5,200+ miles over 10 days in a Mazda2 (long read)

[Assle]

Spent the better part of 10 days on the road in a Mazda2 traveling from Chicago to San Diego and back again. Thought I'd share my impressions on the car.

For the tl;dr crowd:

Surprisingly-good performance
Averaged 30.4 mpg
Typical Mazda interior

Unabridged riveting tale chap:

The Friday before last (May 4th), my buddy and I took some basic travel supplies + clothes and headed off on a roadtrip in a True Red Mazda2 Touring with ~6,200 miles on the odometer that looked like this:



Prior to the trip, I had been interested in a Mazda2 so having one for such a trip made for perfect coincidence. For those not familiar, here are the basic stats on the car:

100hp/98tq 1.5L 16V 4-cylinder
Auto
~2,350lb curb weight
0-60 in 9.2 seconds
Top speed of 109mph

The trip itinerary went like this: Chicago -> St Louis -> Oklahoma City -> Albuquerque -> San Diego -> Las Vegas -> Denver -> Chicago

First and most-noticeable was how well the car drove. It weighs as much as my '89 Integra did but feels much better planted to the road than that car ever felt. Steering response is sharp and brakes catch very quickly. Surprisingly little body roll/lean considering how cheap the car is. As far as power is concerned, the 100hp/98tq may be at least 54lb-ft short of sufficient for safe passing, but it felt like plenty in this car even with the additional ~500lbs with us in it. It didn't stand a chance in any aspect against the Z8 we ran across on Mulholland and the engine had a tough time climbing I-70 by Denver up to the ~11,600-foot elevation, but it never gave off that impression that we could have dead.

I was also quite impressed with the interior. Much like in my sister-in-law's Mazda3, the interior in this car is surprisingly cavernous and well-arranged. The dash and door cards, though, (much like they are in the Mazda3), are easy to mar/scratch. The trunk is roomy enough for two medium duffel bags and tools without a problem. There are several cup holders and change trays of various widths and depths in the center console. Map pockets in the front door cards flared in width toward the front of the car meaning you could stash items of wider width in there (such as a CD case). The rear doors, however, do not have pockets. Also, the part of the elbow rest on the front doors where you put your fingers in to pull the door closed was padded with soft material. This is great as I hate having something rattling in there as it does in most other cars. Lastly, the car does have a good seating position relative to window shape for cruising with your arm resting on the door.

Other things of note:
The Yokohama Avid S34F tires performed very well from the canyons of California to the snow/ice of Denver. Always good grip except for minor hydroplaning in New Mexico.
Very little highway noise.
There is no engine temp gauge, only one blue dummy light to let you know the engine has not warmed up to optimal temperature, and one red dummy light to let you know if the engine is too hot.
Wider-than-expected turning radius. I tried to turn around 180 degrees at a gas station around the pump island and could not do it in one smooth move.
Small 11.3 gallon gas tank made for stopping 2-3 times a day to get gas but at least it was cheap and quick to fill up.
Overall trip fuel consumption was at 30.4 mpg. Trip consisted of almost all highway driving, never more than 5-7mph over the limit.
No satellite radio. Not sure if it was just this car that didn't come with it or if the Mazda2 doesn't have it as an option at all.
No sunroof. Again, not sure if at all available from Mazda.
The cruise control would occasionally go into thermostat mode where it let the actual speed fall nearly 5mph under the set limit and then overcompensate by bringing the actual speed over the setting by 2-3mph. A few times, the cruise control would just randomly shut off or gun the engine to 5,000 rpm on level roads without much elevation change up or down.
The distance to empty display would sometimes add mileage to the range instead of subtracting as we're driving along. This might be because of the gasoline moving about in the gas tank.
The headrest makes for a vision obstruction if you look over your shoulder on the door side.
Placement of the shifter being in the dash makes it pretty easy to tap into neutral when bringing your hand up from the center console area.
The backs of the front seats do not have storage areas.
The seats were quite comfortable and did not wear us out sitting in them day after day for a week and a half. The side bolsters were quite supportive on both parts of the seat even if the did feel flimsy in hand.
The front passenger seat can slide forward of the B-pillar if you need to fit a large item into the back seat area.
It is possible to turn the trunk light on/off with a switch but the light doesn't illuminate the trunk area very well.
You do have a button to turn the DSC off, which was nice, but there is no indicator to inform you if wheel slip was detected.
Only one 12V port.
The glove box does open without crashing into your shins, which is more than I can say for most other cars I've been in.
There is no dummy pedal to rest your left foot on, but there is a flat vertical carpeted space where a dummy pedal would have gone.

All in all, I liked the car and I would consider owning one if I were in the market for a new small car. Only things I'd have to have that this car did not come with is a sunroof and manual trans.

[Aguilar]

Nice review, you definitely get to know cars on long trips. I will be doing a 2000 mile trip in the Corvette soon, I'll definitely post something about it.

