After good Mazda use, the little 2 was once firmly held up to the light, with a significant series of improvements as a result. This was necessary, because the growth of fresh competitors can hardly be kept up. Whether the Mazda is still relevant, he can demonstrate against the equally strikingly compact Peugeot 208.
The new model is slightly longer, slightly wider and slightly higher than its predecessor, which is good news for the rear passengers and the luggage compartment. “These words, or words of similar meaning, have appeared almost standard in news reports of a generational change in recent years. Growth did not seem to be stopping in the car country. The Volkswagen Polo is now about the same size as a Golf from twenty years ago and this is certainly not the only model that has moved on a segment. There are nevertheless some exceptions. Take the Mazda 2. That started its life as a spatial block box in the style of the Demio, the name the model bore in its home country until 2019. After the first 2, a considerably smaller and sportier generation followed, on which the current 2 has continued to philosophize happily since 2014. Something similar applies to the Peugeot 208. While the 207 was still a remarkably tanned, hefty and spacious car between 2006 and 2014, the priorities for the first 208 were clearly different. The car had to be lighter, higher quality and more dynamic, and the current model was built with that in mind. The new 208 launched last year appears to have a lot of qualities, but the space available is not to write home about.
With 265 liters, it can carry 20 liters less luggage than in its already overly spacious predecessor, while adults in the back seat quickly approach the physical limits with their knees and knees. The Mazda is also not a car for those who regularly travel with four people. Here too, the knees quickly prick the backrests of the front seats, which have been kept remarkably thin by Mazda to prevent that pricking as much as possible. The luggage compartment is slightly smaller at 250 liters than that of the Peugeot. In addition, the cargo hold is remarkably short, which, together with a narrow passage and a tapered tailgate, makes for a limited usable trunk.