Mazda 2 Sedan 1.5 Review: 2's company

What we like:

Honda: Distinctive nose treatment

well built interior

relatively high OMV Mazda: Nimble handling

well shaped boot

well weighted controls

What we dislike:

Honda: More expensive than its rival here

high driving position

loud engine at high revs

nondescript rear end styling Mazda: Not as pretty looking as the hatch

dashboard plastics look and feel a bit hard

not as spacious as the City inside

Although the City is based on the Jazz, the interior is mostly unique to it. The only visible shared parts with the Jazz are some of the switches and knobs. Up front, the drover's seat offers height adjustment but the seat is set just too high. Even with the seat adjusted to its lowest setting, a driver of average height will find the driving position far too high - you feel like you're sitting on the car rather than in it.

Thankfully, you don't get the same problem with the driving position in the Mazda. The front seats are a tad flat and lack support but it is positioned well enough even for the tallest of drivers.

At the rear of the City, the flat floor design means three passengers can be accommodated rather comfortably. The seat backs can even be adjusted for recline on the LX version here. The Mazda is slightly less accommodating in the rear due to its shorter wheelbase but it is hardly a cramped and claustrophobic environment.

A really thoughtful feature in the City has to be the neat umbrella storage area under the rear seat. With a volume of 506 litres, the City's boot should be able to swallow almost anything in the Ikea catalogue. Moreover, the rear seat backs can split/fold 60/40 for an even larger load area. The Mazda's seats too, will fold 60/40 if required but the boot itself is accommodating enough and well shaped even though it is not as voluminous as the City's - it's still a great deal bigger than the hatchback's nevertheless.

In terms of cabin ambience, the City has the edge thanks to better materials, softer surfaces and better quality switchgear. The Thai built Mazda feels as every bit as well built as the Japanese made hatch version but just like the latter, the cabin is let down by a lack of perceived quality thanks to the shiny and hard surfaces and switchgear that feel like they lack substance. The City is also sportier inside thanks to the darker materials and sportier looking seat fabric. The Mazda2 Sedan offers a more conservative and grown up overall ambience than its hatch cousin thanks to the beige seat fabric.

The features laden LX version of the City comes with a factory fitted stereo head unit that is iPod compatible and an interface that is similar to Apple's finest music player. The single slot CD player can also read MP3 and WMA files. 16-inch alloys are another desirable standard feature

In top spec LX spec as tested here, the City is a significant $7k more than the Mazda. A base model City comes in at $3k cheaper than the LX but is less well equipped. The Honda City really makes for a very good entry-level saloon if not for its high price. The newer car here, the Mazda2 Sedan is not only more affordable but also more fun to drive - it puts on a good fight against the City despite being the new kid on the block and proved to be a great alternative if you can live with its rear end styling. The City though, is too strong for the Mazda in the aspects that really matter for a small, no frills saloon.

Credits: Story and Photos by Raymond Lai