A week spent in the smallest zoom zoom sedan in the US

Pros:

Excellent steering and entertaining handling
Fuel economy
Power to weight ratio

Cons:

Bland styling except for that smiley face
Conservative interior
Radio is difficult viewing in sunlight

The Mazda2

The Mazda Mazda2, known as the Demio in Japan, has been around since 1996. But it wasn’t until the third generation of the subcompact, which shares its DE platform with Ford’s Fiesta, that Mazda decided to import it into the U.S.

Unveiled at the L.A. Auto Show in 2009, Mazda new car dealers began deliveries in July of 2010.

Exterior

Outside, the Mazda2 also shares its basic shape, although very little of its sheetmetal with that of the Fiesta. The stylists at Mazda have done their best to imbue the Mazda2 with as much Nagare design as could be managed on such a small canvas.

The 2 gets a vestigial version of Mazda’s swoopy front fender treatment, while a soft crease beginning just behind the front wheel well sits below and follows the beltline and becomes more pronounced as it sweeps back and upward along the side of the body, terminating just above the rear taillights.

In back, an upper rear spoiler, rear wiper and chrome exhaust tip finisher are standard.

In addition to these touches, the 2 also gets Mazda’s smiley-face grille, a stylistic touch, as I have stated before, that continues to baffle me. Enough said.

Interior

Inside, there is plenty of front seat room for adults of just about all sizes. The driver’s seat was equipped with a height adjustment feature that even allows those of us who are a bit vertically challenged to compensate for the Mazda2’s somewhat high beltline.

Interior materials are, for the most part, first-rate, especially those used for the seats, although many surfaces, including those of the outboard arm rests, are comprised of less than class-leading hard plastics. Fit and finish, on the other hand, is excellent. The dashboard instrumentation is also simple, straightforward and legible.

But alas, all is not perfect. One of the first things I became aware of while driving was the fact that the readout for the radio is nearly impossible to see in bright sunlight due to reflected glare. And although passenger space is fairly generous for a vehicle of this size at 87.7 cubic feet (2 cubic feet more than the Fiesta) and rear passenger legroom is 33 inches (2 inches more than the Fiesta), this is done at the expense of a mere 13.3 cubic feet of cargo volume - 2 cubic feet less than its Ford cousin.

Equipment

With little in the way of available options, our Touring trim level came very well equipped, even without any extras. Power windows, mirrors and door locks with keyless entry were all standard. Even the leather-covered steering wheel (with audio and cruise controls) came with a tilt function, although it didn’t telescope. Alloy wheels, intermittent wipers, along with a rear wiper, spoiler and window defroster were also standard as was air conditioning and an AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with auxiliary input jack.

Finally, stability control, ABS and traction control and driver/passenger, side and side curtain airbags also come standard.

In addition to a short options list, when it comes to the Mazda Mazda2, you can have any engine you want, as long as you happen to want Mazda's 1.5-liter DOHC 16-valve ZY-VE MZR 4-cylinder engine that produces 100 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 98 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm.

While this may not seem like much when compared to the Fit’s 117 horsepower or the Fiesta’s 120 horsepower, the 2 weighs 218 pounds less than the Honda and 216 pounds less than the Ford. As Colin Chapman would say, “Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.”

On the road

And speaking of faster everywhere, if you can find your way past that smiley-faced grille and spartan interior, you’re in for a real treat when the Mazda2 hits the road. What the 2 may lack in style, it more than makes up for in substance.

Toss it into a corner and you’re rewarded with what is probably the best handling chassis in the B segment. And while the power on tap is limited, the engine never sounds buzzy; even as it bumps up against its 6,500 rpm redline.

Feedback through the steering wheel is excellent and I managed an observed around-town fuel economy of 31.8 mpg in very spirited driving with this automatic-equipped model – nearly 5 mpg above its EPA estimate.

Pricing

Mazda2 new car dealer pricing, including a $795 destination charge, begins at $14,975 for a base Sport model with a 5-speed manual transmission. Our Touring automatic had a base price of $16,435. Adding the center arm rest ($170) and rear bumper guard ($80) brought the as-tested price to a very reasonable $17,480.

The Bottom Line

After spending a week in the Mazda2 Touring, I find myself torn between its inherent goodness on one hand, and its distinct lack of much of the cutting-edge connectivity and infotainment features that car shoppers look for these days which can be found in many vehicles in this class.

So it comes down to this: for those of you out there looking for a great handling, affordable small car that are also willing to forego such amenities as USB and hands-free Bluetooth, look no further than the Mazda Mazda2.

2012 Mazda 2 Review Video

View our 2012 Mazda 2 Video Review on LotPro's YouTube channel.