All gotta do with gearing. Mazda opted for linear pickup, they say better for your neck and overall less strains on the body. It's the 0-100 that matters anyway. I'll bet the 2 is still faster

Unlike Toyotas, Mazda 2 employs a more linear throttle control like conti cars.

To find out which car is faster try the following:

1. From standstill, floor the throttle on each car (not quarter throttle, not half throttle.....FULL THROTTLE), see which on reaches 100km/h first.
2. Rolling start: both cars going 80km/h, floor the throttle at the same time and see which one reaches 130km/h sooner.

My money is on the Mazda on both counts, especially on test 2.

I can tell you even the Myvi 1.5 feels faster than the Mazda 2 when accelerating at low speeds, but when it comes to places where it counts most, like overtaking at highway speeds, it has nothing on the Mazda. The 6 speed skyactiv gearbox will eat them for breakfast.

Decision Made! Mazda 2

Summarised decision making thoughts:

Indeed, Honda City and Mazda 2 are close rivals to each other with their own unique merits respectively. I wouldn't say Honda City is a bad car, but one's requirements are different from another person.

1. Style:  I wouldn't be bothered with the styling of the two since I don't trust my artistic sense that much. I trust the designers in Honda and Mazda wouldn't come up with a fridge with 4 wheels design. Both of them have lines and curves which meanings are inapprehensible by myself.

2. Technology: Mazda Skyactiv vs Honda i-VTEC + torque converter CVT. Mazda wins hands down, the Skyactiv are implemented into Mazda 3 & 6 for some time, so it should be reliable. Although the Honda City has cruise control, there are no other interesting features which are technologically advance. Honda Earth Dream Technology is not implemented in the City, apart from the torque converter CVT gearbox(?), the i-VTEC engine remains the same. The only thing that can sway my opinion now is when Honda City Hybrid suddenly launch within this 2 months, which I have been waiting for since mid of last year, but it seems the longer Honda delays the launch, the less chance it will appear in Malaysia as the CKD hybrid tax exemption expiry date is looming close. I personally emailed Honda Malaysia about the Honda City Hybrid, they replied "please wait for the official news announcement", still in limbo to launch or not perhaps? There is a limit to one's patience, and I feel enough is enough at this moment.

3. Usage:
(a) Most of my drive will be with 1 passenger, rarely 2 or even 3 passengers. So, I could consider buying a coupe and still won't feel at a disadvantage, given that there is a coupe in this price range. The one thing I give much consideration about Honda City is because of its cabin space, I owned one '06 City and got poisoned by this. Passenger can sitting comfortably in City. But, I am not married at the moment but will be in the not so distant future, so owning this car for 9 years down the road wouldn't be a problem, even with 3 children. Also, we are Asian size, not European size, how tall can we be? (Some may have bigger waistline though)
(b) As I mentioned, I will be driving up and down Penang - JB a lot, so having cruise control is a big factor. Although City has it, while Mazda 2 don't, the fact that City NVH has not improved but worsen, the engine power is reduced by the power soaking torque converter CVT, and the worsen interior seat quality (girls with shorts where bare skin comes into contact with the rough seat fabric will itch after a while, and the fabric will lint after not-so-long usage, which is shown on 1 year old the test drive cars), are the big let down in the City. Also, after I discovered there are aftermarkets auto cruise module available (e.g. Pivot 3-drive AC) for any car with electronic throttle control system (for Honda is i-VTEC onwards), I could install it on the Mazda 2!
© NVH is not Honda's best areas, at least I feel Mazda 2 has better NVH suppression than Honda City. RM88k car, I don't expect Merc or BMW level NVH suppression, but at least comparable better in the same segment.
(d) More gadgets to play with in Mazda 2 compared to Honda City.
(e) As I mentioned, Honda City is a passenger-centric car, but more cupholders does not always win the competition. Since I always drive alone or with 1 passenger, the cupholders in my City will become keyholders/garbage holders instead, more rattling sound. Sometimes, more storage space will promote putting more things in car, making the car unkept and disorganised.
(f) My buttdyno feels my old '06 City has more acceleration power than the new City (due to the flywheel clutch CVT in old City vs torque converter CVT in new), but may be on par with the new Mazda 2 6-spd Skyactiv auto (torque converter + clutch combo). Mazda 2 is lighter and has better turning radius than City.
(g) Mazda 2 is slightly more fuel efficient than Honda City, just slightly and it wouldn't make much difference with the petrol price now. At least I can drive a bit further between refills.
(h) Small but ergonomically comfortable in Mazda 2. Honda City is big cabin and spacious.
(i) More confidence taking corner in Mazda 2 when driving around corners with the same speed in Mazda 2 & my old '06 City (~60 km/h). I feel the suspension setup in the new and old Honda City did not change much (softer so more body roll), so I assume both would perform similarly. Speeding kills, this statement is not meant to encourage more speed when tackling a corner in Mazda 2!

