By Duane Pemberton
http://www.mazdausa.com

The demand for fuel-saving daily commuter cars is at an all-time high, thanks mainly because of higher prices at the pump. Mazda’s “2″ is here to answer the call for that need and packs with it some nice features for such a relatively small package.

First off is its styling – it’s hard to mistake this as a Mazda with its signature “smiling grill” up front and the overall design cues we see in “bigger” Mazda’s – and that’s a good thing. I do like its look and frankly, find it to be one of the better-looking cars in its class. I realize that the “smile up front” on today’s Mazda’s is a polarizing feature – it’s one I personally wish they would change a bit in the future.

At the heart of this car is a 1.5-liter inline 4-cylinder motor that develops 100hp and 96 lb-ft of torque. It’s not going to pin you back into the seat, however, it’s still fun to drive thanks with paired with the 5-speed, manual transmission. I didn’t spend any time at all with the 4-speed automatic so I can’t comment on that other than to say that I’m really curious to know how it performs with such a low horsepower motor.

Mazda rates this car up to 35mpg on the freeway which – to me – isn’t excellent when you take into account that  car of this size should be doing well over 40mpg – in fact, it’s older-brother, the Mazda 3 gets 38 with more horsepower and curb-weight.

The inside of this car is really a no-frills kind of setup – in that there’s no premium electronics package to speak of which means no bluetooth or USB – simply a 1/8″ audio jack in the center console which also has a 12V DC power outlet next to it.

The audio system’s overall sound quality is simply “okay” – it’s not great by any means but it kind of fits with the pricing and general feel of this car – it’s not supposed to be about luxury per se, it’s about having a fun car for the money to drive.

I do appreciate how everything’s laid out inside, however, I don’t like the screen glare that emits from the stereo’s LCD screen on brighter days. The steering wheel incorporates some of the audio system controls as well as cruise control. A/C, power locks, power windows and a tilt-wheel are all standard.

The rear cargo space is pretty small – one of the prices you pay when you squeeze so much inside such a small footprint of a car. But then again, the rear passengers have more leg-room than other cars in this class but that does come at a sacrifice to cargo space.

What the Mazda 2 comes down to is an affordable, fun car to drive – it handles very well, is a ton of fun to drive with the manual transmission, gets good fuel economy and has stellar steering. In a relatively crowded market of sub-compact cars, the Mazda 2 really shines for the price in overall features, style and “funability”.

At around $17k, the Mazda 2 is a car that’d be a good choice for a college student and those who may be just starting a family. If this car was a bottle of wine, I’d liken it to a Verdejo from Spain – it’s affordable and really good “around the corners”.