The 2010 Mazda2: Frugal Fun

Although I’ve managed to scrape out a relatively meager living by hopping into and out of brand new vehicles, it might surprise some to learn that not a single one has convinced me to part with my own hard earned cash. Oh, some have come close, but there’s always been something that stops me. Typically, that something has been a laughably small bank account balance.

However, as a recent graduate that’s only now getting used to life outside the boundaries instilled by contemporary university tuition and fees, I have taken to pondering this thing called “money.” The first thing I’ve come to realize is that everyone that’s ever told me that money can’t buy happiness obviously never wrote a cheque to a University. Doing so ensures that you remain destitute and unhappy. Since graduating, I’ve discovered that if you don’t write a horrifically large cheque to your local university, you subsequently are not destitute, and this has made me quite happy. Ever better still, you have even more free time with which younger folks like myself can go and look for a job.

Which is a very good thing, because although everyone tells me that the recession is now over, I can’t help but wonder if these aren’t the same pathological liars that are telling me that money can’t buy happiness. Although I can credit my own job-search difficulties with the validity of an English Literature degree on the job market, friend’s with degrees that require the input of effort beyond remaining conscious and sober during lectures are facing similar hurdles. Employers, throwing their junior ranks into the unemployment line like so much chaff into the wind seem to require oddly specific abilities from job candidates, ranging from 20 years’ experience in the mining industry accompanied by an English degree to no less than eight years of military service, a pilot’s license, a Masters in either Engineering, English, or Education, and the ability to travel to such exotic locales as Afghanistan. And no, I’m not making these up.

So, I’ve come to terms with my current status that I romanticize to any that ask as a “self employed automotive journalist,” since the “automotive journalist” part convinces my neighbors that the different cars parked in the driveway every week are not evidence of a drug operation (common misconception) or bawdy house (less common misconception), while the “self employed” part explains my generally disheveled appearance (which doesn’t help dissuade anyone from their chosen misconception).

This brings us to the Mazda2.

How, you ask, does this bring us to the Mazda2, you ask? Well, simply put, I do believe that I’ve never come across a car to which I am better prepared to review. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love spending my all-too-short weeks aboard Porsche’s that cost more money than I’ve ever seen, and as much as piloting Audi R8s can inflate the ego, such impressive hardware can make the dreaded “Insuff Funds” all that more embarrassing. But when it comes down to it, there has always been a disconnect between those cars and myself… a disconnect that’s usually six figures long and a few tax brackets wide.

But the Mazda2, well, it’s the epitome of the young person’s car; especially when it’s coated in the particularly virulent shade of bright green that adorned my tester. Setting off the car’s quirky lines quite well indeed, it suited the diminutive hatchback perfectly. Although based upon the same chassis that underpins Ford’s fantastic Fiesta, substantial changes to the bodywork make the family resemblance so vague as to be unrecognizable. The Mazda emerges looking much, much smaller and significantly more lifelike that the futuristic Ford, and the combination makes it even more endearing to the youthful market that will quickly grow enamoured of their Mazda’s big grins… er… grilles. It’s a car that, if I’m blunt, doesn’t wow you with impressive design language like Chris Bangle’s BMWs, or stun you with the gracefulness of its design like pretty much everything Ian Callum touches, but it does have character along the same lines as Austin Healey’s old Bug Old Sprites, and that’s not a bad thing.

Especially given it’s nearly as fun to drive as one of Healey’s Frog-Eyed miniatures. Equipped with a 1.5 litre four cylinder as the Fiesta but producing 20 less horsepower, the 100 horsepower Mazda2 manages to remain entertaining by virtue of its lighter curb weight; tipping the scales at just 2,309 pounds the mini Mazda is nearly 220 pounds lighter than its Ford-branded cousin. But even with its lower output and lighter weight, the 1.5 litre manages to consume more fuel than the more powerful, heavier Fiesta’s 1.6 litre. Something of an anachronism, the Mazda’s fuel economy is a small price to pay for a car that’s much more entertaining to drive. Dispensing with the Fiesta’s excellent compromise between luxurious isolation and nimble handling, the Mazda2’s engineers seem to have thrown their hats firmly into the Zoom-Zoom ring with this one. Well weighted, the steering is precise and plenty quick, and the tiny Mazda2 ends up feeling like an overblown go-kart. Light on its feet, responsive and playful, the car feels as much a toy as a conveyance, and that’s a sensation I haven’t enjoyed since I drove a slightly less practical Mazda product; the Mazdaspeed MX5. Of course, the flip side of that toy-car equation is that the Mazda seems to forgo much of the Fiesta’s sound deadening material, which means longer highway commutes can be a little bit buzzy, and the little car gets buffeted around quite a bit more than it’s American cousin.

But that shouldn’t come as a surprise. It only takes a few minutes aboard to realize that the relatively spartan Mazda2 was never intended to appeal to those looking for the most luxurious small-car extant. No, there’s just a bit too much unforgiving black plastic for that. Trimmed in the familiar Mazda style, the interior is an assembly of alternating flat and gloss back plastic arranged in a uniquely styled array of easily accessed and well organized control clusters. And although I could profess a deep-seated love for the cutesy circular theme that appears throughout the interior, the reality is that the interior isn’t a product of its acoutrements, but rather of its size. In designing the Mazda2, the engineers and stylists wanted to move away from the subcompact minivan look of Suzuki’s SX4 hatchback, Honda’s Fit, and even Ford’s Fiesta hatchback. As a result, the Mazda2’s rakish rear window and curvy, “coupe-like” sheetmetal huddles the seating positions closer together under the car’s bubble-like roofline. It’s decidedly intimate, shall we say, but Mazda has managed to keep it from feeling claustrophobic by keeping lots of open space around the occupants. There’s no bulky center console or transmission tunnel dividing the front seats, and by repositioning the shifter on the dashboard (in a location that’s quite minivan-esque, ironically) the front seats have an almost bench-like feel. The doors, although obviously close, don’t impinge upon your personal space in either front or back, and by tucking the rear wheels right out the extreme of their respective corners, Mazda’s engineers have procured the maximum available width for the rear seat occupants.

And yet, it’s still very much the quintessential small car, with a price to match. Coming in well below the Fiesta, the Mazda2’s price tag will undoubtedly endear to many first-time car buyers, but it’s its tenacious character and entertaining nature that will keep people coming back for more. Because although there’s plenty of other cars out there manufactured to a price point, this is one car that doesn’t punish you for being upwardly immobile. And although I may still consider the Ford Fiesta to be at the top of the small car heap, the Mazda2 has a definite place at its right hand; and that’s not just because they share the same platform. In fact, although these cars may be cousins, it came as no surprise when I learned that the two share just three identical parts, because these two couldn’t be more dissimilar. While the Ford looks to progress the small car to a previously unheard of status by making it every bit as good as a larger car, the Mazda2 looks to its small-car lineage for inspiration; championing the cause of cars like the original Mini and first-generation GTI in the 21st century. And just like progenitors, you can bet that this is one car that people won’t soon forget. So, to borrow the words of another famous young man on the cusp of the rest of his life: “If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”