EXTERIOR

That Mazda2 is small, but it still manages to pack in a huge style punch. The rounded hatch, coupled with a rear spoiler and cat-eyelike headlights are totally likable. I'm not really sure I'd take a full-grown adult seriously in this car, however. It's just too cute. It seems much more appropriate, both in style and price point, for a teen driver or a young adult just out of college.

One thing that does impress me about the Mazda2 is how it manages to squeeze in four full-size car doors – plus a fifth if you count the hatch – into such a little design. This car is vaguely reminiscent in size to my own Volvo C30, and every time I approach the Mazda2 I'm still a tad bit surprised there are rear doors. That makes it doable in a pinch for families with school-age kids, who have short legs.

The small size, low step-in height and placement of the car doors makes this cutie easy for little ones to open the door, climb in and close the door independently.

The Mazda2 has a 100-hp, 1.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine that takes regular gas. A five-speed manual transmission is standard. With the optional four-speed automatic, it gets 27/33 mpg.

    See also:

    Door Locks
    WARNING: Always take all children and pets with you or leave a responsible person with them: Leaving a child or a pet unattended in a parked vehicle is dangerous. In hot weather, temperatures in ...

    Owner Maintenance Precautions
    Improper or incomplete service may result in problems. This section gives instructions only for items that are easy to perform. As explained in the Introduction, several procedures can be done onl ...

    Immobilizer System (with Advanced Key)
    The immobilizer system allows the engine to start only with an advanced key the system recognizes. If someone attempts to start the engine with an unrecognized advanced key, the engine will not s ...