One could say the great catalyst for such development was the strategy of subdividing some car categories. After all, at that time most automakers started their lineups with compacts and then jumped to medium ones: since the first tried to be as cheap as possible and the second could only remain competitive by getting sophisticated, the price gap between them had only increased. Therefore, adding at least one equidistant category turned out to be a great decision. The cheaper cars evolved into models like Dacia Sandero, which are exclusively focused on that, while the newcomers were able to return their higher prices investing on emotional values, but still without ever competing with their bigger brothers.
Chevrolet Sonic, Citroën C3, Fiat Punto, Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, VW Polo… There are lots of hatchbacks whose latest iterations have already adopted this new concept. What makes it so important is the fact that it has already attracted a public of its own, which, in turn, came from both those other categories: some of them came from entry-level cars and want to get something better, while others just do not want to deal with the increased costs of a bigger car anymore. Mazda’s first attempt to participate of that group arrived seven years ago, as Mazda2’s second generation (which is also called Demio). But now it has everything to stop being just another competitor and become one of the category’s references.
If you take a look on Mazda’s latest vehicles, their resemblance will remind you of what Volkswagen has applied in those of its own. But this is bad for the Germans because their lineup is very big– having so many cars so alike takes away some of their individual attractions, not to mention it makes much easier to mistake one for another. When it comes to the Japanese, using that strategy on less than ten cars restricts its effects to the desired ones, which are related to developing a strong visual identity. Mazda2 reminds a great deal of the 3, which, in turn, was inspired on the luxury brother 6. But since each vehicle is offered in a different set of body options, it is easy to know they are different members of a family. A very attractive one, by the way.
While Sonic invests on strong, angular shapes and Fiesta tries to look bigger than it actually is, to give only a few examples, Mazda2’s design pairs the automaker’s signature cues to a silhouette which looks sporty and dynamic, rather than ostensive. The front grille is shaped like a round pentagon whose lower contour is made by a chrome bar which also connects it with the headlights. The arch-shaped roofline creates a typical hatchback side section without any modern trends such as trying to resemble coupés or minivans. Besides, the creases started there are continued by both front and rear. The latter, in turn, takes the attentions to a set of tail lights with typical Eastern design, and are as free of visual excesses as the rest of the car.
Mazda2’s cabin will give you very similar feelings. In times when dashboards are filled with huge screens and/or lots of buttons, dropping even the fourth air vent renders this car impressive. The optional two-tone coating gets a chrome line there, with a screen above it dedicated to most of the car functions (there is a click wheel between the front seats), and the climate controls below, in a discreet spot. Also interesting is the instrument cluster – while the cheaper trims get a central analogic speedometer, the upscale ones combine a central tachometer to a digital speedometer – the inspiration for offering those came from Mazda3. Other available items are automatic climate control and even head-up display.
This is the fourth automobile fully developed under Mazda’s Skyactiv “philosophy”. This means it features many improvements dedicated to fuel efficiency and weight reduction – there were benefits for body, chassis, engines and transmissions, among other parts. The available powertrain options will depend on each region, but there will be a total of three: called Skyactiv-G, the gasoline burners are a 1.3L and a 1.5L, both with four cylinders. Going to diesel, the same number of cylinders equip a Skyactiv-D 1.5L which is good for 103 hp and 184 lb-ft. Any of these will always have front-wheel-drive and six speeds, whether with manual or automatic transmission. Mazda2 will start its sales in Europe and Japan in a few months.