Highway driving

[future2]

Hello all. Looking to buy a 2012 used 2 (Automatic Trans) for my wife to use as a commuter car. She is coming from a Mazda3 that she loved, but we are considering saving a few dollars to go with the 2. We will be taking a test drive but looking for input from those of you who have had it a while longer than the 15 minutes we will be test driving it.

She drives about 40 miles each way every day, all on Rt 80 highway (65 MPH speed limit). Any info on how the car handles the higher speeds keeping constant around 70 MPH? Does it have the power to merge onto highways, maintain speed, passing power? How is road and engine noise at that speed? Also, how is the ride quality at higher speed?

Any info would be greatly appreciated. TIA.

 

[GroundGrAVY]

Hi! I have the Automatic and drive highway about 30 miles each way to school.

The car handles and maintains highway speeds great (I drive about 70-80mph) it can get noisy if you don't use the radio, but if you ave it on then you really don't notice anything unless you are really accelerating. Any other time there it makes more of a "humming" sound in the background, you will hear road noise but I got used to it quickly (again minimal if you have the radio on...I keep the volume around 14).

Once you get the momentum going it doesn't usually have a problem with passing power, but if you are from a slower speed eg: 45mph from an onramp then need to accelerate to 60-70 mph then I will usually put foot down in the accelerator to make it down shift. It is basically the same thing when you need to do something like merge into a lane that is moving much faster than you are (behind an 18 wheeler going 55 to a lane moving 70+). That may sound bad but it really isn't in practice just need to plan the merge like any other car and use the blinker. As far as merging onto highways it is usually fine depending on how long the onramp is, but if you want it to accelerate then it will accelerate.

I really love the car on highways because the steering tightens up and it just feels "zippy" it can weave in and out of traffic extremely well because of its size, I usually drive pretty spiritedly an get about 32-33 MPG in mixed highway city driving. When you first start driving it on highways it is a bit disconcerting but once you get used to the car it gets really fun.

Also, make use of the "overdrive" button if you turn the O/D off when merging on to the highway and for city driving it will be much more responsive and speed up faster (BUT don't forget to turn it back on once you are up to speed if you are on a road that has higher speed limit or once you are on the freeway)

 

[Rdrcr]

Also, the highway mileage on the 2 is far more impressive than city. On those long tips I averaged 38-41 MPG. Mixed highway/city I usually only get around 30-32. (cryhard)

I'm the opposite. I average 29 MPG on the highway, 35 MPG in the city.
However, I believe speed is a factor in my highway MPG. I typically drive 75 MPH+ on the highway when traffic and road conditional allow.

Mike

 

[Traum]

With that much highway usage, I am not sure whether the 2 will get you better fuel economy than a 3 (with a SkyActiv engine). Plus, with a Mazda3, you'll have a lot more reserve power available should the need arise.

In your case, I'd really opt for a SkyActiv Mazda3 instead.

 

[DrWebster]

Honestly, I'd agree that a SkyActiv 3 would probably be a better vehicle for mostly-highway use. Above 65mph the fuel economy in the 2 starts to drop quickly. A SkyActiv 3 with the automatic will cruise at 70mph at 2,000 RPM and get 40+ MPG while doing it. That said, I do think the 2's seats are more comfortable than the 3's, after a few hours in my old 3 my butt would go numb.

 

[future2]

Great info all around. Will take it all into consideration. Thanks all!!

 

[CorkSport]

At 100 MPH the Mazda 2 says it gets 10MPG. Not sure how this plays into your decision but in case you decide to kick up your commute up a notch.

-Derrick

 

[DrWebster]

im skinny with a bony butt

So am I. Yeah, they're no La-Z-Boy, but they really are better than the 3's seats, which have much denser/firmer padding in the seat.

 

[genericmoniker]

I've driven to/from PA from Toronto numerous times. Interstate speeds are no big deal, however, at around 70-ish you're hovering around 3~3500 rpm (it's been awhile since I've gone that fast) which, IIRC, is right around where the variable valve timing kicks in. Power isn't much of an issue, as that's around where the engine feels best anyways, there's just not much of it. It's well mannered for a car that small/light, in comparison to rental Yaris I had when my car was in for repairs, it's lightyears ahead in steering response, though not as supple a ride. At first, the car does feel fairly "twitchy" but that's just a function of the short wheelbase, once you get used to it, it's actually very stable.

The major downfall, especially in comparison to the 3, is the lack of power of the car as well as it's gearing and stiff-ish ride. If the majority of your commuting is highway, I'd definitely go with the 3 over the 2. If for nothing else than to not hear a hamster-powered engine going at it while cruising.

That being said, I've taken it up a bit over 100mph, and the car still felt planted.

 

[Traum]

I've only had a very brief stint driving a Yaris, so I can't say my impression of its performance is at all complete. But suffice to say that given my very limited experience, it seems to me that the Yaris drivetrain just isn't very eager or willing to rev -- it is definitely nowhere nearly as lively as our already pathetic 100hp engine.

Whether the problem lies with the engine (in terms of torque curve and power delivery), with the transmission (ie. gearing), or just a general combination of the drivetrain components, I cannot tell. Based on the numbers on Fuelly, however, it seems pretty obvious that the Yaris easily enjoys a solid 10+% better fuel economy than our 2. But hey, given the way the drivetrain behaves, I'd still take our 2 any day of the week over a Yaris.

 

[c7scayman]

Any info on how the car handles the higher speeds keeping constant around 70 MPH? Does it have the power to merge onto highways, maintain speed, passing power? How is road and engine noise at that speed? Also, how is the ride quality at higher speed?

I just bought a 2012 manual Mazda 2. It does very well on the highway. It is smooth and accelerates quickly. The automatic may be slightly slower, but still good. I always find myself accidentally doing 80mph. It should be just as quiet as the Mazda 3.

Some Mazda dealerships let you do an extended test drive for an hour or two. I once tested a Mazda CX-5 for three hours.