2011 Mazda2

Here's the problem with reading too many car magazines, they're not speaking to the people who actually buy cars. They're writing to people who wish they owned a Porsche or a BMW and think everything else is terrible, in short, they're writing to themselves. Know-it-alls and loudmouths populate the halls of these long (wrongly) esteemed publications that are lucky if they reach 200,000 people. Of course they go on like they're doing Tonight Show numbers circ 1973 but really they're just living in the past. They hate cars like the Mazda2 - it's underpowered they say, it's got an outdated automatic transmission is another complaint. Really? Seems fine to me.

With 100 hp, the 2011 Mazda2 feels plenty powerful. Is it going to win at Le Mans? No, but it is a fun car to drive that provides both entertaining handling and a high quality interior. The seats are comfortable and the back seat isn't impossible to use. The 2011 Mazda2 is mechanically related to the Ford Fiesta so that good - the Fiesta is probably the best subcompact out there.

At just $16,000 for a nicely equipped Mazda2, I say ignore all the old guys that write and talk too much simply for their own pleasure. Go test drive a Mazda2, it's a well-made little car that will have you re-thinking just how much car you really need.

Brian Moody for Car Concerns Radio