[mike02467]

My sister has a 2010 Mazda 3 and I think the interior is terribly laid out. The back seats are extremely cramped and the dash is just a plain mess. The seats are too firm and the ride is somewhat harsh. That's pretty bad gas mileage... my '93 2.sl0w golf would get 34mpg highway with me flooring it out of every toll booth and off ramp.

[GolfTango]

My sister has a 2010 Mazda 3 and I think the interior is terribly laid out. The back seats are extremely cramped and the dash is just a plain mess.

A mess?

[One_Love]

he is talking about the 3 interior...but regardless i disagree with it. i think the dash is awesome. Unlike the truck dashboard in the civics

[GolfTango]

he is talking about the 3 interior...but regardless i disagree with it. i think the dash is awesome. Unlike the truck dashboard in the civics

So he's comparing a 3 to a 2 And the 3 looks great as well:

[Mike!]

The 4-speed auto sure kills the mileage. The manual does well, but it sounds like the auto could use the JDM SkyActiv 1.3l/ CVT combo... 84hp be damned.

[Mike VR6]

It's unfortunate the mileage is so low for mostly freeway driving. My Subaru (with huge AWD drag) from 1999 will beat that in all highway driving.

[VadGTI]

I hate it when TCLers come to LA (especially all the way from Blackacre) and don't say hello. It makes me angry .

[NightTrain EX]

I think sirius is a dealer installed option. Did your car have a "SAT" button that didn't operate anything?

[Assle]

I hate it when TCLers come to LA (especially all the way from Blackacre) and don't say hello. It makes me angry .

Damn!, totally spaced on that! I fear SuperHipsters and did not come bearing any flannel so would have been a lost cause. I'll be back in the fall or winter on a food truck feeding frenzy

[cryption]

It's unfortunate the mileage is so low for mostly freeway driving. My Subaru (with huge AWD drag) from 1999 will beat that in all highway driving.

This is my thought.

My 2011 Fusion can get 35 on the highway cruising - and it's a much bigger car. I would expect close to 40 highway out of a 2.

Aside from the poor mileage, seems like they are still neat little cars.

[Aonarch]

I've been looking at a 2, but I would have to have the manual.

[Assle]

I think sirius is a dealer installed option. Did your car have a "SAT" button that didn't operate anything?

No "SAT" button but there were 3 faux button covers on the panel to the left of the steering wheel where the "DSC" button was. IIRC, Car & Driver griped about the lack of satellite radio on the long term test car. Theirs was a 2011 so maybe that changed for 2012.

[NightTrain EX]

It's unfortunate the mileage is so low for mostly freeway driving. My Subaru (with huge AWD drag) from 1999 will beat that in all highway driving.

I think the combination of the car being loaded + climbing mountains contributed to this effect. That engine was probably working pretty darn hard.

[NightTrain EX]

No "SAT" button but there were 3 faux button covers on the panel to the left of the steering wheel where the "DSC" button was. IIRC, Car & Driver griped about the lack of satellite radio on the long term test car. Theirs was a 2011 so maybe that changed for 2012.

My 2011 3 had the button but the receiver needed to be installed at dealership. I have those 3 button covers as well near the DSC off button...don't know what they were for

[Assle]

This is my thought.

My 2011 Fusion can get 35 on the highway cruising - and it's a much bigger car. I would expect close to 40 highway out of a 2.

Aside from the poor mileage, seems like they are still neat little cars.

I'm gonna blame the gearing and the strange behavior by the cruise control coupled with the tiny displacement. Almost every uphill was a SCREAM AT 5,000RPM (!!!) situation. Bigger displacement comes in handy for hill ascent.

[cryption]

I reckon you're right on.

Do you have any idea what it would get 70mph flat terrain? The biggest hill I have here is a freeway overpass anyway.

[Egz]

I think the combination of the car being loaded + climbing mountains contributed to this effect. That engine was probably working pretty darn hard.

Sounds about right. I would personally like to see a 1.8 or 2.0 in this with a little more power.

[NightTrain EX]

Sounds about right. I would personally like to see a 1.8 or 2.0 in this with a little more power.

With the SkyActive 2.0 this thing would be a rocket in comparison...and get great mileage to boot

[Assle]

I reckon you're right on.

Do you have any idea what it would get 70mph flat terrain? The biggest hill I have here is a freeway overpass anyway.

From watching the instant consumption meter on level ground at 70mph, the reading was in the 35mpg range.

[cryption]

From watching the instant consumption meter on level ground at 70mph, the reading was in the 35mpg range.

I could live with that. I would truthfully use a car like this for putting around town more often then not, and use the Fusion for the highway.

[grahamanator]

I have a 2011 manual transmission Mazda 3 and have averaged on at least two occasions 6.0L/100km (39 mpg) with 3 people and a loaded trunk plus A/C @ just under 120km/h. Fantastic little car.

