The super little Mazda 2 is now available as a three-door. Up to 10kgs lighter than the five-door, the sporty looking super-mini will turn even more heads, especially with younger buyers. If that isn’t enough Mazda 2 also has a five star Euro NCAP score so it is tough and safe too.
The exterior features front doors that are visibly longer than the front doors on the five-door Mazda 2. There is a new front bumper and aero package available and redesigned rear side glass. Three-door variants are always more sporty to look at but, as the 2 is a tallish, chunky machine at the best of times, the three-door effect is somewhat diminished.
Inside is fresh and of course, being a Mazda, there is a must-have mini-jack socket for your iPod or MP3 located beside the handbrake, plus steering wheel controls for the CD stereo.
Sadly, the steering still only adjusts for tilt, but the driver’s seat is fully adjustable. Access to the rear three seats is good thanks to wide opening doors and the tilt and slide front seats. The boot holds 250 litres so the weekly 'family shop' will just about fit. When the rear seats are folded flat there is 787 litres of available space to the roof.
I’m in the entry-level 1.3 litre petrol version this week and continue to be amazed at how good this car really is. Two versions of the 1.3 litre are available with either 75bhp and 121nm of pulling power (14 seconds 0-100km/h) or an 86bhp version with 122nm of torque and a 0-100km/h time of 12.9 seconds.
Both units are frugal averaging just 5.4 litres per 100 km but the high power version is more craic. A 1.5 litre petrol version is available also with 103bhp if you want to enjoy the motorway a bit more. Its top speed is 188km/h and can dispatch 0-100km/h in 10.4 seconds. Okay, so the figures are not earth shattering, but in this compact car it feels quick.
On the open road the Mazda 2 is fun and surefooted in the dry. It has a tiny turning circle so car parks are effortless. The power steering is light and perfect for town use.
I recently took out the new Mazda 2 diesel five-door version and must say that it is perhaps the best pit sized diesel out there. The very green 1.4 litre (68bhp/160nm) motor produces just 114g/km of CO2 and runs on the mere promise of fuel (averaging 4.3 litres per 100 km) making the strong oil burning 2 a perfect choice for the ‘downsizing commuter’.
Mazda is growing at an impressive rate in Europe and it is no surprise when you look at the likes of Mazda 2 and Mazda6 and of course we cannot forget Mazda’s iconic MX-5 sportscar. The Mazda 3 is still a decent car but is getting a little tired while the CX-7 SUV just needs a greener engine to be a real challenger in the luxury compact SUV sector.
Mazda 2 is the 2008 World Car of the Year and the three-door rounds off the range nicely.
Michael Sheridan
