Extroverted Runabout

MANILA, Philippines – It must be tough to make a distinctive subcompact. Between size, performance, features, and cost limitations, there’s also the challenge of making it appealing enough such that sufficient volume is sold. Subcompacts or the so-called “econocars” are notorious for yielding low margins, so it’s important that a manufacturer sell enough to actually turn a profit.

Now, Mazda has never been shy about its cars’ style, and its smallest sedan is no exception: the “2” stands out from a crowd of tried-and-tested rivals by virtue of a rakish exterior that does its best to look like a fashionable recessionista. Extremely fashion conscious buyers will go for the 5-door, but the more pragmatic will appreciate the sedan, which won’t be mistaken for a taxicab anytime soon. Some might even call it, to borrow a term picked up from the recent elections, “kurut-able”.

The window beltline sharply slopes downward from the rear to the base of the A-pillar, helping to create a large window area that puts the driver more in touch with the road. The front fenders mimic the “hunched shoulder” look of its upmarket siblings like the Mazda6 and CX-7, creating a sense of muscularity. The oversize headlamp assemblies are shaped like cat’s eyes. The pert rear end is somewhat less inspired; just a clean rear fascia with basic, organically-shaped taillamps. But wait... take a second look at the trunklid and you’ll see a pushbutton release. Opening it reveals expensive strut linkages for minimal cargo bay intrusion.

More pleasant details abound inside. The slightly oversized instrument panel is housed in a pod echoing design inspiration from a motorbike’s, and the center console’s circular motif nicely puts all the pertinent controls and buttons for stereo and A/C within easy reach. The glove box has an interesting, exterior compartment sized just right for handbags and road books. Little shelves flank the steering column for loose change and toll cards, but the front seatbacks lack map pockets. The trunk is capacious for its size. Since the strut linkages don’t intrude on space, you can put bulky items up against the walls without fear of damaging them.

The gear shift location is a head scratcher. It’s just below the A/C dials and diagonally positioned instead of the traditionally horizontal placement.It also uses a linear movement instead of the more tactile Euro-gate design. Shifting from “D” to “S” and back, you will occassionally overshoot and place the car in “N” instead.You want paddle shifters? Sorry, not in this car.

Step on the gas and the Mazda2 scoots forward like a puppy juiced up with multivitamins. The 1.5-liter engine makes just 103 PS and 135 Nm of torque, yet the car feels light on its feet and will actually chirp the tires from rest if the road is just a little bit wet. The little motor sports twin cams and 16 valves, allowing it to zing up the tachometer with minimal vibration and making the appropriate “vroom-vroom” noises. Steering effort from the electrically-assisted unit is light and borderline anesthetized, but accurate enough to let you place the car just so on crowded city streets. With no passengers but the driver, the car will easily scoot to 140kph, but going faster than that may require a tailwind or a slight descent. At that speed, which is pushing it for a subcompact, the lightweight feel of the car can be a little bit unnerving the moment a strong crosswind pushes the car off course. So follow the speed limit like you’re supposed to.

High terminal speeds are not the car’s forte; slower, just-zipping-around is. The front strut-rear torsion beam suspension is par for the class and tuned on the soft side to take the sting out of pockmarked streets. Still, it’s fun to play around with the Mazda2. The car has a playful, point-and-shoot personality ideal for the kind of urban guerilla driving most drivers will find themselves in. Just like with its bigger siblings, the car is eager to turn into corners and has a flickable rear end that an experienced driver can induce into a “poor man’s drift”. With a modified suspension, a stick shift, stickier tires and assuming autocross races were still in vogue, this car would acquit itself well. It’s actually more fun to throw into curves than its bigger, heavier sibling: the 1.6-liter Mazda3.

Driven exuberantly, the Mazda2 delivered 9.46kpl in city and highway driving. Used more conservatively as a small family car and/or secondary car, it does a fairly good job. The rear seat was spacious enough for two Asian adults with some squeeze space for a third in the middle, and passengers liked the expensive look and feel of the fabric seats. With the rear seatbacks folded, the car easily swallowed 100 small shopping bags, a laptop, a projector, several boxes of cookies, 6 rolled-up tarps, and around 400 magazines for an event I helped produce.

As expected, minor details such as the carpeting and trunk liner use the cheap and fuzzy kind. The door panels are also bereft of fabric inserts so, when taking the whole gray-and-black cabin into consideration it’s all a bit too plasticky. Then again, Mazda has a more upscale solution for nitpickers who are willing to spend more: hello again, Mazda3.

As it is, the Mazda2 is a nice, small car with a healthy dose of character to offset the usual econocar compromises. It’s nimble, reasonably comfortable, and stylish enough to make the prospect of owning and driving a subcompact a pleasant proposition.

The Good

• Extroverted styling.

• Playful driving dynamics.

• Economical drivetrain.

• Roomy, for a small car.

The Bad

• Plasticky interior.

• Awkward shifter location.

The Verdict

• A small car with a lot of car-acter.