Mazda will introduce the Mazda2 next summer in Canada to face off in the hotly contested subcompact segment against Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. The car shown is European version. The car coming here may have the new 'smiling face' grille treatment.
Mazda wants, literally, to put a little Zoom Zoom in your life.
Next summer, it will introduce the subcompact Mazda2 in Canada and the U.S. Originally shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, it is also sold as the Demio in Japan.
Mazda Canada has wanted this car since it was announced and, finally, they will have a contender in the growing Canadian sub-compact segment to go up against the likes of Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and the Ford Fiesta that shares much of the Mazda2's underpinnings.
If you think Mazda will have a tough fight here, it is up against more than 50 sub-compacts in Europe and, so far, Mazda is doing quite well.
In Europe it is offered with a choice of a gasoline 1.3-litre or 1.5-litre engine and a 1.4-litre diesel, tested here is the 1.5-litre which is an inline, four-cylinder unit with twin cams, variable valve timing and fuel injection for 102 hp and 101 lb/ft of torque driving the front wheels with a standard five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission. I drove the 1.5-litre with the automatic.
The car tested here is a Russian specification model and is roughly similar to what is coming next summer.
Suspension is tried-and-true MacPherson struts at the front and a twist beam at the rear. Braking is ventilation discs at the front and drums at the rear.
With the manual (I don't have numbers for the automatic as tested) European fuel economy is rated at 7.6/4.9/5.9L/100 km city/highway/combined. That highway figure is equal to (Imperial) 57 mpg, and in real life, I'd say 49-50 mpg is attainable with a light foot.
Top speed is listed at 188 km/h and the 0-100 km/h time is a surprising 10.4 seconds.
When I asked what engine will we see in Canada, I was given a firm "no comment".
In many ways it was back-to-the-future for me as the engine size, drivetrian and suspension were the same as a 1997 Mazda ProtÈgÈ I bought the day after that year's Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) Car of the Year Awards because I was so impressed with it.
It was probably the most reliable car I have ever owned and it is still going strong as I write this with its third, and the last time I talked to him, happy owner.
Four things the Mazda2 has that were not available or obtainable on my ProtÈgÈ are standard ABS with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, traction control and electronic stability control.
Interestingly, 95 per cent of the Mazda2 is recyclable and it contains no lead, chromium, mercury or cadmium.
Another thing going for the Mazda2 is its styling. My ProtÈgÈ followed the Japanese trend in those days of believing bland was best.
The Mazda2 is anything but with a pugnacious stance that is more pronounced by two character lines, one along the rocker panel and one at the belt line. The latter rises as it climbs towards the rear fender that houses the rear wheel at the absolute outside edge.
Depending on the market, there is a sport package that includes side, lower front and rear roof spoilers and a special grille design.
In Europe, you can get manual or automatic air conditioning, seat heaters, rain sensing wipers, keyless entry and start and cruise control to name a few.
I suspect Mazda Canada will follow its usual trim level spacing with an entry level GX, and mid-trim GS and a sporty GT but probably not with leather and super sound systems.
How I got my hands on the Mazda2 is a long and convoluted story. Mazda has a worldwide owner magazine called Zoom Zoom that was doing a Mazda2 drive from the Atlantic to Pacific through Canada.
Mazda Canada camped on and I got a call asking if I like to do a leg from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay. It would be a long day covering more than 800 km. I packed my bags in an hour and made the flight to the Soo.
First impression was how vibrant it looked in a Ferrari red, a world away from my ProtÈgÈ in sand beige. The second was how big the side windows appeared. I found out later that was part of the overall styling concept.
The interior is standard fare for a Japanese small car, charcoal throughout. Instrumentation is simple and the car tested here came with power windows and mirrors (which I didn't expect), and AUX jack for MP3 players and no less than three storage cubbies across the dashboard.
With the 60/40 split/fold back seat upright there is 250 litres of cargo volume that grows to 787 litres with the seat flat.
Steering is electric and was a little light to the touch for my tastes. With a turning circle under 10 meters, it can get around a tight corner quickly but the lightness of effort means you can easily oversteer until you get used to it.
Because it was a Euro-spec car, the steering was set to the tighter streets, corners, and most of all, parking, situations over there.
With 102 horses working away, the drive from the Soo to Thunder Bay was actually a lot of fun.
One thing of interest was how much quieter it is than my current Mazda5. Apparently, Mazda engineers used double door seals and stiffer door panels, that are less affected by aerodynamic suction at higher speeds, to keep cabin noise down to 68.5 decibels at 128 km/h.
I guess I was expecting Lake Superior's shore to be like those lonely vistas in an A. Y. Jackson painting. But Highway 17 turned out to be billiard table top smooth lined by deciduous trees that were still a verdant green not the reds and yellows of fall.
And all the time there was a cat and mouse speed limit game going between the highballing long-haul truckers and the OPP and Mounties with fore and aft radar.
Me, I just ambled along in the Mazda2 watching the gas gauge that got me from the Soo to Marathon, a distance of well over 400 km, on four-fifths of a rather tiny 42.8-litre tank.
Along the way, my driving companion from Mazda Canada's marketing department and I talked about everything from the Viet Nam War to Hip Hop versus R&B that resulted, thanks to perfect weather, in a very enjoyable ride indeed.
Mazda has a knack for introducing the right car at the right time, the Mazda3 being but one example.
With gas holding at (US)$70/barrel in the bottom of a recession, I dread to see what happens when things get better and prices go up.
Even if the worst doesn't come to pass, Canadians at least, have always embraced smaller cars and that augers well for the 2010 Mazda2.
MAZDA2 HATCHBACK EUROPEAN SPEC. 2010 A GLANCE
BODY STYLE: Sub-compact hatchback.
DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, front-wheel drive.
ENGINE: 1.5-litre DOHC inline four-cylinder (102 hp, 101 lb/ft).
FUEL ECONOMY: Five-speed manual, European cycle; 7.6/4.9/5.9L/100 km city/highway/combined.
PRICE: NA
WEB: www.mazda.ca
source: bclocalnews
