A friend recently asked me to recommend an economical car, not quite uninteresting little with her fiance, the Honda Fit was the end of the lease. I have not met the woman a chance, but since his appointment advice car geek, I felt compelled to offer a 1990 Subaru loyal - spacious and well on gas, but just as beautiful as a rust spot.
My result, the recommendation was not less frivolous another attack would have been a mundane answer, but no year is very good, but the Mazda 2, a car that was full of praise for the overseas markets from abroad creation in 2007. The little Mazda has made its long awaited arrival at U.S. dealers last year.
While Mazda will never miracles movement days, ingenious Fit owners love to document on Flickr, the four-door sedan makes optimum use of a low profile just now (at least in the form of a manual transmission, the least on paper) mileage than its rival Honda squares.
greatest strength of the car is, however, is something not usually seen as part of a lower-end market. 2 is a blast to drive.
Mazda small achiever probably the best lap in order to start the class, developed in collaboration with Ford. During the Federal - Ford maintained a small share of Mazda, which once it is effectively controlled - companies freely exchanged platforms, engines and transmissions, and in some cases, such as the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute crossover, everything but the grille badge.
Ford Fiesta did this switch, too, and divided into 2's Lovely Bones. Part of the automotive press has described these two as fraternal twins, but after the weekend back-to-back pair of world-class, I would hesitate to even call them kissing cousins.
First of all, the Ford feels much heavier than the Mazda's spirit, which is less than 200 pounds to push around. And even if the burden of providing easily measurable difference between the two biggest differences are more philosophical.
Mazda wants nothing more than to see his anointed No. 2 budget boat race in America. By contrast, Ford seems so concerned about the expectations of a customer party budget feel overwhelmed by them. What was the appeal of the Ford Sync connectivity system in the car because I thought I could not find the switch stereo AM / FM? Why 6-speed transmission with automatic clutch dry make the car veer oddly enough, when my foot was out of gas? Trading in the Fiesta sometimes felt like a compromise.
That said, buyers are being courted by the characteristics of the Ford-cons not the store 2 and expect the same sophistication.
The interior of the Mazda is not the most comfortable in its class - the Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa recently remodeled continue to challenge this cage match - but his feeling of cheap plastic and meters suddenly fall squarely within the econobox means Ford is trying very hard to shatter.
During a day of racing, suggested appetite dashboard finger dirt accessories for Mazda Big Mac was consumed in the cabin. (I'm Whopper guy probably has not occurred.)
Other interior elements seemed wise, but grew painful. Radio controls the fan base of a sundial-like dash, climate control buttons below. It is a nice layout efficient, but at the center of the ball of luminescent night acted like a tractor beam on my right pupil.
For all interior are missing important things and oriented around the driver. Mazda positioned shifter manual 5 speeds, handy steering wheel so that the pilot's reach increases the minimum distance to shift - a holding ergonomic prowess rarely seen since the Honda Civic Si in the early 2000s . The wheel does not telescope, but I found the driving position more comfortable opportunities offered by competitors 2.
The rear seats are not the knees this proposal are in the Ford. Despite being five inches shorter than the sedan Fiesta, and more than a foot shorter than the sedan Fiesta, 2 offers more than two cubic feet of passenger space. Credit outside the Mazda designers, which has pushed the two wheels at each corner of evil, as the Mini Cooper, the maximum cabin space.
On the road, 2 has a charm that has won the World Car of the Year laurels in 2008, barriers to ruffle the hard-bitten New York City Commuter Cars. The suspension was made up of pebbles choppy on the waterfront south of Brooklyn, and the 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes only 100 horsepower, with a constant series of most of its weight, push the two pockets of the fleet moving on the road and highway with surprising ease.
Match the right tool for change is a modest benefit from the class of assets, and $ 14,975 is the value most convincing.
A car starts with 4-speed automatic $ 15,775. The only option is a notable nondrivetrain $ 1,455 Touring package adds cosmetic touches like a spoiler and chrome exhaust.
In my test car 5-speed, the clutch pedal felt too close to brake, a criticism that I have two equally diminutive sidekick, the sports car MX-5, formerly known as Miata . But like the MX-5, 2 translate even prudent road speeds in the larger sizes of foot.
The sporty character, however, can dilute the point of sale.
2, with a manual transmission is rated 29 miles per gallon city and 35 on the road - not very impressive, when big cars like the Chevrolet Cruze and Eco Hyundai Elantra Road does not meet the 40 mpg barrier. My mileage observed along the direction of the police mind-bait, but no, just 28 miles per gallon
With 4-speed automatic transmission, the car is rated 27 mpg city, 33 highway.
These figures compare favorably with those of the Fit, but heavier, more powerful Fiesta outsips two cars, using energy towers conservation efforts, including the high speed which allows the engine rev Fiesta lower speed highway.
Ford, Honda, Mazda trio will soon face some competition huge new, including the new 2012 Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent two cars which was published last month in New York auto show and is expected in showrooms this summer. Mazda, however, intends to challenge the wars mileage with a set of technologies for efficiency improvement is expected to be invited SkyActiv next year, the Mazda 2 Electric prototypes rides in Tokyo (though no production plans have been reported).
Since 2 is built in Japan, imports have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami of March. Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes said that although some dealers may have some color combinations and delivery of the material, they would be locate the car buyers 'preferences'.
For now, if not 2 of the desire to defend the driving experience between Mazda mainly in a segment that tends to focus on the economy at any cost.
