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Maybe the first Mazda 2 was not a resounding success but rather a curiosity, but the Mazda 2 DE was a little more resounding success and is one of the best city cars you've never heard of.

We continue the same recipe with the Mazda 2 DE and basically we have a more bland yet comfortable Ford Fiesta. Just like the original Mazda 2, the Mazda 2 DE sacrifices the sportiness of the Fiesta and goes more into the comfort zone. It's just that unlike the original Mazda 2, now we no longer have the form of a compact minivan and now it's closer to a supermini. Instead, we have the same B3 platform from the first Mazda 2 and from the Fiesta V, so we don't see big improvements and plus that in this way Ford kept the Mazda brand on a short leash so that it didn't end up being eaten like what happened to VW with Seat and Renault with Dacia .

But at least we no longer have that minivan look and we have some essential comfort changes. We still have acres of windows and a higher seating position, but the most important thing is that we have the dash mounted shiter and above it we have the climate control buttons and in this way it is an even easier car to drive.

For the rest, we still have a diesel engine on duty and that should encourage you to drive a Mazda 2 DE on a long trip, although I'm not entirely convinced why you would want to do that. Especially since now it's an even more city car than before. Of course, there is also a saloon version available but not in Europe and that could be ready for a long journey but at the same time they didn't get the diesel engines so everything connects as well as Lloyd's thoughts. Mazda 2 DE – a Ford Fiesta for the elderly who spend their time on TikTok but who need a taller car because no one escapes from arthritis, just because they don't really have the money for a proper SUV.

Mazda 2 DE Engines

Petrol

• 1.3 ZJ-FE and SkyActiv-G P3-VPS of 75 and 85 horsepower - The same 1.3 ZJ-FE of Mazda recipe and which has no specific issues and is also the most popular engine on this not-so-popular car. It's like bragging that it's the best-selling drink in a hipster pub where no one goes because hipsters don't go to pub because it's too mainstream for them. Also, the SkyActiv-G debuts on the Mazda 2 aswell but it's a pretty rare find.


• 1.5 ZY-FE of 102 horsepower – Here we have a small problem. Sure, the 1.5 is just a bigger version of the 1.3, only that the 1.5 also came with the sport packages and hoonigan tendencies. Because why not, after all the Mazda 2 is a blobbier Fiesta, so it can surely run, and if the Fiesta 1.6 can run, why can't the Mazda 2? And the main issue is that if the engine is punished as if it had 250 horsepower, somewhere late in life it will start chugging on oile. Not likely, but good to know.

Diesel

• 1.4 MZ-CD Y4 of 68 horsepower – The same 1.4 CDTi / HDi / TDCi of Peugeot origin and with the same appetite for injectors. Thank you based Mr. Satoshi Tachikake for retiring it in 2007.


• 1.6 MZ-CD Y6 of 90 horsepower – Yes, the same 1.6 HDi / CDTi / TDCi but here at least you don't find it that often because it was already too expensive for the Mazda 2 and it wasn't even suitable for the urban character of the car. If you want to read more about this mechanical abortion, you have the Ford Focus review for that.

Mazda 2 DE Reliability Issues

• Multiple failures on the ABS side, whether we are talking about wheel speed sensors, the ABS pump, ABS ring or anything else in between. But it's good at least that in the city you don't need ABS all that much so nothing of value was really lost.


• It's a budget Ford, so you have to expect the typical electric gremlins, and here you have everything from the alarm to power steering to battery to interior plastics.

Mazda 2 DE Verdict

It is an evolution of the first Mazda 2 because it is built on the same platform. Sure, it looks better, but you don't get much in terms of practicality. And then comes the biggest problem of the Mazda 2 and Mazda in general – the used market prices. A 2008 Mazda 2 costs 50more than a 2008 Fiesta V and a 2010 Mazda 2 costs the same as a 2010 Fiesta VI, even though that is a different car with a newer platform. So I would recommend this car, but not at the current prices.

Which engines do I recommend? The 1.3 petrol should be all the engine you need, but if you insist on a diesel then the 90 horsepower 1.6 CDTi. Why tho?