Hence, this leads to me in buying the Mazda 2 sedan. City is still a close rival to Mazda 2, it is for family of 5 with young adults (B-segment with C-segment cabin space). Toyota Vios (for RV only) and Nissan Almera (something from Nissan to fight B-segment), also the underpowered Mitsubishi Attrage (1.2L CVT?), as well as 3rd in line VW Polo Sedan (1.6 6spd auto).

Updates:
21/03/2015 Test drive 1
22/03/2015 Test drive 2
24/03/2015 Decision made! Mazda 2 Sedan. 

leftistledtechnBlackWoodswayfeelmr.hikano

Test drove both Mazda 2 HB (no Sedan even I requested for Sedan beforehand!!) & Honda City today.

Mazda 2 Driver-centric
+ NVH is significantly better, even with 6 speakers, it is ample enough to listen to music since NVH is superb, motorcycle exhaust sound from outside is significantly cut down
+ Engine noise is within acceptable audible level from cabin, even at high rev. It still gives you the engine grunt noise (not loud and very little vibration, but you can hear the rev) for more adrenaline rush, and engine is not or barely audible when you want smooth and comfort driving
+ Interior ergonomics, solid build quality, ICE is much better, buttons are nice to press, many things to play with for driver and side passenger, leather+fabric combo seat, reverse camera, HUD, pedal shifters
+ Acceleration from standstill with full throttle has more omph due to first gear in 6 spd auto when required, but subtle acceleration from standstill can be achieve too, accelerator pedal is nicely calibrated for both driving condition, brake assist at maximum, very little leg force is required for braking
+ Fast changing 6 spd auto, just slightly slower than DSG, smooth gear ratio
+ On par with European car, accelerator pedal like MB or BMW type, the hinge at the bottom with long pedal, not Japanese top hanging type
+ 3 years free maintenance(?)

- Small size cabin, however rear legroom is acceptable (still cramp and unable to stretch leg) even I am in my usual comfortable driving position, switching between seats at the rear is nearly impossible (My hip cramped when switching at rear seat), ample shoulder room for 2 adults or 3 kids as rear passenger, 3 adults is cramp for shoulder and legs
- Bumpy ride (for hatchback), due to firm suspension, like a Toyota Vios, rear passenger will be uncomfortable on long journeys, or on big bumps/pothole laden roads, the jerk is neck-breaking if drive fast over big bump (this could be due to over inflated tires), small road bumps are absorbed nicely, it is designed for spirited driving and cornering, maybe I test drove a new unregistrated car (70km only)
- No cruise control
- Rear boot opening is about 1" less
- 3 years/100,000km warranty
- No center armrest

Opinion: It really is a driver-centric car. If you travel alone or with a passenger most of the time (like a coupe) but due to work/family required to ferry 2 more rear passengers occasionally or family with 3 children, it is a car worth considering. Long legged rear passengers will suffer a lot when travelling long distance. (I am 175cm and can still comfortably sitting at the rear with 1cm of legroom from the front seat, maybe for those 190cm will suffer?)

Will search for a sedan version tomorrow at other Mazda outlets to do proper direct comparison. The bumpy ride could be due to hatchback setup, could be less rear weight so more neck jerking bumpy ride is felt? (Like Myvi?) Will feedback at a later time.
Honda City V E Passenger-centric *Take note the car I test drive is E not V as expected (Thanks ledtechn for pointing it out).
+ Big cabin!! Rear passengers will be happy, enjoying and longing for more long distance ride
+ Comfortable ride, due to softer suspension, ride feels like driving an old '04/'06 Honda City, it absorb large bumps nicely (1 year test drive car? So softer suspension?)
+ Highway cruiser with comfortable ride and cruise control
+ Linear & subtle acceleration, even at full throttle, you don't get the omph feeling even if you want to
+ 8 speakers, rear aircons & 6 airbags for passenger comfort & safety
+ Bigger boot and boot opening (~1" or ~2.5cm bigger)
+ 5 years warranty & unlimited mileage, free service (labour?) at selected intervals
+ Discount RM2000 now, so about same price with Mazda 2.
+ A lot of cup holders
+ Center armrest
+ Japanese car feel

