Mazda 2 Hybrid | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Mazda 2 Hybrid | Test Drive

Words Marco Rallo / Photos Andy Williams

If you weren’t expecting to find a small city car on our pages, we have decided to make you think again by bringing one that perhaps more than any other deserves the right attention. Born from the fresh partnership with Toyota, the Mazda2 Hybrid expands Mazda’s small hatchbacks lineup joining the traditional Mazda 2 with a Full Hybrid alternative that borrows the considerable know-how of its cousins. After all, looking at it makes you wanna say “That’s a Toyota Yaris!” and in fact that is exactly the case, given that the two models are perfectly identical, except for details that characterize their specific identity such as logos and different rims.

The Mazda2 Hybrid therefore has a 1.5 3-cylinder engine, combined with front-wheel drive via an e-CVT gearbox, a continuously variable gearbox which, as we have repeatedly seen, is agile in the city and helps to keep fuel consumption low. The electric power is really usable and comes in handy above all when moving the car at low speeds thanks to its 80 horsepower, making it also quite agile when overtaking and when a bit of acceleration is required. With a low weight at around 1,190 kg and small dimensions (3.9 meters long, 1.5 meters in height and 1.7 wide) the 2 Hybrid is the ideal car for facing the city jungle, being comfortable for who sits in front and yet offering enough space for at least two occupants in the rear seats and a couple of suitcases in the trunk.

Even the passenger compartment is that of the Toyota Yaris cousin and this is immediately identifiable due to a different instrumentation compared to the traditional Mazda 2, where we find a digital dashboard and a 7″ or 8″ display in the center of the cockpit, with sat-nav and a multimedia system in line with the type of car. Driving the Mazda2 Hybrid is very pleasant, both because it always moves with extreme agility and because it displays a remarkable precision. Only when you act more decisively on the throttle you get that scooter effect typical of CVTs boxes, but in this case it is limited to only a brief moment which allows the 116 total horsepower to move the little Mazda smoothly.

Finally, we have an excellent equipment in terms of driving safety systems and an overall competitive price, especially taking into account that it is a proper Full Hybrid. Prices therefore start at €21,150 for the entry level Pure and reach €26,750 for our better-specced Select, which adds a further €750 for the metallic paint. The Mazda2 Hybrid is a truly complete and well-made car which, thanks to the precious collaboration with Toyota, offers a hybrid alternative in the family of the small Mazda2, further differentiating itself with a more muscular look, LED headlamps and reference drivability for precision, emissions and above all fuel consumption. The official data declare just 3.8 liters every 100 km in the mixed cycle and trust me that this really means you’re about to forget the road to the petrol station.