I was really looking forward to the Mazda 2 test, because I have nostalgic memories of the Japanese gasoline engine, which, admittedly, can become a bit idealized over time. I had it in my first car, a Honda CRX, so I know very well what fun this powertrain can provide to the driver. It's a bit weaker here on paper, but I don't despair and believe that in reality everything will be different…
This is already the fourth generation of this model, the history of which dates back to 1996. I have to admit that the design didn't really appeal to me at the beginning, all kinds of edges, folds and curves were a bit too much for my taste. A few people from my neighborhood, whose aesthetic sensibility I have no doubts about, have a different opinion, and on the contrary, they really like Mazda's new design direction. After just one day, I have to agree with them, and the following days I absolutely love the shape of the car.
I was clear about the interior right away, for me it's just a gem, design, processing, materials… I don't even need the missing touch screen the size of a smaller TV, luckily, maybe just the opposite. An "old" honest analog car, classic three-turn heating and air conditioning controls, round alarm clocks with hands, beautiful details in the form of air conditioning vents and moldings in imitation carbon, a great steering wheel and seats and, above all, a manual transmission, I like it. Only the tachometer could have been a little more visible and not humbly crouching in the corner of the instrument panel. So turn the key and off we go! But what the hell does that mean? Ah, nothing, I put the key away and start with the button… In addition, the start/stop system intervenes at the first lights, so I was a bit hasty with the analog car, time takes its toll.
Otherwise, the car fits me perfectly and I almost grunt with happiness when driving, everything is pleasantly firm, the steering wheel can be felt with a little imagination from the front wheels, the gearbox works exemplary and the chassis is tuned just right, it is neither unnecessarily hard nor excessively swayed. The edges of the windows are slightly higher, so you feel a little drowned in the cockpit, which has a positive effect on the feeling of safety. Only with a view, especially on the right side, it is therefore a bit more complicated in certain cases, but you get used to it. Unfortunately, what I was originally looking forward to the most ended up disappointing me the most, but that's how it goes in life sometimes. Yes, we are talking about the engine. The power of 75 horses doesn't seem like a big number on paper, but I was hoping that they would at least be well-pumped stallions and not run out geldings. Of course, I'm exaggerating a bit, but it's true that the engine runs out of breath on a slight hill already in third gear, and on the highway you'll sometimes have to downshift to fourth gear. Not to mention the need to quickly overtake or join a lane. It is for this reason that I consider higher power as a safety feature, it is better to have those horses hidden under the hood to be safe than to be missing there at the least convenient time. They can always come in handy. But again, it's not a tragedy, you just need to take it into account and think more when driving, which is also true for Czech roads in general :-).
But not to criticize the engine, on a flat section with a good surface and nice turns, the car can provide a decent amount of pure driving fun. Keeping the revs above three thousand and alternating three and four, yes, this would work. The brake pedal has a nice response with reasonable resistance, the steering wheel sends the front wheels exactly where you need them to go, and the throttle, clutch and shifter combo goes without saying, it's almost fantasy. I don't know why I think of the Honda S2000 every time I shift, because I've never driven one unfortunately. But I remember Honza Červenka's test in one old SPEED, where he described how a small movement of the wrist is enough to change the speed. It's pretty similar here. If all manual transmissions were to work like this, I will reject the automatic as long as possible… Only the chassis here reaches its limits quite quickly and swings easily. But the tires with a higher profile number are to some extent responsible for this, with bigger discs and low-profile tires it would certainly look different, but then again you would suffer more in the city and on bumps. As I wrote, a compromise, meant in a good way.
In the end, it doesn't give me and I won't forgive the comparison with the Toyota AYGO, which I tested a while before the Mazda. You might think that's a bit unfair and that these cars don't compete with each other, but I'd say that's not entirely true. It is with cars like the Mazda 2 that the AYGO or Peugeot 108, recently tested by my colleague Honza, have to deal with. First of all, there is the price, which in the case of the tested Toyota with additional packages climbed almost to three hundred thousand, the Peugeot in the version with a canvas roof then even exceeded this limit, if we consider the current promotional price. And how much does the Mazda 2 cost? Bingo, just under three hundred. My jaw dropped at this realization. Although it is a very basic version, as we have it today, I still don't feel that it has been cheated in any way. Secondly, practicality. Mazda can do almost the same thing as AYGO or Peugeot, but adds something extra. Space. No, there is certainly not too much of it here either, but with narrowed eyes you can already talk about a family car for a smaller family. And finally utility value, you simply get more car for similar money. And I mean that literally. Where Toyota and Peugeot can seem a bit like toys, Mazda is a full-fledged car from every point of view. And I think I won't be far from the truth when I write that it will definitely hold its price better and, in the event of a sale, it will collect dust faster.
So I'm already clear about this, for the same price I'd rather have a bigger car in the basics than a smaller one with sometimes even unnecessary additional equipment. And I certainly don't mean that Mazda is a better brand than Toyota or Peugeot, by no means, I mean these categories of cars in general, and we happened to come across these three in particular. Of course, if you start ticking extra items in the catalog, the price will go up a bit, but even with this basic equipment, you won't have much to complain about. Perhaps just a little extra power wouldn't hurt, and alloy wheels would suit it. And I wouldn't mind at all that it's the cheapest car on the street, because it definitely doesn't look like it…
