0 Mazda2 the weight saving pioneer

Making cars lighter has become a top priority for manufacturers in a bid to save fuel, improve performance and enhance the driving experience. The desire to shed weight is hardly surprising when you consider that research* suggests that between 1980 and 2006, the weight of vehicles increased by 26 percent.
Mazda designers and engineers were quick to realise that this trend had to be reversed - and did so five years ago with the launch of the Mazda2, the first car of its generation to be lighter and smaller than its predecessor. Not only was it 40mm shorter than the previous model, it was 100kg lighter, weighing less than 1,000kg**. This weight reduction helped give the stylish city car 15 percent better fuel economy than the car it replaced.
More significantly, the work done on Mazda2 was the sort of convention-defying thinking that paved the way for Mazda's revolutionary SKYACTIV technology, launched this year on the Mazda CX-5 crossover and soon to be seen on the all-new Mazda6 which goes on sale in January.
Mazda2 today gives drivers up to 56.5mpg (combined cycle), while CO₂ emissions are as low as 115g/km. City cars launched more recently still struggle to match the Mazda2's blend of efficiency and driveability.
Improvements in 2010 made the Mazda2 even more efficient and still as much fun to drive.  The three petrol engines were re-tuned to Euro Stage 5 and the gearing on the five-speed manual revised. The changes improved fuel economy (by up to 2 percent) and reduced CO₂ emissions (by up to 4.8 percent).
For both the low and high power 1.3-litre MZR engines, the CO₂ output has been cut from 125 to 115g/km - meaning that five petrol Mazda2 cars now have a rating under 120g/km and move to the lower tax ‘C' band, while benefiting from the first-years Road Fund Licence being free of charge and just £30 there-after.
Top speeds range from 104-to-115mph and acceleration times from 0-to-62mph are between 10.7 and 14.9 seconds - depending on model.  Fuel economy varies between 44.8 and 56.5mpg (combined cycle), while CO₂ ratings spread from 115 to 145g/km.
Prices range from £10,495 (on-the-road, 1.3-litre MZR TS Air Con 3-door) to £13,495 (on-the-road, 1.5-litre MZR Sport).