I have been very happy with my 2011 Mazda Mazda2. The hatchback design and folding back seats makes it very practical for running errands or transporting large cargoes. In fact, we even drove it across the USA, loaded up with belongings, when we moved. The fact that it is a four-door makes transporting other people easy. A friend who is 6'4" once sat in the back seat next to two others and declared that it was surprisingly spacious. It handles very well. I was initially drawn to it because of how compact it was for a hatchback, as I prefer to drive compact cars.

At the time of purchasing this vehicle I needed a car fast. This car was very fuel efficient, which I required since I drove long distances. This car has served me well in various capacities. This car has had little to no real problems other than normal maintenance. The sport edition of the Mazda 2 is the base model, in other words there is no cruise control, navigation, spoiler, premium rims, etc. The interior is nice, basic, and easy to maintain, however after 50,000 miles there is a little rattle or sticking noise issued from it. Maintenance on this vehicle is relatively cheap, and with some mechanical knowledge easy to work on. This vehicle does not haul things well as it is very small, however if you are careful you can haul a cushioned single person chair on top of it. The trunk is spacious enough for groceries, however if you need more room the back seats will lay down providing more space. When the seats are laid down you may barely fit a 55" TV standing up. Overall the vehicles main purpose is something to take you from point A to point B in a fuel efficient manor; it does this well.

The Mazda 2 is an interesting car. I've got it used but have driven new models and have talked with friends with similar experiences. In fact, the Mazda 3 has a lot of the same issues. The conclusion reached was predictable, the car is not worth your time. Style over substance cars have always existed, but Mazda has followed the Toyota model of having a style car brand that's massed produced like a toy instead of an actual serious vehicle, which is odd since Toyota one up entry-level car brands are widely adopted. Mazda however has attempted numerous times to put out cheap toys that aren't good in any circumstance for the sake of trying to stuff "shelves" at car dealers. The Mazda 2 has terrible armor and many things will go wrong with average collisions. It takes up a crazy amount of gas despite the engine infrastructure being similar to some of the top gas saving vehicles on the market. It can't handle any terrain outside straight road without mechanical problems are speed being cut in half, and very few third-party parts are made for it. It has an incredibly high trade-in rate. It's not worth your time unless you just want a car to seem decent visually.