Mazda2 Approved for US Launch

'Demetri : September 18th, 2009 at 9:02 pm “Should be sensible shoes for most secretaries that would not care less about cars.” What would you consider to be a small car for people who do care about cars? Sounds like this will be the choice for people who want nice handling and steering, much like the 3 and 6 are compared to their competitors.' Depending on their needs and location, I have far better suggestions than the competent Fiesta, aka Mazda 2. Top of my head: Honda Civic, or, more appropriate, the new Honda Fit. You get just as good, if not better, handling and steering, and unbeatable reliability and, esp., interior quality, materials and ergonomics. Honda may have lost its way with the current Accord and many other models, but it still is the best in making high-quality small cars. If you do a lot of highway miles, get a GOlf-jetta- Jetta Sportswagen DIESEL. 45 mpg highway easy. If you get one of the older, lighter, less powerful Jetta Diesels, a colleague's wife with a 90s jetta gets 51 highway. Even the prius can't get that much on the highway (it can get more than that, but only in the city at low speeds) The Prius gen II, new or used, if you live in places like the Los Angeles area.

"Honda Civic, or, more appropriate, the new Honda Fit. You get just as good, if not better, handling and steering, and unbeatable reliability and, esp., interior quality, materials and ergonomics." No, those things are about the same in a Honda and a Mazda

Yeah, I bought a 3 over the Civic and the interior is better styled and better quality in my opinion. As far as ergonomics, the Civic loses for me because the shifter is too far away. It's like the manual transmission was a an afterthought. The 2 tier gauges also turn a lot of people off. Mazda reliability is pretty dependent on model and the 3 has shown to be very reliable. I will say that the Civic's handling is way better with this generation, and just as good as the 3, at least in the coupe variant which is the one I was comparing it to. The engine is a tradeoff. You'll get better fuel economy with the Civic, but the 3 has more power, which is what I wanted. The Mazda also cost me about $1,500 less. Hard to say what the 2 will be like when it gets here, but I got the impression that it was really nimble. I wasn't impressed with the interior pictures that I looked at, but supposedly they are addressing that with a refresh. It also has a nice 300 lb weight advantage on the Fit, but doesn't offer as much engine. What I would like to see from Honda is the City. I know, hatchback is better and all that, but I'm not schlepping cargo so what do I care? The City is a nicer looking car with a much nicer looking interior (new Fit is a bit of a step back I think), and with the sedan bodystyle you should get minor bonuses in weigh and rigidity, and at least in the US the sedan version always seems to cost a little less.

I'm not sure if it's a possible trend, but here on Okinawa, I've only really seen the Demio, a.k.a Mazda2, as a member of the rental car fleet. In that regard, they are very popular. But, I will say that we should be thankful that Mazda is sending the current Demio to the States, and not the previous generation. Those were worse looking than the current Mazdas with the smiley face front end!