The mazda2 has great exterior style and design, with a lot of standard options giving a lot of bang for your buck. the alloy wheels, aircon, power windows, etc. the car is a joy to drive with responsive handling and braking. you can get in and out of traffic with confidence. the manual transmission is an orgasmic feeling to drive but if you live in a city and have to deal with philippine traffic, opt for the automatic if your machismo can handle it. the automatic is nothing to write home about. you also can push the car and it does not hesitate to perform whether on the highway or the city. the interior is thoughtfully laid out and the console is easy to manage. with hard wearing surfaces and a very robust feel, the interior equipment will last a long time.

the automatic transmission is old technology with only four gears. not bad but with its american cousin the ford fiesta having a dual dry clutch 6 speed
automatic, my geeky tech side can't handle the hit. the interior is rather dull with only hard plastic and with some odd fabrics that does not have any cushion.

in terms of brand and quality as well as peace of mind, this is the second best thing to a toyota. but you can't buy a sporty entry level car without mentioning the fiesta. the reason i bought the mazda instead of the fiesta was that ford made the latter and i was not convinced of the build quality of american cars compared to japanese cars. don't get me wrong, im in love with the fiesta too! in terms of spec, the fiesta would win with its bigger engine, assisted hill climb, and great automatic transmission. exterior design wise, the mazda looks an hair's edge better. interior design of the fiesta is also better compared to the mazda but not build quality.

but...

i fell in love with the mazda.

there is a rumor of skyomatic engine or some other that mazda is making and is going to put in their cars. hopefully they update the power train on the mazda2 but i am sad and pissed at the same time that i won't be there to appreciate the new technology since i already own one.