Photo: Mazda
While Europe and America are still waiting for the arrival of an all-new supermini from Mazda, the first since they split ways with Ford, the new Mazda2 is already winning major awards in its domestic Japanese market.
Having arrived in all major dealerships a few weeks ago, the 2, or the Demio as it's called there, has been awarded the Car of the Year title for 2014-2015. With 423 points racked up from the Car of the Year Japan (CTYJ) executive committee, the Mazda supermini hatchback managed to narrowly stay ahead of the new Mercedes C-Class with 404 points.
After the success of the CX-5 SUV and Mazda6 mid-size sedan, it comes as no surprise that Mazda has built a great little car. It's built around an all-new platform with great attention paid to keeping weight down. The highlight of its engine range is an all-new 1.5-liter Skyactiv-D diesel that delivers 105 PS at 4,000 rpm and 220 Nm of torque from 1,400 revs. It's said to be the most efficient non-hybrid car on the market and drinks fuel at the rate of only 3.4 liters of diesel per 100 km (83 UK mpg).
As lack luster as stories about awards are, we felt the need to do the slow clap after reading the press statement from Car of the Year Japan. Here's how they over-hyped the award: "Typhoon Vongfong, this year’s fiercest storm, might have weakened when it made landfall on the Japanese archipelago on Sunday, but a storm of different proportions was brewing inside the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation on Tokyo Bay. In a nail-biting finish between the Mazda2 and the Mercedes Benz C-Class, the Hiroshima compact car polled 423 votes to come from behind and win the Car of the Year Japan by just 19 votes."
After the success of the CX-5 SUV and Mazda6 mid-size sedan, it comes as no surprise that Mazda has built a great little car. It's built around an all-new platform with great attention paid to keeping weight down. The highlight of its engine range is an all-new 1.5-liter Skyactiv-D diesel that delivers 105 PS at 4,000 rpm and 220 Nm of torque from 1,400 revs. It's said to be the most efficient non-hybrid car on the market and drinks fuel at the rate of only 3.4 liters of diesel per 100 km (83 UK mpg).
What is the Mazda2?
Just like the new Mazda3 that came right before it, the 2 makes a clear dash towards the premium side of the market. It's available with LED headlights, a leather interior and has grown significantly in size. The 5-door car measures 4,060mm (159.8 inches) in length, which is absolutely huge for the B-segment. Just to give you give you an idea of what we're talking about, a Ford Fiesta is 3,950mm (155.5 inches) long. The wheelbase is also huge at 2,570mm (101.1 inches), which will make the handling feel like a grown-up car.As lack luster as stories about awards are, we felt the need to do the slow clap after reading the press statement from Car of the Year Japan. Here's how they over-hyped the award: "Typhoon Vongfong, this year’s fiercest storm, might have weakened when it made landfall on the Japanese archipelago on Sunday, but a storm of different proportions was brewing inside the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation on Tokyo Bay. In a nail-biting finish between the Mazda2 and the Mercedes Benz C-Class, the Hiroshima compact car polled 423 votes to come from behind and win the Car of the Year Japan by just 19 votes."
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