Mar 26 2015, 09:05 PM
QUOTE(RicoT @ Mar 16 2015, 04:40 PM)
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.
Very detail explanation! 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.
Was in your shoe too..
Initially my plan was to buy a Vios (both my families and all relatives drives a toyota) but Vios don't have VSC so plan to buy a 2nd hand Toyota camry since there are 9 family members and relatives driving it. All recommended me to buy it. But it doesn't excites me if I buy a 2nd hand toyota camry. Mayb becoz it is not a new car, the dasboard looks kinda old, VSC is only available on 2.4 high spec and my dad is also driving a toyota camry although I have to admit it is very spacious and comfortable.
So I plan to buy a Honda City. Test drive it and was very happy with it. Probably becoz I am driving an old proton saga which is 10+ years.
When I heard and saw the new Mazda 2, I instantly fall in love with it especially when they announce the price is below Rm90k and revealed the sedan. I am also a sedan guy, hehe.. The spec was almost full spec with a tempting price. I can find a dozen reasons that I should buy the mazda 2 instead of the Honda city. The only thing that bothers me is the cabin space and boot space since I have a 1 year old baby. I need to put a baby car seat. When I heard the Mazda 2 hb has reached my nearest Mazda showroom, I quickly ask my friends who is taller than me to join me to test drive. When I saw the car, it was love in 1st sight. I like the kudo design and sporty 16in rim very much. When I sat in the driver seat, the dashboard looks like merc C class + BMW 3 series, haha.. The HUD, touch panel, turning knob near the handbrake, fine red lining stitch on the leather seat and dashboard looks very cool! I also agree the mazda 2 is more fun to drive. When I ask feedback from my friend sitting at the back, they say the legroom is very cramp. Their head almost hit the back windscreen when I drove pass the speeding hump. They are 175cm and 180cm tall. When they sat at the driver seat and adjusted the seat, my legroom only have 1cm clearance. I am 165cm seat. I may have difficulty in installing the baby car seat because it need to face the back. Sometimes I also need to bring 2-3 passengers.
So in the end, I choose the Honda City. So far, so good..
But prefer the Mazda 2 sedan Red soul if I haven't have kids yet. Envy u la Ricot!
Recently my wife just told me she is pregnant, so luckily I didnt choose the Mazda 2 for my case..
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