First Drive: 2011 Mazda 2

Canadian car shoppers after efficient, stylish and affordable fun at the wheel want European cars, and they want them now. Forget the typical B-segment bland-wagons that most Canadians have settled on for decades — Europeans love small cars, style and driving, and we’re going to see lots more of their machinery on dealer lots in the coming years.

For years, the zoom-zooming Mazda of the European B-Segment has been the Demio. It’s recently been powered-up and geared-up for a debut on our shores, and it represents the first Mazda B-car to make it to Canada in five generations. Here, the Mazda Demio will be called the Mazda 2, taking a place under the 3 in the automakers lineup.

Mazda is betting its littlest five-door will bring a sporty and upbeat new dimension to a marketplace shopped primarily for bottom-line pricing and fuel efficiency.

That’s not just a big clump of marketing fluff, either. The 2’s been styled above and beyond the norm in its segment, not to mention engineered for a lightweight and agile feel by (imagine) actually being agile and lightweight.

Towards this goal, engineers tore through the 2’s body, cabin, drivetrain and even wiring harness to shave ounces at every chance, resulting in a weight some 100 kilograms lighter than the outgoing model. Even without a degree in rocket-surgery or brain science, you’ll understand that shedding pounds simultaneously improves both performance and mileage.

By reworking bushings, suspension arms, and even the points where said bits bolt to the 2’s body, handling, ride comfort and performance have been improved, too. Add in the aerodynamic tweaks for reduced wind noise and the interior styling tweaks for a good outward view, and you have what looks to be a pretty serious little car, and not a rolling sheet metal compromise.

Your correspondent recently test-drove a pre-production Mazda 2 between Montreal and Granby, Que. The five-hour drive included city streets, expressways, and plenty of winding, poorly-maintained sideroads. Among other things, the pre-launch drive would help to ascertain if, and to what degree, Mazda had made the 2 a part of the Zoom Zoom family.

Engineers were keen on making the 2 obedient and quick to respond to driver inputs, and it shows. The feel of both braking and steering systems at the finger and toe-tips are among the 2’s biggest dynamic assets, and each reacts with a precise, tight, and connected response. The whole setup feels well-matched to the 2’s size and chassis tuning, and not like the brake pedal and steering wheel are for suggestions only. The responsiveness and feedback are unusual for the 2’s price range, but welcomed indeed.

The 2’s suspension came into the limelight on rougher roads by managing a settled, compliant and solid ride character, even over surfaces that can see other vehicles bounding about like an errant ping-pong ball. Road and wind noise are about average for the price range, but the 2’s overall ride quality might just make drivers forget they’re in a car priced from about $14,000.

Ditto the cabin. Hard plastic lines the entire thing, but there’s enough contrast to keep the eyes busy, and good assembly quality to boot. The cleverly-designed centre console and door panels help enhance knee room, while a low window line and big windshield help the 2 feel bigger and roomier than it actually is. Rear seats are tight for grown-ups but not humorously cramped, and the cargo hold is relatively deep and generous, too.

Visibility is good, at-hand storage space is relatively abundant, and all controls have a modern and high-quality feel, too. Incidentally, it’s also mischievously easy to park and U-turn.

End of the day, saying the 2 feels like any car worth twice its price is a little superheroic — though it’s packed full of elements that help it hit above its weight.

Mazda’s first-ever Canadian B-segment car will come powered exclusively by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine with 100 horsepower and a very accessible 98 lb.-ft. of torque. With the four-speed automatic, the 2 moves along responsively, albeit with some excessive noise at full throttle caused by extended periods at higher revs.

Opt for the manual gearbox, and the reduced drivetrain power loss and extra gear help maximize available forward thrust. The 2’s electronic throttle is somewhat disappointingly programmed to prevent it from leaping into the next gear when drivers rush, but a nice engine note and pleasantly punchy acceleration are the payoffs for shifting manually.

Nice shifter and clutch, too. Of course, when you’re selling even cheap cars under a mantra like “Zoom Zoom,” details like these are important.

Interested in a test-drive? The 2011 Mazda 2 hits dealers in the immediate future with pricing from $13,995.

Justin Pritchard is an automotive journalist and consultant who resides in Sudbury.