Originally Posted by
Ranny
That's a great discount from the 'one price store' Scion. I would not worry about the Scion badge taking a hit for being an defunct manufacturer. Even non-car buffs are smart enough to know that it's just a re-baded Toyota (tho they might not know it's actually a Mazda). Pity neither Mazda or Toyota saw fit to bring the hatch to the US. Every small sedan I've seen looks awkward. Mazda 2, which we don't get, is the best of the bunch, but Toyota ruined it by grafting on that grill! They must think it's 'edgy', but I've never heard it called anything but what it is - butt ugly.
I'm surprised to have consistently read the 2 is peppy. I owned a 2011 2 5 speed and it wasn't particularly peppy. In fact, I'd say the engine was a weak point. The rest of the car was really good. It sold poorly, I suspect because the public saw the horsepower number as meager when compared to it's main competitors, Fit, Sonic and Fiesta.
Aside from the snout, I would not be unhappy to find an iA in my garage. It's certainly a step up from it's step brother Yaris.
Iwantamirage - Thank you for your comments on the iA. I do have a question: you state that the iA is a much better driving car than any of the others, but then say the Spark is a close second. How is the Spark a close second if the iA is far better? The hatch, IMO, is a compelling argument for the Spark.
No doubt the iA / Mazda 2 is a far better handler than Mirage, but did you find it a lot quieter? Lack of easily accessible power, sloppy steering and road noise are the Mirage's 3 weak points, IMO. While it can 'get out of it's own way', it takes a bit of flogging to make that happen and while the gas milage is great, it doesn't take much to make it drop. The slightest bit of hard driving or traffic with the AC on will cause mine to drop by 5MPG or more.