Photo: Mazda
The all-new MX-5 / Miata (ND) and the Adaptive LED Headlights technology may be the hottest Mazda topics nowadays, but what happened to the new Mazda2? Marketed as the Demio in Japan, the lil' supermini is now preparing for launch in Europe.
With the order books slated to open in a few months and deliveries slated for early next year, the third-gen Mazda2 (DJ) is way different than its forerunner, with one of the biggest differences coming in the form of a modfied CX-5 chassis, not the Fiesta-related Ford B3 platform that's older than socks.
So what else is in store for Europeans eager to drop some money on the Japanese city dweller? Well, the styling is up there with the best the B-segment offers at the present moment, it's super safe thanks to ultra-high strength steels, it weighs a mere 970 kilos and gets the i-Activesense safety systems suite.
All nice and dandy up to this point, but the Mazda2 is not out of surprises. The icing on the cake comes in the form of the new-generation powertrains dubbed by those talented Japanese engineers as Skyactiv. There will be a number of three 1.5-liter petrol-fed four-cylinder mills, together with a 1.5 turbo diesel.
AWD is an option on the Japan-spec Mazda Demio
Measuring 4,060 mm in length, 1,983 mm mirror to mirror in width and sporting a generous 2,570 mm wheelbase, the Euro-spec Mazda2 is propelled by Euro 6 compliant mills. The entry-level 1.5 petrol churns out 75 PS at 6,000 rpm and 135 Nm at just 3,800 revs and it's mated to a five-speed manual.
This base engine option emits just 110 grams of CO2 per kilometer and drinks just 4.7 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers (60.1 UK mpg). Step up to the next tune and you're offered 90 PS, 148 Nm of torque, a five-speed stick shift as standard or a six-speed auto as an optional extra, as well as an economy of 4.5 l / 100 km (62.7 UK mpg) or 4.8 l / 100 km (58.8 UK mpg) for the automatic torque converter tranny.
If it were our money, we'd spend them on the range-topping petrol, which boasts with 115 PS, 148 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm, a six-speed manual gearbox and the i-ELOOP brake energy regeneration system that one might also find on the Mazda3 and Mazda6. This mill is able to return 4.9 l / 100 km (5.8 UK mpg) on the European combined cycle. However, those of you that plan to do more than 10,000 miles per year may want to go for the 1.5-liter Skyactiv-D turbo diesel.
Producing 105 PS at 4,000 rpm and a hefty 220 Nm of torque between 1,400 and 3,200 revs, this motor drinks just 3.4 liters of diesel per 100 km (83 UK mpg) when mated to the only tranny available, a six-speed manual. But get this: on top of that super good fuel economy, the low compression diesel emits a mere 89 grams of CO2 per kilometer, meaning it's friggin' cheap to tax virtually everywhere in Europe.
So what else is in store for Europeans eager to drop some money on the Japanese city dweller? Well, the styling is up there with the best the B-segment offers at the present moment, it's super safe thanks to ultra-high strength steels, it weighs a mere 970 kilos and gets the i-Activesense safety systems suite.
All nice and dandy up to this point, but the Mazda2 is not out of surprises. The icing on the cake comes in the form of the new-generation powertrains dubbed by those talented Japanese engineers as Skyactiv. There will be a number of three 1.5-liter petrol-fed four-cylinder mills, together with a 1.5 turbo diesel.
AWD is an option on the Japan-spec Mazda Demio
Measuring 4,060 mm in length, 1,983 mm mirror to mirror in width and sporting a generous 2,570 mm wheelbase, the Euro-spec Mazda2 is propelled by Euro 6 compliant mills. The entry-level 1.5 petrol churns out 75 PS at 6,000 rpm and 135 Nm at just 3,800 revs and it's mated to a five-speed manual.
This base engine option emits just 110 grams of CO2 per kilometer and drinks just 4.7 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers (60.1 UK mpg). Step up to the next tune and you're offered 90 PS, 148 Nm of torque, a five-speed stick shift as standard or a six-speed auto as an optional extra, as well as an economy of 4.5 l / 100 km (62.7 UK mpg) or 4.8 l / 100 km (58.8 UK mpg) for the automatic torque converter tranny.
If it were our money, we'd spend them on the range-topping petrol, which boasts with 115 PS, 148 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm, a six-speed manual gearbox and the i-ELOOP brake energy regeneration system that one might also find on the Mazda3 and Mazda6. This mill is able to return 4.9 l / 100 km (5.8 UK mpg) on the European combined cycle. However, those of you that plan to do more than 10,000 miles per year may want to go for the 1.5-liter Skyactiv-D turbo diesel.
Producing 105 PS at 4,000 rpm and a hefty 220 Nm of torque between 1,400 and 3,200 revs, this motor drinks just 3.4 liters of diesel per 100 km (83 UK mpg) when mated to the only tranny available, a six-speed manual. But get this: on top of that super good fuel economy, the low compression diesel emits a mere 89 grams of CO2 per kilometer, meaning it's friggin' cheap to tax virtually everywhere in Europe.
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