB jack and SYNC feature, while I personally prefer the Mazda2's simple dials and knobs, instead of the Fiesta's maze of buttons on the dash.
 
The Mazda makes has a big flat torque curve starting at 80 ft/lbs at the wheels which goes from 2500-redline. It is super easy to drive and is fun to wind out (I hit the rev limiter from time to time).

I enjoy it every time I drive it.

-Derrick
 
Hi, new to the community and just purchased a mazda 2 a month ago (GS with manual). All of my fill ups I've been averaging 6.8l/100km (~42mpg). And thats with about 75 percent city driving. I don't push it too often though unless I'm out on the sea to sky hwy. The car is more than capable in the city and is pretty fun to drive. The only thing I dont like about it is the vague clutch. its a bit annoying on the get off.
 
RSun said:
Hi, new to the community and just purchased a mazda 2 a month ago (GS with manual). All of my fill ups I've been averaging 6.8l/100km (~42mpg). And thats with about 75 percent city driving. I don't push it too often though unless I'm out on the sea to sky hwy. The car is more than capable in the city and is pretty fun to drive. The only thing I dont like about it is the vague clutch. its a bit annoying on the get off.
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Looks like your pretty close to me. I'm in Vancouver, I have a GS manual also. What color did you get?

I'm enjoying mine also. I like the better gas mileage than what I was use to, it is easily 2x better than my old car. The car feels faster than what it is and it is fun to drive. I have no regrets going from a speed6 to a mazda2. It just suites my needs and lifestyle better.
 
RSun said:
Hi, new to the community and just purchased a mazda 2 a month ago (GS with manual). All of my fill ups I've been averaging 6.8l/100km (~42mpg). And thats with about 75 percent city driving. I don't push it too often though unless I'm out on the sea to sky hwy. The car is more than capable in the city and is pretty fun to drive. The only thing I dont like about it is the vague clutch. its a bit annoying on the get off.
Click to expand...

The clutch pressure plate is pretty light. I am already thinking of getting something a bit stiffer.

-Derrick
 
Better mileage on paper. The interior is decent, but the Mazda2 has better plastics.

C&D just did a three-way (Fit, 2, Fiesta, all MT)... despite being down on power versus the other two, the Mazda2 was just a bit slower than the Honda Fit and was the best to drive amongst the three (in their words... but they gave the "Fun to drive" kicker to the Honda... weird, huh?).

I've driven the 2 against the Fit. Even in AT, it's only half-a-second slower to the speed limit and definitely more fun to drive. It's rorty, raucuous and the steering is fantastic. (not as good as my Protege with the 2.7:1 rack... but then... nothing is... :D ) It's the sort of car you can find yourself three-wheeling down a mountain road in.

Only niggle is the rear drum brakes. Tend to cause the ABS to lock up too easily in a corner. I guess you could always pull the fuse when you're out to have fun... :D
 
hansolocujo said:
Looks like your pretty close to me. I'm in Vancouver, I have a GS manual also. What color did you get?

I'm enjoying mine also. I like the better gas mileage than what I was use to, it is easily 2x better than my old car. The car feels faster than what it is and it is fun to drive. I have no regrets going from a speed6 to a mazda2. It just suites my needs and lifestyle better.
Click to expand...

sweet. I have only seen one other mazda2 in the vancouver area. Thought i was the only one haha. I have a metro grey one. How bout u? I went from a prelude vtec to this car. I think it gets almost twice the mileage which is crazy...not that much difference unless u rev it up (prelude was much better in higher rpm obviously).
Corksport yeah i definitely wanna change the clutch soon. Its so annoying sometimes I almost rev up to 3k just to get moving. then it jolts forward. On the lude I used to always get nice starts with minimal over rev.
 
The car is gr8, I ride at high highway speeds and still manage 6-7l/100km's.
I use it as a daily drive to spare my GTI and the mazda is much faster through traffic.
Against competitors I chose the mazda because every second guy owns a fiesta and the AUX port looks like china technology or something and so does the cellphone radio imitation.
But it's a gr8 car with good mileage that doesn't drive like a turtle.
 
