Long Term Car: 2011 Mazda2

Today, we celebrate the first day of our three-month loan of the 2011 Mazda2 Touring with five-speed a manual transmission. You may recall how much we loved our time with the car at launch, or perhaps you read Tom Martin’s column in praise of the 2.

While those articles are good places to start learning about the car, there are always more questions to be answered, which is why we’re happy to bring you this long-term “Ask It.” Let this page serve as your place to pose your inquiries, and we will in turn answer questions and post notes, anecdotes, facts, figures, logbook entries, and probably some comparison test results during our time with the Mazda2.

To start, here are the basics:

2011 Mazda2
Engine: Inline-4, 1.5-liters, 16v
Output: 100 hp/98 lb-ft
Weight: 2306 lb
Fuel Economy, City/Hwy: 28/35 mpg

The Mazda2 starts at $14,180 (including destination) for Sport trim, and the Touring, which ours is, starts at $15,635. Touring includes cruise control with steering-wheel-mounted controls, red piping on the seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, six-speaker stereo with controls on the wheel, and a trip computer.

Again, post your questions here. We’ve got the deuce until April.