Besides the color, the Mazda2 has a lot going for it! Good price, too!

A tight skin stretched over muscle and bone, solid, compact and evolved, having shed anything not needed in favor of natural optimization.

It's called a compact, but inside you'll find lotsa room.

The dash and controls were simple in layout, easy to use and the sound system offered clear, crisp audio. It came as a surprise to learn that air conditioning, power mirrors, door locks and windows, plus remote keyless entry, were all standard equipment on ALL models of the Mazda2.

YES! Jon is right, the color is straight off a Junebug . . . too bright for naked eyes!

Three unusual features of the Mazda2 are worth mentioning.  First was the nicely balanced, responsive and efficient electric power assist for the steering. Second was the variable valve intake that improves gas mileage . . . and the third  was that the twin cam engine has a timing chain instead of a timing belt.

This car's dynamic shape won't go unnoticed . . . anywhere!

How much to do you spend changing a timing chain? You don't -- most timing chains last the life of the engine.

My first day out involved forays into Berkeley and then Oakland. With a light touch, the Mazda2 showed solid zip through town and on the freeway. The car was totally flinge-able and responded with enthusiasm to anything that was tossed at it. This is a five-passenger, and easily handled  two adults, two kids and a load of groceries stuffed into the generous cargo hold under the hatch. Plenty of headroom, elbow room in the front and back, with noticeably less headroom for the rear passengers.

The automatic in the 2 would drop a gear when pushed in aim and shoot highway passing maneuvers for overtaking left-lane bandits. At the 6,300 rpm redline, the 2 was a bit loud, but once back down to strong clip cruising, the car was much happier and easily paced the fast traffic. We never triggered the anti-lock brakes, or the Electronic Brakefore Distribution System, but it is there. The brakes offered a solid and consistent feel and very good stopping power from any speed without a hint of fade or any slewing or loss of control on any of the less traveled roads taken. The chassis always felt very balanced and happy.

At 58 inches tall on a 98-inch wheelbase, you might expect the car to have a choppy ride and want to roll over and play with the first enthusiastic move. No, the ride proved to be supple even through the “special feature” potholes that the City of Berkeley installs in order to discourage driving. And yes, the suspension is a bit on the soft side  -- with an almost French car willingness to be driven on most anything euphemistically called a road. The Mazda 2's grip proved tenacious even in a most unusual June California downpour traversing a crappy main highway that is one of too many suffering from California's “deferred” maintenance program.

The 1.5-liter engine cranks out  100 horsepower at 6000 rpm with 98 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm. This doesn't sound like a lot of power, but in puttering around town the car felt quite zippy. With the 5-speed with overdrive manual tranny,  the Mazda2 comes in at welterweight 2,306 pounds where the automatic with the 4-speed plus overdrive comes in at 2,359 -- very light for a feature-laden modern compact with strong National Highway Safety ratings.

The EPA rates the Mazda2 at 29/35 for the manual and 27/33 for the automatic, both running regular unleaded. The Mazda2 has an 11.3 gallon tank and we saw the high twenties with enthusiastic city driving, backroad pounding and limited  highway driving. A little less hammering of the go pedal would have easily seen us consistently in the low 30s range.

The Mazda2 is way up there in the fun to drive part of the compact car category. Yes, the price does start out higher that much of the competition. But the standard feature list is as long as many others' options lists and the fact that it has a timing chain means that operating costs start low and remain low.

This is the smallest family car in the Mazda lineup. Clearly the Mazda2 thinks that it is a baby brother to the Miata . . . and thankfully -- it is.

Zoom, zoom!