{"id":28868,"date":"2010-08-23T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2010-08-23T09:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=28868"},"modified":"2010-08-23T14:06:40","modified_gmt":"2010-08-23T14:06:40","slug":"first-drive-2011-mazda2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2010\/08\/first-drive-2011-mazda2\/","title":{"rendered":"First Drive: 2011 Mazda2"},"content":{"rendered":"
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No penalty box this; the 2011 Mazda2.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unless you\u2019re talking about an exotic sports car, driving something small has typically been an act of endurance \u2013 repayment for bad karma, perhaps.\u00a0 But there\u2019s no reason a subcompact has to \u201cfeel\u00a0 like a cheap penalty box,\u201d insists Dave Coleman, the product development engineer behind the new 2011 Mazda2.<\/p>\n

The 5-door hatchback is the Japanese maker\u2019s latest-generation subcompact, and the first Mazda2 to make it to American shores.\u00a0 A not-too-distant sibling of Ford\u2019s new Fiesta, the Asian offering aims to tap into the growing demand for smaller, more affordable, more fuel-efficient vehicles.\u00a0 And if our time behind the wheel is any indication, Mazda just might pull it off.<\/p>\n

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Subscribe - It's Free!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In recent decades, Ford and Mazda have cooperated on a variety of vehicle programs, the Mazda2 just the latest.\u00a0 But those who believe Fiesta and Mazda2 are effectively the same car are in for some surprises.\u00a0 The two projects diverged early on, insists Coleman, who claims there are now only four parts shared between the two.<\/p>\n

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The 2011 Mazda2 starts at just under $14,000.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t have some key things in common: like striking exterior design, as well as the reasonably efficient use of space that yields far more interior room than you\u2019d expect from a traditional small car.<\/p>\n

But where Fiesta and Mazda2 noticeably part ways becomes increasingly obvious when you\u2019re flying along Skyline Drive, a tight and twisty stretch of tarmac that cuts through the forests and fields inland from California\u2019s Central Coast.\u00a0 The Mazda2 is much more of a driver\u2019s car than Ford\u2019s offering \u2013 or just about any of its other competitors, domestic or foreign.<\/p>\n

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Plastic, of course. It is a subcompact, but the piano black band across the audio system is a nice touch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, let\u2019s be clear: subcompacts still appeal on price, in this case, just $13,980 for the base Sport edition.\u00a0 So, there are going to be some compromises.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of plastic on the instrument panel, for example, though Mazda designers did add a touch of refinement with the band of piano black that covers the audio system.<\/p>\n

Back seat space, meanwhile, is on the mid-side of the pack, though there\u2019s a lot of room up front.\u00a0 Cargo space is the big limitation, measuring barely half as big as the Honda Fit.<\/p>\n

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A 100-horsepower engine isn't going to burn rubber but the lightweight hatchback is no stone pony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to Mazda2\u2019s powertrain, don\u2019t read too much into the numbers.\u00a0 The 2011 Mazda2 makes \u201conly\u201d 100 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque from its pint-sized 1.5-liter inline-four engine.\u00a0 But it\u2019s no stone pony, offering a surprising amount of pulling power, especially if you opt for the 5-speed manual gearbox that comes as standard equipment.<\/p>\n

A four-speed automatic is optional and will likely be chosen by a sizable share of Mazda2 buyers considering how few American motorists still know how to handle a stick.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a bad choice, though we\u2019d certainly prefer a 5- or 6-speed, especially under aggressive driving or when charging up a steep hill, like the one on Highway 101 where the little 4-banger seemed pushed to the limits.\u00a0 On the other hand, the automatic did very little of the gear-hunting that can drive owners of many other small cars crazy.<\/p>\n

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The signature green Mazda is pushing for the new Mazda2 hatchback.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mazda engineers did a credible job of giving their new subcompact a solid and well-built feel.\u00a0 There\u2019s far less of the jouncing you normally expect from a car with just a 93.0-inch wheelbase.\u00a0 Road noise is held reasonably in check, as well.<\/p>\n

A key target for the Mazda2 development team was keeping weight in check.\u00a0 They did a credible job, shaving more than six pounds from the wiring harness and more than five from latches and hinges.\u00a0 In the end, they turned out a hatchback that weighs in slightly lighter than a mid-\u201890s Miata roadster.<\/p>\n

Why does that matter?\u00a0 Trimming the fat, so to speak, yields both better performance and improved mileage.\u00a0 And the 2011 Mazda2 delivers fuel economy rated at 29 mpg City\/35 Highway, with the stick, and 2 mpg less with the automatic.\u00a0 That about matches the 29\/35 of the Toyota Yaris and exceeds Honda Fit\u2019s 27\/33.<\/p>\n

Handling is where the 2011 Mazda2 outshines the competition, and really lives up to the maker\u2019s Zoom-Zoom image.<\/p>\n

Starting at less than $14,000, you\u2019ll get a reasonably well-equipped five-passenger Sport edition that features such niceties as air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, tilt wheel, 4-speaker AM\/FM\/CD\/MP3 audio system and 15-inch steel wheels.\u00a0 Bumping the price tag to $15,435 gets you alloy wheels, foglights, chrome exhaust tips, a leather-wrapped wheel with built-in audio controls, cruise control and two more speakers.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a modest list of accessories including a navigation system.\u00a0 Put an asterisk by that.\u00a0 What Mazda is offering is just a Garmin Nuvi, pretty much what you could find at any big-box appliance store.<\/p>\n

One surprise was Mazda’s decision to limit its offering to a 5-door hatchback.\u00a0 (Ford opted for both a hatch and more conventional sedan for the U.S. version of the Fiesta.)\u00a0 That intentionally flies in the face of conventional wisdom, which suggests American buyers don’t like 5-doors, despite their functionality.\u00a0 We’re hoping the Mazda2 disproves that tired axiom.\u00a0 But the maker’s top U.S. executive, Jim O’Sullivan, tells TheDetroitBureau.com that Mazda will consider offering other body styles, including not only a sedan but also a sporty 3-door, if it senses the demand.<\/p>\n

A half decade ago, the subcompact segment barely existed in this country.\u00a0 Today, it\u2019s becoming an increasingly crowded and fast-growing niche.\u00a0 The Mazda2 should command some attention.\u00a0 It\u2019s a more than credible offering.\u00a0 Though it\u2019s not quite as roomy as some of the competition, its sporty nature is sure to win over those buyers on a budget who like cars that go Zoom-Zoom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why does a subcompact car have to feel like an automotive penalty box? Perhaps it doesn’t, TheDetroitBureau.com discovered while testing out the all-new 2011 Mazda2 hatchback. Here’s the review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28868"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28868"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=28868"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=28868"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=28868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}