Ownership Verified: ZOOM! - My Mazda 2 Skyactiv

Conan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
530
Location
Thailand
Car(s)
Mazda 2, Toyota Corolla
As I said in lastest purchase thread. A Model Year 2016, 4 cylinder, floor mounted throttle equipped, 6 speed (Automatic) transmission, direct injected, naturally aspirated, entry level automobile painted in brown. Very cheap and quite cheerful. :D

I used to have a very odd Honda Fit Grandma Special Sedan that came 6th in Worst Car on the Forum contest, but that was gone since February 2015 as it was getting old. It was replaced by a 2011 Toyota Corolla. I didn't bother making a thread for that one for two reason. First, it's a frickin Corolla. And second, it's not really mine and I've been using it for like once or twice a month. I didn't really need a car for pretty much the entirety of 2015. I do need one now though.

Living in Bangkok is a pain in the arse. Public transport is so bad that it's not an option, and that lead to the traffic being so bad getting anything special is not ideal. It does not matter how fast your car can do, you won't do it here. Parking is also quite a bitch, so no point in getting anything big either (Hell, parking a Corolla is difficult here!) All of that with lower purchase tax on a class of car call "Eco" (Ecology, not Economical, or so the government say) which include things like Nissan March, Nissan "Chinese Versa" Almera, Mitsubishi Might-aswell-stab-yourself, Suzuki Swift, Suzuki Celery, Suzuki Ciaz, Honda Brio, Toyota Yaris and THIS!

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2016 Mazda 2 Skyactiv High Connect Hatchback

This is the near top trim level of the Petrol 2, the Diesel is also available but for a lot more money. Only thing that's missing from the top Petrol trim is leather seat. So this has all the equipments that I want and even some that I didn't know I actually want. Mazda's Infortainment with 6 speakers, Fancy Interior, Alloy Wheels, Climate Control (with heater for some weird reason).

That and it's BROWN. :dance: Titanium Flash Mica to be specific.

After I bought it I went to Europe. And I felt something I never thought I would. I missed this car. Hell if it'd have been possible I'd totally bring this car out to Europe with me! But since I couldn't do that I'll likely in the future bring it to the great local roads, it'll be a lot of fun to do so. Hell it's a lot of fun in the city already!

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The only cons I could think of that you guys would think as a cons is is that it's an Automatic. Mazda do not offer Manual Gearbox in any passenger vehicle here (You cannot get it in the MX-5! Sacrilege! You do get them in BT-50 truck however). But for me driving Manual in Bangkok is very much not ideal so it's actually a good thing. The engine is a 1.3 Skyactiv unit producing 92hp. The car weighs about 1040kg and I couldn't say much other than that it's "merely enough".

Here are some pretty pictures!

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I do not use fog lights normally, obviously.

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Red stitching!

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Floor mounted throttle pedal!

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Just ignore this. I didn't have a choice! Yes, it has sport mode. No, it does not make the car faster. :p (Only more BRAAAAP as it's keep the car in gear for longer.)

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And here's some dashboard detail for Rick. :p The interior is much nicer than all of it's rival and even some car a class or two above.

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All of the above pictures (Except the engine shot which is by me) are taken by my good photographer friend Jade. :) Here is his FB page. He does portraits and other stuff as work and Automotive as hobby.

And here's the proof pic.

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Mazda always knew how to make beautiful cars and this is no exception :)

Yes, they're on quite a bit of a roll right now. Before they went into this Kodo and Skyactiv thing their cars were good but not great. Now though nearly the whole range is excellent from this 2 to the Miata. :)
 
I'm always a bit sad when I read "I had this and that car but I didn't bother to made a thread about it because this and that..." - Why not? For me the whole point of the PYC section is the diversity. Sure, it's a given that everybody with bit of a flashy motor will make a thread about it to show off that pride and joy. But I very much like the threads about "normal" everyday cars too. Be it a bore-box because of age/financial/regional/insurance restrictions, or be it a typical first car banger which is still driven around a decade over it's expiration date. :lol: - Small Story short: I like every new post/update in the PYC section. I even tolerate public's micromanagement "I bought a bolt/gasket/hubcap/smallpieceofplastic today" posts. Thehe.

Anyway, back to this car:
I still have no clue what skyactive actually means, but beside that a small 92hp runabout makes quite some sense to zip around in such a crazy large city area like Bangkok. And also, brown is a nice colour. 1970's brown was boring. 2010's brown isn't.

So there we are: Congratulations! :cool:
 
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The reason why they don't offer it in manual is, well, traffic, I guess. People wouldn't buy it anyway.

I've heard of cars without heaters, but it's a totally foreign concept to me. :D Over here, people add extra heaters to their cars.
 
I'm always a bit sad when I read "I had this and that car but I didn't bother to made a thread about it because this and that..." - Why not? For me the whole point of the PYC section is the diversity. Sure, it's a given that everybody with bit of a flashy motor will make a thread about it to show off that pride and joy. But I very much like the threads about "normal" everyday cars too. Be it a bore-box because of age/financial/regional/insurance restrictions, or be it a typical first car banger which is still driven around a decade over it's expiration date. :lol: - Small Story short: I like every new post/update in the PYC section. I even tolerate public's micromanagement "I bought a bolt/gasket/hubcap/smallpieceofplastic today" posts. Thehe.

