GTP Cool Wall: 2007+ Mazda2 hatchback

2007+ Mazda2 Hatchback

  • Total voters
    98
  • Poll closed .
White & Nerdy

White & Nerdy

4,209
United States
Wasilla, AK
2007+ Mazda2 hatchback nominated by GranTurismo916

2013_mazda2_update_01_1-0820.jpg


Stats:
Production: 2007+
Style: 3-door hatchback
Engine: ZJ-VE MZR Low Power 82 ci/1,349 cc naturally aspirated DOHC inline-4, ZJ-VEM 82 ci/1,349 naturally aspirated Miller-cycle DOHC inline 4 (rated 89 HP & 89 lb-ft), ZJ-VE MZR 82 ci/1,349 cc naturally aspirated DOHC inline 4 (rated 90 HP & 90 lb-ft), ZJ-VE 82 ci/1,349 cc naturally aspirated DOHC inline 4 (rated 90 HP & 91 lb-ft), ZY-VE MZR 91 ci/1,498 cc naturally aspirated DOHC inline 4 (rated 111 HP & 101 lb-ft), ZY-VE 91 ci/1,498 cc naturally aspirated DOHC inline 4 (rated 111 HP & 103 lb-ft), Y4 85 ci/1,399 cc turbocharged OHC diesel inline 4 (rated 67 HP & 118 lb-ft), Y6 95 ci/1,560 cc turbocharged DOHC diesel inline 4 (rated 89 HP & 156 lb-ft)
Transmission: 4F27E 4-speed manual, 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic CVT
Layout: Front-engine, Front-drive
AKA: Mazda Demio, Mazda2 Jinxiang
Related: Ford Fiesta​

Sedan and 5-door hatchback variants are also apparently available. The North American variant has a 100 HP variant of one of the 1.5 liter engines, mated to 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions (the latter may be unavailable elsewhere).

My take? Uncool at best. All those engines and not a single one is larger than 100 ci. Plus, to me, it'll always be "that car that was almost as fast as a Ford Fiesta". It does look better than a Fiesta though.
 
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Um... You might want to check the poll.

"Sub-Zero, Cool, Meh, Cool, Seriously Uncool."
 
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Voted cool. But only because the uncool says cool.

I'm just not a big fan of this car. I really Like the 3, and like the 6, but the 2 just doesn't do it for me.
 
Since the 2 is essentially a Fiesta underneath, it would be awesome if a hypothetical MazdaSpeed version was essentially a Fiesta ST that looks like a 2.

But since it doesn't exist, it gets Meh.
 
Very good car, good fun to drive, and looks better inside and out than the Fiesta.

However, it's still a fairly unremarkable small Japanese hatchback so it gets an uncool. Briefly cool at launch I'd say, when it stood out, but it's getting on a bit now and has ceased to be anything really special.
 
I love the Fiesta. That's an instant cool from me.

But the infamous name carrier of the slowest car in Gran Turismo 1? Meh. There really isn't a relevance one can see with the naked eye unless it's car class.
 
It's... A car. I'm sure it's a perfectly good car, but honestly, I look at it and... It's a car. There's nothing cool nor uncool about it, and in comparison to something genuinely sub-zero in the A-Segment like a Volkswagen Up! or that new rear engined Renault Twingo they just announced (or the original 90s Twingo, for matter of fact), it's nothing but an unremarkable vehicle.
 
Only thing this has going for it is that it's relatively cheaper than a Fiesta on which it's based. Otherwise, the Ford just walks over the cold corpse of this thing in almost every other aspect.

Uncool.
 
Seriously uncool. Cars like these are stupid boring no matter how well they drive. Its also a hatch and I utterly hate that style with a burning passion. They look like someone took a car and chopped it half and put wheels on it. There are plenty of cool cars out there but this is not one of them.
 
Uncool.

It's a small Mazda. It exists. Nothing really remarkable about it, even if it does the job of being a supermini relatively well. And there's a fair number of cooler cars in that segment as it is.
 
Supposedly it handles better than pretty much anything in its class. Too bad it's so damn slow and not particularly pretty. Still, females will probably think it's "cute", which brings it from a deep uncool to a mild one.
 
Uncool. Mazda isn't a cool brand and neither is a car that's basic transportation. Plus I think the Fiesta is a more likable car.
 
Uncool, It's ugly and over-styled, with body lines going every which way that remind me of a singer who bastardizes the last few notes of a national anthem.

Wait... Make that Seriously uncool.
 
Mild cool. If only because it's about one school girl in the trunk lighter than the Fiesta (not that one would fit) and it's one of the only cars in that size range that doesn't have horribly anodyne steering and handling.

And because it'll three-wheel and snap-oversteer like a hooligan down your choice of mountain road.

