<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" We can&amp;#039;t help but celebrate the Mazda 2. Here&amp;#039;s what the Road &amp;amp;amp; Track staff have to say about Mazda&amp;#039;s awesome econobox after flogging it around Ann Arbor. Josh Condon, Senior Editor Over hill and dale and through the back roads, this thing is MASSIVE fun. Direct steering, tossable forever, and a chassis that explains exactly what&amp;#039;s going on at all times. It&amp;#039;s light on power, but the five-speed manual gearbox effortlessly wrings the most out of an eager, 100-hp 1.5-liter inline-four. During straight-line commuting at highway speeds, however, the whole thing falls apart. All the NVH issues\u2014and there are a lot of them\u2014that you ignored while flogging the thing on the twisties jump front-and-center above 50 mph. It&amp;#039;s a buzzy, bouncy, noise-filled ride, and the car feels dangerously floaty above 80 mph. Not the best choice for those who drive mostly straight and flat. A hoot for everyone else. PLUS: Visibility and headroom for days. Far bigger inside than it looks outside. Massive fun factor on the back roads. MINUS: Vague shifter. Bare-bones features list. Squeaks and rattles like a kid&amp;#039;s toy.  David Gluckman, Associate Editor The Mazda 2 is an honest little car: The color on this one is called True Red. It has a manual transmission. There&amp;#039;s no coat hook or grab handle in the back seat. Rear brakes are drums. It&amp;#039;s pretty much the bare minimum of what qualifies as a new car. Because of that and some genius chassis tuning, it&amp;#039;s lighter, more tossable, and more floggable than any other new car I can think of (and a lot of used cars, actually). When I get in a 2, I start driving it like I&amp;#039;m in some imaginary slow car race. And I always win. PLUS: I want to own it. MINUS: I have now spent half an hour looking for good used 2s.  Robin Warner, Road Test Editor The Mazda 2 is brilliantly elemental. Unlike many of its contemporaries, the 2 connects to the driver through all inputs. Feel! It&amp;#039;s not fast, but it&amp;#039;s playful enough to bring a smile. PLUS: Smooth shifter, willing chassis. MINUS: The styling is a bit frumpy. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/reviews/a6561/2014-mazda-2-touring-otl/>