Anyway, back to this car:
I still have no clue what skyactive actually means, but beside that a small 92hp runabout makes quite some sense to zip around in such a crazy large city area like Bangkok. And also, brown is a nice colour. 1970's brown was boring. 2010's brown isn't.

So there we are: Congratulations! :cool:


Thank you. :D

Oh well maybe I should do the one for Corolla as well. As I said I use it only once or twice a month (And that was before I got my Mazda) Also, I was not the one who own or chose to buy it so I don't really bond with it either. But hey, you're right. Not every car has to be interesting by itself, it could be interesting by the way it get use as well. Maybe one day? ;)

Before that I have to bug my friend to do photoshoot like I did with the Mazda, of course. :p

Skyactiv apparently means having a traditional automobile design getting improved to it's maximum efficiency without the use of technologies such as Turbo or CVT. In reality only 2 things I notice are that the rearview mirror stick is so thin I cannot mount my G1W properly (Weight reduction, bro! :rolleyes:). And that the high compression means I have to always use 95 Octane fuel, which cost more money at the station. :p

Besides that the car is a blast in the city with it's light steering and small size. It's also a lot of fun in the corners as well, Mazda really knew how to make a nice suspension and steering set-up. The engine is good as well, 93hp (I checked the brochure again and it's 93 not 92, one hp difference! :p) might not sound like a lot and the truth is it isn't. In fact I wish I could have a barge with power like you do :lol: (Eventually...) But the sound the engine makes is much nicer than you'd expected (so much that I think I'll make a video once I hit 1000km) and it's also so economical even without the stop-start system (I do have it, but it usually is off because hot weather makes the engine stop for only a few seconds before firing up again all the time).

And the brown is deliberate, of course. The red is also nice but it cost extra money and I prefer the brown. That's normal, right? :lol:

The reason why they don't offer it in manual is, well, traffic, I guess. People wouldn't buy it anyway.

I've heard of cars without heaters, but it's a totally foreign concept to me. :D Over here, people add extra heaters to their cars.

A lot of brands still offer manual in the very lowest "baser than your normal base" trim level. But Mazda don't even offer it on enthusiast car such as the Miata, and I found that sad. :(

You don't need heater when average temperature is always above 30c. :p
 
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I can think of a con - it doesn't have the fancy headlights! :p

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Anyway, congratulations on choosing the most attractive car in it's class :thumbsup: Enjoy it!
 
Whoa, I had no idea Thailand was a RHD-car country.
 
I can think of a con - it doesn't have the fancy headlights! :p



Anyway, congratulations on choosing the most attractive car in it's class :thumbsup: Enjoy it!

The fancy headlamps (Along with 16 inches alloy which I'm still contemplating on as its an easy swap) is only available in the top level Diesel 2. Which cost approximately 5000 Euro more to buy. I can convert the headlamps and change the wheels at aftermarket shop (using second hand parts) for about 1400 usd and it would look exactly like the most expensive 2. But I'm happy with the way it is now. :)

Whoa, I had no idea Thailand was a RHD-car country.

Ah yes. We are RHD, JDM tyte, yo. :p Yet all importation of used car to be use on the road is illegal. :rolleyes:
 
Nice city runabout. :)

@ lip: "Skyactiv" (yes, without an 'e' at the end) is Mazda's umbrella marketing term for everything they deem modern technology on their cars. Kind of. ;)
 
Nice city runabout. :)

@ lip: "Skyactiv" (yes, without an 'e' at the end) is Mazda's umbrella marketing term for everything they deem modern technology on their cars. Kind of. ;)

With interior looking a bit like the MX5 ND to boot! :p

Thank you. :)
 
A lot of brands still offer manual in the very lowest "baser than your normal base" trim level. But Mazda don't even offer it on enthusiast car such as the Miata, and I found that sad. :(

It's like the Toyota GT86 in Finland. It should cost ~Golf money but it's priced like a 3 series with options for no apparent reason.
 
It's like the Toyota GT86 in Finland. It should cost ~Golf money but it's priced like a 3 series with options for no apparent reason.

A bit like here then. A GT86 and MX5 should not cost nearly 60,000 euros to buy. :rolleyes: I guess at least you can get GT86 and BRZ with manual, unlike the Mazda which if you really want the manual you have to buy one from company specialised in grey-market automobile. It's the same with 3-Series. Nobody here's been able to buy a 3 Series with Manual since 1999 (But when you're spending 60k+ for a 320d I guess you don't want a manual).

Manual dying situation here is probably the worst in the world right now. :p
 
You do not want to know the average price for a used "automatic" NA MX5 here, trust me. ;)
 
Wow. Such stitching. much soft-touch. many brown. :wub:

I approve. Still bummed that we only get a bastardized version of the sedan for a dying brand.
 
I really, really, really wish they sold the DJ Mazda2 over in the US. I've put almost 100,000 miles on my DE and I absolutely love it and will drive it into the ground... and I want to replace it with a DJ.
 
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