Also, B-Spec.

Only mild because, let's face it, that 1.5 liter motor sucks round hairy nut-like objects. Even compared to other sucktacular 1.5s. And it has a perpetually goofy grin on its face.

Of course... it could be worse. I could buy one (still thinking about it) and then it'd be automatically, seriously, shmeriously uncool.
 
Just another car. More just another form of transportation.

Meh.
 
Joey D
Uncool. Mazda isn't a cool brand
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I'd suggest it is. They've gone all out on building brand new - and excellent - platforms and are starting to build on the niche attraction they've had for 25 years in the MX-5. They're selling 50% more cars than two years ago as people start to see the ratings climb and accept them as alternatives to more mainstream brands.

That said, the 2 is crap (and due a replacement), but you know I've got grudging respect for someone who, when faced with buying a car from this sector, eschewed mainstream rivals like the tiresome Fiesta and dreadful, brain-off choice of Vauxhall/Opel Corsa, avoided the bargain basement Hyundai i10 or Kia Whateveritisnow, dodged the boretrain Toyota Yaris and Nissan Micra (oh, dear Jeff, the Micra) and sidestepped the "it" crowd's favourite Renault Clio and Peugeot 206. And it's not like brand loyalty plays any part - the previous Mazda 2/Demio was a beige box that sold six and the one before that was literally a Mk4 Fiesta with a different badge on it.


If I see one of these, I know there's someone who had to pick a small, city car and isn't boring.
 
...I actually kinda like the way it looks. I see people complaining about overstyling all the time on here, but this looks like it's got just the right amount of work done in the design stage. It doesn't have weird lumps or extra vents that do nothing...what do you want, another shapeless jellybean with wheels like we had all through the 90s?

Besides, I kinda like hatchbacks and small cars that aren't box-shaped.

That said, it isn't a very good example of one...just more interesting than most of the other current hatchbacks I've come across. I only gave it a Cool because I couldn't in good conscience vote 'meh'...meh indicates no opinion whatsoever, and my opinion on this car's coolness is vaguely positive. It's a very, very, very, VERY, mild cool. It's too bad we can't have options like 'Sort of Cool', or 'Not Cool But Not Really Uncool' in these polls...that would fit a car like this perfectly.
 
It just looks so bland. So terribly bland. Meh.

The next 2 should have the same face as the new 6. The 6 is a cool car. Seriously cool.
 
A cool for all the reasons Famine listed. Yes, it's slow, but it's a hoot to drive, in that cliché "a lot of fun under the speed limit" way. No higher than that though, because as mentioned, the engine is crap. That insane Mazdaspeed concept @GranTurismo916 posted would've been a handful out in the real world, but I am very curious about the new one coming in a year or so; you know, the one that'll be previewed in Geneva next week...
 
It's an entry level hatchback, which means that its primary market is newly licenced teenage girls who like to simultaneously apply makeup and text whilst driving at every possible chance. On the other hand, of all the entry level hatchbacks sold over the past five years, this would be in my top three favourites, given its design, quality and overall performance. Meh.
 
A lot of people are going to knock it for being a lesser Ford Fiesta, but I think that's what made it cool, and very much the better car. Lighter weight, better chassis dynamics, much, much, much lower price. Problem is, there was a reason why. The damn thing was as spartan as it got, and it made zero apologies about it. When I see a Mazda 2 on the road, I tend to think, "Wow, that guy chose this car. He must know what he's doing."

Thing is, the timing was weird on the Mazda 2 in the US. I think there's a case to be made that it was the best B-segment car you could buy for a solid two years. The Honda Fit became a big ol' mess (I'm being unfair, of course), the Fiesta's Americanization made it a bit too soft, and well, no one in their right mind was going to say a Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent was better. Then the Chevrolet Sonic showed up. And the Mazda seemed old. And small. And too spartan. And when are we getting an update? And why is Mazda selling me a Mazda3 for pennies more?

So, overall, solid cool. Because you had to pick a Mazda 2 to get one. Like all Mazdas before it, you gotta know what you want to get one. Its like a club or something.
 
YSSMAN
A lot of people are going to knock it for being a lesser Ford Fiesta, but I think that's what made it cool, and very much the better car. Lighter weight, better chassis dynamics, much, much, much lower price. Problem is, there was a reason why. The damn thing was as spartan as it got, and it made zero apologies about it.
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I fail to see how that makes it the "better" car. It sucks in nearly every aspect when compared. There are many way better options out there if you are in this kind of market. You'd have to be an idiot to buy one of these.

YSSMAN
When I see a Mazda 2 on the road, I tend to think, "Wow, that guy chose this car. He must know what he's doing."
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I think this guy doesn't give a crap about cars and wants cheap transportation.
 

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