With the compact car market shrinking more and more every year, development has been stifled somewhat. Most of the subcompact cars currently still on the market are older models that usually don’t hold up to the newer compacts that are now only a shade more expensive.
One rather notable exception to this rule is the Mazda 2, which offers better value than any of its competitors and will still be around for a couple more years. The Mazda 2 is one of those fun cars that are perfect for both beginners and experienced drivers alike.
10 Safety Features
Although it only gets 4 stars on the Euro NCAP, its safety for a supermini/compact car is comprehensive. It has no less than six airbags, ESC and all the appropriate crumple zones that make it a very safe car for adult and child occupants in collisions, and for pedestrians at lower city speeds.
9 Performance
Right off the bat, it should be said that the manual version performs a whole lot better than the automatic version. Even though the top of the range will come with paddle shifters and a sport mode, it still won’t hold a candle to the spritely manual that will hustle from 0-60 over a second quicker than the auto. Both versions are still a lot of fun to drive and make the most of their 110 horsepower.
8 Ride And Handling
Pretty much all Mazdas boast class leading handling, and the agile 2 is easily the most engaging car to drive in this market segment. Only the more expensive Ford Fiesta ST has it beat.
It is comfortable and feels like a much bigger car on the road, but if anything, the suspension does err on the firm side, which some will love because of the added fun factor and others will hate if their commute includes sections of unpaved road.
7 Modern Design
Not everyone will agree that this is a good reason, Mazda’s KODO design philosophy is sharp, angular and in some ways divisive.
It makes for an unusually aggressive looking small cars, with the vast majority of cars in this segment favoring softer, more youthful lines. In fact the previous generation Mazda 2 was one of the pioneers of that youthful theme, the third generation is decidedly more mature.
6 Build Quality
What truly sets the small Mazda apart from the crowd is its refinement and build quality. Something not usually associated with more budget friendly subcompact cars.
Fit and finish, both inside and out, is unrivalled with the use of more premium materials quite apparent. It is a noticeable step up from the competition, but the red and white interiors offered on some of these models looks rather tasteless (not to mention impractical) compared to the standard black with red accents.
5 Skyactiv Technology
A few years back, Mazda were (in their own words) committed to perfecting the internal combustion engine. Although they have since relented on this approach, and have indeed bowed to market pressure, one could argue they got pretty close.
All the Skyactiv engines offer best in class efficiency, they may not be the most powerful, but they have the lowest emissions and highly competitive fuel efficiency figures, only somewhat let down by their dated conventional automatic transmissions.
4 Reliability
Mazda recently rose to the top of the reliability charts and the 2 is very much cut from the same cloth. It does mean sacrifices were made in terms of innovation, with their infotainment systems almost a decade behind now, still not offering Android Auto or Apple CarPlay compatibility as a standard feature.
3 Functionality
Most small cars are found out in this department, but the smallest Mazda is cleverly designed to accommodate both luggage and occupants, with an obvious emphasis on ease of use within a crowded city where the car is most at home.
If you are a small family of 3 or 4 living in a city there are few better options, it does come with a rather big “but.” Rear legroom is fine for kids, but if the driver is taller than average, the rear legroom is pretty much down to zero.
2 Inexperienced Driver Friendly
Well, most small cars are, but few are as fun to drive, though. With spritely engines, an especially fun manual option and all the safety features you need in a modern car, it ticks all the right boxes.
It has a very flexible cabin so drivers of almost any size can find a comfortable seating position (taller drivers will delete rear legroom) and visibility is mostly good, say for an unusually long nose which can feel a little detached from the car.
1 Value For Money
The 2 certainly isn’t the cheapest small car, Mazda deliberately offers high spec options on this little car, targeting a specific market that favor overall value over affordability. It is an excellent city car that will never let you down and is also, for the most part, affordable to run and rather fun to drive daily.