A lot of us has been waiting eagerly for this, and the Mazda 2 is finally here in the hatch form. The sedan variant shall reach our shore in March. This round, whether it is the hatch or sedan, both share the same on the road price of RM88k. With the new Skyactiv body, engine and transmission, the 2 is a whole new car, style to turn heads, especially in the Mazda's Soul Red colour!
It is interesting that Toyota failed to make the Yaris popular here, and Honda Jazz is far off from being a real hatch, yet Mazda 2 always has its origin as a hatchback, with a sedan that is designed to look fresh as well, not any bolt-on tail look, or chop-off sedan look. The 2 is in fact an impressive car, except for the lack of full round airbags. With only 2 airbags, and consumers getting more safety minded, the RM88k might not be the best choice one can get in the market. Though, the 2 is equipped with the rest of the safety features, such as ABS, EBD and Traction control. The 1.5-litre engine could produce 114hp/148Nm of power, mated to a 6-speed gearbox. Yes, high compression Skyactiv engine, better power, improve fuel economy, with added i-Stop feature that bring you the extra miles.
The Mazda 2 is fully imported from the Tomyam-land, and with its back-log order, could put a buyer in 2-3 months wait time, if lucky. People just love the nimble 2 for a change! The interior is classy, and is the only car in this segment to have a nice joystick-style controller for the MZD Connect unit. The simple yet elegant hidden aircon vent is setting a trend for Mazda, which is being used in the all new MX-5 as well. A digital speedo could be a let down, as personally, I would prefer it to be running on analog instead. Put the MX-5 meter cluster here and it could make the 2 perfect! Not very sure why this car comes with a Head-Up-Display?! Some claim it is for safety where driver could keep their eyes straight forward, but this thing could be annoying at time, and does not provide additional functions, yet having consumer paying the extra for this. Equip the Mazda 2 with additional airbags instead!
If you have tall friends or family members, the Mazda 2 could spell difficulty here or reduce comfort for them. The rear space is kind of cramp, though suitable for smaller size passengers.
If you were bored by Toyota and Honda, and have the budget for the stylish Mazda 2, it is indeed a good car to consider.
