Mazda2 Hybrid: Double the heart of the Yaris at first check

It now bears the face of the Mazda family for the first time. In addition to nose adjustments, innovations can be controlled: traffic sign recognition is now standard, cruise control, and in high-end equipment even accepting a traffic sign (which, however, requires the confirmation of the confirmation button).

There’s also a 9.0- or 10.5-inch touchscreen and the acoustic warning required throughout the European Union when the speed limit is exceeded, here with a pleasant little hum. Early semi-analog instruments gave way to the digital cockpit that is common today.

As before, the electric part of the hybrid car consists of an electric motor in the train and a starter generator, the output of the system remains 116 hp. A more powerful 130 hp version is reserved for the Yaris.

Now it can go a little further electronically, perhaps covering three blocks instead of two. The goal here is to electronically connect the starting point of the gasoline engine and thus save fuel.

The seats remained small; In the top-of-the-line Homura+ we drove, you sit comfortably in the sports seats with lumbar support for the driver. The smoochy shape minimizes the opening of the door at the back; Rear space and cargo space (286-935 liters) is standard for small cars.

The driving attitude has changed a little: a parking space finder that is less than four meters in length, 1.75 meters thin and weighs 1,100 kg, and nodding movements due to the short wheelbase. The steering is somewhat indirect and is more for those looking for comfort than those looking for lateral movements.

The background noise, which is lovely in full hybrid mode, is amazing. You can still hear that three-cylinder engine roaring up front, but Toyota has designed and isolated the sudden roar of many full hybrids. Decades of involvement in full hybrids have given Toyota a resounding lead.

While others are desperately trying to circumvent Toyota’s patent for the planetary gear, which cleverly connects the gasoline and electric motors and then disconnects them again, and still delivers the full hybrids with the noise of the Prius 2 today, Toyota has created pretty much everything that sounds good. . annoying. Anyone who has never dealt with technology and happens to be behind the wheel of a Mazda2 Hybrid – for example at a rental company – will probably only think of it as a small car with an automatic transmission.

Mazda has reorganized the equipment lines: The price list starts with Prime at 24,990 euros. Standard features include a rearview camera, automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control, an audio system and wireless connectivity for Android and Apple phones. If you want heated seats and keyless entry, you should go for the Center Line (26,490 euros). Line Exclusive (28,290 euros), which Mazda believes has best-seller status, offers height-adjustable seats, blind spot warning, front/rear parking sensors and 16 instead of 15-inch wheels.

The Homura tops this with 17-inch wheels, sports seats, a charging cradle and privacy glass. Top equipment is called Homura + and includes a head-up display, 10.5-inch screen, factory navigation system, voice recognition, glass roof. Price tag: 32,890 euros. Gone are the days when you could get a car like this on your doorstep for 21,000 euros – that was the starting price three years ago.

The fiercest rival of this model is probably the regular Mazda2, which you can still get for less than 20,000 euros. Even if the hybrid buyer manages to reduce consumption by two liters per 100 km, the additional cost will be reduced only after 130,000 to 150,000 km. Even if experience shows that small cars with Toyota’s hybrid technology can achieve such a distance, this explains why of the 8,000 2 Series sold by us in 2023, 6,000 will be standard Mazda2s.