Appearance: It's a car built to target Asian girls, and the styling reflects that. It's curvy, yet still has a few sharp angles. Looking forward to the update due in Australia in May. Build Quality: It's a Mazda... what more do I need to say? No squeaks or rattles from the bodywork (only from my CD cases in the door pockets...) Improvements I would like to see: more progressive clutch uptake (currently very abrupt), and a more progressive handbrake (doesn't hold at all unless fully on). Performance: I haven't yet had the opportunity to get it out onto a track, but occasionally on a dry, sunny day, I'll have a bit of fun. It takes a fair bit of abuse to prompt any interference from the stability or traction control. It accelerates beautifully for a 1.5L, due to having such a light chassis and body. It brakes pretty well, too, considering how light it is. Anti-lock brakes with emergency Brake Assist and Brake-Force Distribution help to pull it up quickly. Remember, though, this is a city car, not a sports car, and as such the suspension is set up for comfort. Chuck it into a corner, and there's a fair bit of body roll, but despite this, will stay on- course. Out on the freeway, however, it will cruise comfortably all day long, which was why I chose the Mazda2 over the VW Polo or Hyundai Getz. Torque-steer can be a issue if hooning away from the lights, but generally can be held pretty well. Power-to-weight ratio works in its favour in traffic, as it's easy to dart between lanes, and get up to speed. Cost of ownership (AUS $): Maintenance costs are a little higher than older cars, which is only because it has to be serviced by a Mazda service centre in order to get the computer software updates. I generally have mine serviced out of the city, where my parents live, and the service prices are significantly lower (up to 30% lower). On the fuel side of things, my calculations show an average of 6.4L/100km (sorry, don't know the conversion to MPG) Fun Factor: Love it. I live in the city, which is exactly the place it's designed for. I also spend a lot of time travelling long-distance on motorways, and I couldn't ask for a more comfortable car in the compact class. It's got plenty of sprightliness, which is great for having a giggle outside of peak traffic. Love it.

Best 1.3 performance i have ever driven. Very well Built. Best looking hot hatch on the road. Does 18K's to a litre - 5.3l \ 100K's. Extremely fun to drive. Safest in its class - ***** star euro NCAP rating

Its a small car and maneovers well around corners, has heaps of leg room in the passenger seat and in the back, also good for the shopping.

Fantastic fuel consumption,Easy to drive, Great Ergonomics, hasnt neede any repairs for the past year!Very Fun to drive, except on an incline wiht the airconditioning on. Love that evrythign in wihtin reach, there isnt a need to take my eyes off the rad at all during driving!

Hey its a small car but Mazda 2 rocks in a tiny city like Taipei~~ Cheaper than a Mini but lots fun to drive it!! It is still parking down stair in a dark garage cause I don't commute any more. sign..