[Roboturner913]

I like these as cars for around town but that mileage isn't what it should be and it's not all the transmission's fault. My wife's RAV4 with a 4-speed auto gets 30 on the highway and it weighs a lot more.

[BRealistic]

It's unfortunate the mileage is so low for mostly freeway driving. My Subaru (with huge AWD drag) from 1999 will beat that in all highway driving.

Loaded down with passengers and cargo through the mountains?

And small cars are about getting great real world daily driving mpg.
Who buys a small inexpensive car for long highway trips?
Larger cars with bigger engines that allow better highway gearing tend to do much better on the highway than around town.
Some larger cars double their real world urban mpg on the highway.

[proximal]

My 2011 Fusion can get 35 on the highway cruising - and it's a much bigger car. I would expect close to 40 highway out of a 2.

Aside from the poor mileage, seems like they are still neat little cars.

I have a manual 2 and am averaging 37 mpg over 10000 miles of mostly highway driving.

[adrew]

I have a manual 2 and am averaging 37 mpg over 10000 miles of mostly highway driving.

The automatics really kill the mileage on these little engines. My 5-speed Yaris gets 36-38 MPG in mixed driving (just have to coast up to lights and accelerate gently) and upper 30s/low 40s on the highway depending on speed. 85 MPH = 35 MPG

[BRealistic]

The automatics really kill the mileage on these little engines. My 5-speed Yaris gets 36-38 MPG in mixed driving (just have to coast up to lights and accelerate gently) and upper 30s/low 40s on the highway depending on speed. 85 MPH = 35 MPG

The 4 speed automatic can get low/mid 30s in mixed driving.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.d...rue&details=on

The OP's situation was a small car loaded with passengers and cargo.
That is not the same as a car being driven by a single driver in an unloaded car in 30-60 mph traffic.

[BRealistic]

I have a manual 2 and am averaging 37 mpg over 10000 miles of mostly highway driving.

Your post does not count.
We must keep bashing the Mazda2's fuel economy!

Most Mazda2 user numbers easily beat the EPA estimates.
Obviously the Mazda2 was not optimized for the EPA mpg tests.

[adrew]

The 4 speed automatic can get mid 30s in mixed driving.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.d...rue&details=on

The OP's situation was a small car loaded with passengers and cargo.
That is not the same as a car being driven by a single driver in an unloaded car in 30-60 mph traffic.

I took our '11 on a camping trip last weekend with two other people, a tent, three sleeping bags, three sleeping pads, a crate of food, a big cooler and some other stuff (basically it was full to the brim) and still averaged 40 MPG on the trip (2 hours each way, 55-60 MPH country roads).

On road trips (loaded down) I get 35-40 MPG depending on speed. 55-60 MPH = 40 MPG, 85 MPH = 35 MPG.

[jddaigle]

Loaded down with passengers and cargo through the mountains?

My 11 year old Jetta 1.8T gets a good consistent 32mpg on highway road trips through the Rockies, with 4 people and their luggage. However it does benefit from having a manual transmission, and I skip the cruise control. It is a little disappointing that the smaller Mazda 2 doesn't seem to have a significant mileage advantage over the larger and more comfortable 3.

[windycityvdub]

I took a 7000 mile trip last summer (Chicago to SF and back, the long way) in a Jetta 2.0T DSG. Car had two people and was packed with cargo...averaged about 31 mpg. I couldn't imagine doing it in a smaller/less refined car. You are brave.

[BRealistic]

I took our '11 on a camping trip last weekend with two other people, a tent, three sleeping bags, three sleeping pads, a crate of food, a big cooler and some other stuff (basically it was full to the brim) and still averaged 40 MPG on the trip (2 hours each way, 55-60 MPH country roads).

On road trips (loaded down) I get 35-40 MPG depending on speed. 55-60 MPH = 40 MPG, 85 MPH = 35 MPG.

That is great.
And don't get me wrong- the 4 speed auto obviously hurts the Mazda2's fuel economy.
But it still returns great fuel economy in normal driving (combined).
The manual is better.
A couple of 40 mpg users here.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.d...rue&details=on

And the automatic hurts the Yarises mpg too.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.d...rue&details=on

It's just nice to see that some gas vehicles with nice epa numbers seem to easily surpass their epa estimates (Yaris, Mazda2).
But I guess when you only have 100 hp and even less torque, you can't really play with the highway gearing that much to maximize the test results.

[VWestlife]

Your post does not count.
We must keep bashing the Mazda2's fuel economy!

Most Mazda2 user numbers easily beat the EPA estimates.
Obviously the Mazda2 was not optimized for the EPA mpg tests.

With my 5-speed Mazda2 I'm averaging 34.4 MPG over 26,000 miles in mostly suburban driving. I've gotten up to 38 MPG on highway trips, and never less than 31 MPG in mostly city driving.

[Aonarch]