- Bad NVH, slightly worse than old Citys. Engine roars loudly and vibration can be felt in cabin when at full throttle, but no omph feeling (might as well don't do full throttle driving at all, means no racing), outside noise is audible, tire noise is louder compare to M2
- Interior... As you know, a bit interior rattling sound coming from somewhere(?) in the cabin. Nothing is soft on the dashboard, all hard plastic. Seat material is full fabric (based on E spec), the fabric feels rough and like those type that will come out little lint if a lot of rubbing is done with abrasive pants (not sure will it have lint or not on the long run though), my old Citys seat fabric are much smoother than the new City, old City has soft carpet-like feel

Opinion: If you want a comfortable ride highway cruiser, City is for you. NVH is louder than my old City (Don't know why?), but at relaxed driving pace, NVH it is still acceptable (louder than M2, could be tire noise maybe? Even HRV is the same, noisy tires).
Will update tomorrow for Mazda 2 sedan, before I make my decision.

All feedback are welcome, if you have disagreement with my reviews, please feel free to post it, different person have different feeling/expectation.     

Test drive round 2! syvianlim

Mazda 2 Driver-centric & European feel

o Interior space is not as bad as I think, though it is still small, but sitting in the correct posture helps a lot, both your perception of space, and for your healthy back's sake. After I adjusted to my usual driving position, went to the rear seat, and sat in my usual laidback and slumped (hunchback) rear sitting position in my old City, my knee had became the lower back bolster support for the driver (not much legroom and the knee were up against the front seats). However, come and think of it, Mazda & Honda had different design expectation for their rear passenger, and therefore, I tried to adjust to the most comfortable sitting position possible in the Mazda 2. Surprisingly, I found that sweet spot! Mazda engineers expect the rear passengers to sit in a more upright position, with the feet tucked under the front seats (usually we don't put our feet under the front seats right?), the hands on the lap, knees spread outward, and elbow swung out, like a chicken wing. Whist doing that, the elbow rest nicely on the small padded armrest on the door. I found there were more space to move around by sitting with this posture and my back had more support, and was more relaxed, even though the seating position is more upright.

o During the testdrive, there are many motorcycles with loud exhaust passing by closer to the car compared to test drive in Old Klang Road, and I think, if the Mazda 2 has better sound insulation and I still felt it was loud, either the sound insulation was not as good as I think it is, or those motorcycles exhaust were reeaallly loud, I didn't wind down the windows to compare how loud was the motorcycles with windows down and up (should had done it!). Nevertheless, my buttdyno-feeling is Mazda 2 has better NVH compared to City. On much rougher road surface, tire noise from Mazda 2 is equally loud as City on a smoother road (I didn't get to try both of them on same road condition). My friend commented in Mazda 2, the sound in cabin is more of the engine acceleration sound, yet in City, everything is outside + rough engine noise.

o Car handling through corners, Mazda 2 wins hands down. City is not even a close rival.

o One thing about the engine i-Stop features, you have to press harder on the brakes for it to work when the car is at a complete stop. The Mazda 2 already has a very firm brakes and doesn't require much leg effort to brake. However, it expect more leg pressure on the brakes for the i-Stop to function. I never knew it until the SA told me to step harder. The start-up is a bit rough than the Serena S-Hybrid I have, maybe the i-Stop uses fuel injection to restart the engine, instead of a starter motor. See their Mazda Skyactiv for more explanation.
Honda City Passenger-centric & Japanese feel

o The Honda City provided this time is a V spec, and indeed, there are soft touch leather on the dashboard (Mazda 2 is softer and nicer to touch and press though). With the radio on, I still feel it could not rival Mazda 2 in the bass section (Maybe more tweeter speakers?)

o One thing I noticed in the City is the front seats could not be pushed any further than the B pillar (middle pillar), whereas the Mazda 2 can (to cater for long-legged European drivers?). When pushed back to the furthest in Mazda 2, your feet could not even press on the pedals(!), trade off is super limited rear legroom.

o The new City performs better in this showroom, not sure whether it is the road I test drive on or the wheels had been changed. Acceleration engine noise is the same, harsh and loud.