I have a 2009 in ROmania and put 22000 km on it... It drives still like new. I just got my 2011 in the states and is the same except the interior is a bit better the sits too but the suspension is softer and is taller
 
I know you're gonna get a lot of bias, coming to a Mazda forum asking about buying a Mazda, but I have to vote in with everyone here. I'm in love with my Yozora 2. It's a nice tight base, fun to drive stock and I think its got a LOT of potential as a hot hatch tuner. A lot of people (on here and in media etc...) seem to refer to the 2 as a poor man's miata. Dead simple, and tons of fun.
 
As far as gas mileage goes... over 15 fill-ups I'm averaging over 33 MPG. I can't say for sure that you would or wouldn't hit 40+ on the highway, but I would describe my everyday driving as "spirited" with a Highway/City ratio of about 35%/65%.... so for me to get 33+ is great IMO.

It's a car guy's "practical car" in my opinion. Reasonably priced, adequately powered, Solid fuel efficiency, plenty of utility and lots of style... the Yaris is played out and kinda boring, the Fit is what it is, the Fiesta is kinda Gimmicky... but the Mazda 2 is just a fun car to own.
 
Glad to see that owners like their 2's so much! Not to thread hijack, but I am looking at trading our VW Jetta Sportswagen TDI for a Mazda 2 (and a Mazda CX-7 for my wife to be). We are in the process of working a deal on a 5-speed Touring (And a CX-7 SV) and I am really hoping that the numbers will work out.

In the past, I have owned several Mazdas (See Sig) and REALLY miss the fun that Mazda seems to have in their products... nice to see its not absent from the Mazda2!
 
We flat love it. We refer to as "FDM" - Front Drive Miata. It replaced a 2007 Speed 3 and we're much happier. Other cars in the house include two 1990 Miatae (one street, one Spec Miata) and a Ford E350. We cross-shopped a lot of cars, but the final contenders were this, the Fiesta, and the Mini.

8200 miles, and we're averaging 36.7 MPG (calculated, not what the gauge says) in mixed use. Yes, it's a gutless wonder, but I used to drive a 1960 Volkswagen Bus (36 thundering HP), so I'm used to the concept of maintaining momentum. I just wish the damn exhaust was louder, and hopefully the forthcoming Mazdaspeed B-Spec parts will address that...
 
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FDM, huh? Sounds like a nice license plate... :)

Replacing a speed3 with a Mazda2? That is saying something! One thing that i never liked about my Mazdaspeed Miata was that it was only on rare occasion that I could drive it full-steam... Well, not if I wanted to keep my license! I actually enjoyed my Mazda 323 a little more because I was able to wring it out in everyday driving... lots of fun!

So far, the numbers look pretty decent on the deal, so now its up to financing to get an acceptable rate. Will keep yall up to date!
 
Yes, we got rid of the MS3 for the M2. While we loved the shear stoopid amount of power the car had, the reality was that we did not need a 153 MPH (verified via the GPS) station wagon to go to work in.

That, and the shift linkage on the 6 speed MS3 is horrific. Every 5 - 6 upshift was apt to end up in fourth, and 6-5 downshifts often resulted in third. (The all too common recall for the motor mounts was done and it did not help matters.) There is an aftermarket fix for the problem but I just wasn't interested in dealing with it. It got to the point where I was unable to enjoy driving the car and usually chose the street Meotter instead. Combine that with a 24 MPG appetite for premium and it was time to send it down the road. Somebody out there picked up a nice, low miles (19K) 2007 MS3 and hopefully is enjoying it more than we did.
 
Update: We worked out the numbers and took deliver of the CX-7 and my Mazda 2 Touring (black) tonight! Drove it 120 miles back from Jacksonville and so far all is GREAT! I will do a proper introduction after i get back from my conference this weekend and can grab some pics!
 
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