Not a 3 driver for the next 48 hours.

[StevenRB45]

So my car is away at Hodgson's getting it's annual check over, I had hoped they'd give me a gen 3 for courtesy car but no. However got the next best thing...




It's a 1.5 se-l 90, and is a very nice little car, it does overall feel cheaper/more tinny than the 3 whether that's the skyactiv light ness or that they make all the switch gear in the cheaper cars a little worse I don't know.

Has the new infotainment system which is reasonable, but not entirely sure why the stereo knobs needed to be beside the hand brake it doesn't fall naturally to hand. Also the floor hinged throttle is odd, other than small gripes though it is very impressive, feels like a big car, is quiet enough, rides OK. Gearbox is nice if not as good as the 3, certainly nicer than my OHs ds3.

[StevenRB45]

Well this has gone now, nice to get the 3 back even if I could easily achieve 50 to the gallon in the 2. 3 has significantly less rattles than this 2 has which is odd given my car is obviously much older.

However extremely nice little car and I'd be tempted if I fancier down sizing.

[9swampy]

...3 has significantly less rattles than this 2 has which is odd given my car is obviously much older...

I trust the new 3's aren't rattlier than the old 3 you have! We didn't even drive the 2 as it just was way too small for our needs, just sat in it for a minute, but it seemed well put together just like the 3.

[9swampy]

I wonder if the 2's for here are now being built in Mexico as according to http://www.carscoops.com/2015/05/new-mazda-2-wont-be-offered-to-american.html the 2's not being sold in the US market, or do all UK imports - including the 2's - definitely come from Japan?

[StevenRB45]

They are built at the same factory as the 3 Hofu in Japan (Hiroshima). Both cars are listed as being built in other places on Wikipedia but without looking at the VIN of a car in the absence of other information I don't know. It would make sense they are built in the same place so they can share the shame logistics lines though also Japan and the UK will be the main Right hand drive markets so less faffing on with tooling supplying them from same factory.

[9swampy]

Aah, right hand drive in Japan, wrong hand drive in Mexico; didn't think of that. Makes sense. You know pretty much all of the bottom right (incl. Australia) of the globe is right hand drive? We're the odd ones out over here, largely due to Napoleon and Hitler.



(Sorry for tangenting again Willpower)

[StevenRB45]

Well 1 year on its courtesy car time again...will it be another Mazda 2? Will I score a gen3 or will it be a car that requires a new topic/section? Tomorrow we shall know!

[StevenRB45]

As the chuckle brothers would say..."oh dear oh dear"

[Willpower]

Aaaaarrgggg     Well I suppose at least it's Japanese..   Good Luck !   

[StevenRB45]

Another year another courtesy car


Baby Martha.. gotta say the build quality has come on since the red one, no rattles at all. Only 75 ps though so not fast at all.