Practicality
Cars almost always make you compromise somewhere, and with a small car that
can be in its practicality. The Mazda2 is no exception. I'm a bigger guy, and
while I didn't feel cramped while driving the Mazda2, there's no way someone my
size could have ridden behind me. A shorter person might have been OK, but
either way it's a tighter fit back there than it is in a Fit or Nissan Versa.
(Check the photographs to see how child-safety seats fit, in case your
passengers tend to be toddlers rather than adults.)
On the other hand, the cargo area is surprisingly large. In some hatchbacks,
there's just not a lot of room behind the rear seats to put stuff. Such is not
the case with the Mazda2. I easily fit all the gear I needed for a weekend away
in the hatch area without having to fold the seats over. When I did fold the
seats, I found I had enough room for my large cyclocross bike without having to
remove both wheels. That's nice, because it means the Mazda2 is competitive with
the Fit and Versa in the bike-carrying department. The stats show the Versa and
Fit are much larger (the Fit has 57.3 cubic feet of maximum cargo area, the
Versa has 50.4 and the Mazda2 brings up the rear with 27.8). What I found,
though, was that the Mazda's space is usable. In other words, there isn't a ton
of vertical space, but from side-to-side and front-to-back, there's a lot of
room.
Overall, it's a handy car, but I think it's best-suited for young couples,
singles or people with children who are still in car seats.
See also:
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