3rd place: 2011 Mazda2 GS – 76.6%
The Mazda2 is a worthy member of its family—it’s nimble, peppy and fun to drive. It also hides its horsepower deficit well, giving up 10 horses to the Kia and 20 to the Ford, which shares its platform. Clearly, this car is the best-handling of the bunch.
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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com |
The car’s low curb weight makes up for its 100-horse output, but to achieve that, the 2’s rear quarters are smaller than all others in this group. Back-seat space is barely adequate for two adults, especially when you’re just stepping out of the Versa. The interior and cargo capacity numbers published by Mazda seem optimistic.
The diminutive Mazda proved the fuel economy champ in our mostly-urban driving test. It’s also one of the quietest manual transmission-equipped subcompacts on the highway; at 100 km/h, its gearing spins the engine at 2,650 rpm, while the Fit and Rio5 hit 3,000 rpm at the same clip.
During our test loop, the Mazda seemed to be the one attracting the most attention, but it could be thanks to it’s because of its Kermit the Frog paint job.
Well then, how come it finished in 3rd place? Apart from the lack of rear-seat space, the Mazda2 drew criticism for the narrow cargo area opening and the limited view out the smallish rear window. One tester also complained about the car’s short front-seat cushions.
Bottom line: the Mazda2 is a fun car to drive, especially when equipped with the manual transmission. However, two other contenders in this category are slightly more competent in their daily duties.
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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com |
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