2015 Mazda 2

[Madman]

In urban environments, why do a 2 when a Prius C has more social cachet, better dealer support and sky high fuel efficiency?

Because the cheapest Prius C is nearly $3,000 more expensive than the priciest Mazda 2.  Compare like for like and the difference is between $5,000 and $7,000.

2014 Mazda 2 Sport:          $14,720
2014 Mazda 2 Touring:       $16,210

2014 Toyota Prius C One:   $19,080
2014 Toyota Prius C Two:   $20,030
2014 Toyota Prius C Three: $21,765
2014 Toyota Prius C Four:   $23,360


Plus, the Prius C is just a terrible car.  Even those fawning sycophantic worshipers of all things Toyota at Consumer Reports begrudgingly admit the Prius C is absolutely awful.  You know a Toyota is really bad when even the editors of Consumer Reports can't defend it!

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2012/06/the-toyota-prius-c-isn-t-a-good-car-and-here-s-why/index.htm

[Madman]

Like I said I would love for cars like the 2 and Panda to come over, but at the end of the day there's just no business case for them.

Just wait for the next artificially manufactured oil crisis.  Mazda and Fiat will be tripping over themselves in the rush to bring these cars to market.

[2o6]

The reason the old 2 didn't sell was it was only a few grand cheaper and looked like a low rent Korean crapbox when parked next to the 3 on the lot.

Base Mazda 3's came with manual locks and manual windows.

[Raza]

The Scion is literally the same.


The Scion's problem is that

- It's a sedan

- Its got a fugly face.

Oh, I know it's the same.  That's not the point.  You can't market Scion the way they did and expect legitimate adults to take them seriously. 

[Raza]

2 can hold 4 adults if needed, but is also much lighter and more nimble. Since I have a bad habit of wanting to mod any car I own, I'd put it on some decent suspension to have a fun, flickable DD.

My engineer friend who races drives a 2 daily, and I think he's only done some basic suspension mods to it.  He loves it. 

[Raza]

I feel like this is more of a case of, "now that i cant have it i really want it". True, a small, lightweight, practical Mazda sounds great, but overall the 3 is just a better car. It will be a more comfy commuter, better road trip car, and if you so desire a better canyon carver/track car as well. Dont get me wrong, I loved the Fiat Panda I drove and I know the Panda 100 would have been absolutely brilliant. But my Civic is just about as much fun while being a much better car with a much wider potential evelope.

I'm not going to pretend that a Mazda2 is the ideal commuter for everyone, but it would be great for me, since my commute doesn't ever get out of the city. 

As it stands, the perfect car for me is a Fiat 500, and the 2 would have been a shot across the bow of the 500, for 498 less.  The Mazda3 is of manageable, but not ideal, size for the city, and therefore makes me less likely to get one for my commuting purposes.

[Raza]

Yaris is a bit substandard. Fit is tops in refinement and space efficiency in this segment. Versa feels like a midsizer inside. Plus the Sonic, Versa, Fiesta etc all weigh a bit more than the 2/Yaris and that pays dividends in NVH and highway stability. Thats where Americans drive and thats what sells cars here.

In urban environments, why do a 2 when a Prius C has more social cachet, better dealer support and sky high fuel efficiency?

Like I said I would love for cars like the 2 and Panda to come over, but at the end of the day there's just no business case for them.

Prius C costs $3,000 more than a Corolla and Mazda3 and $5,000 more than a Yaris.  If you're in the market for a $14,000 car, you probably won't buy one that costs over $20,000.