The Little Car That Could

Mazda did well in balancing performance, comfort, looks, and efficiency into its smallest offering. The Mazda 2 is quite an attractive car in terms of looks and performance. The design will definitely age well with its performance. Its certain to keep its owner happy even after a new model comes along. The SkyActiv technology is a wonder. It offers very good performance and yet remain fuel efficient. Handling is also one of the best, if not the best, in its class. It has perfect balance between ride comfort and sporty nature. With its G-Vectoring Plus system, one cannot be blamed for going faster than normal. Fit and finish is quite good. As expected of Mazda. Even for an entry-level car. Interior is classy and elegant. Which is consistent with its exterior.

The overall design is a perfect balance of elegance and sportiness. The exterior is something you won't tire looking at. Same goes for the interior. It has a mix of faux carbon fiber and metallic accents which was tastefully applied to certain areas so as not to look tacky. Ergonomics is quite good as well since it is known to be driver-centric. Everything is within reach. Redundancy in its control switches also helps with interfacing with the car seamlessly.

The suspension is firm without being harsh. It feels sporty but never jarring. Seats are quite supportive and holds the driver in place during spirited driving. Legroom at the back is something wanting. NVH levels for the 2 is at par with higher-specced cars in Mazda's line-up.

The drivetrain is quite good. Engine revs easily and effortlessly. It gives enough acceleration to satisfy an addiction to speed and yet remain frugal when driven conservatively. Handling is also excellent providing grip levels unseen in other cars in its category. Steering is communicative and feeds much needed information to its driver. The G-Vectoring Plus system is an added bonus to an already excellent handling car.

The 2 has most of the safety features expected of a premium brand such as ABS, EBD, traction control, etc. However, it was a bit of a letdown that Mazda reduced the number of airbags from 6 to 2.