Mazda Comes Up Trumps in Drive Awards

Australia’s annual Drive Car of the Year Awards endowed the Mazda2 and Mazda3 new bragging rights as the best small cars in their own categories.

The awards night was held in Melbourne and it named the Mazda2 as the Best Small car under $20,000 and its big brother, the Mazda3 as the Small Car over $20,000. Aside from these honors, the Mazda2 was revealed to be one of the greatest contenders for the overall Drive Car of the Year award in which BMW’s M3 coupe is victorious.

The award was given to the Mazda vehicles by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Drive.com.au and the Melbourne age. These titles only show that Mazda is in the lead in Australia’s small car segment race.

“A clean sweep of the small car awards is fabulous news for Mazda,” Doug Dickson, managing director of Mazda Australia said at the awards night.

“The importance of these awards cannot be underestimated: The light car and small car categories account for one in every three new cars sold in Australia. Mazda’s Stylish, Insightful and Spirited Mazda2 and Mazda3 have certainly hit the sweet spot with consumers and critics alike.

“It is hugely gratifying for our super little Mazda2 to win this award just two months after its arrival in Australia. And pleasing too, to see the judges applaud its fun-to-drive nature, versatility and strong value equation.

“The Mazda3 award is even sweeter because the car itself has been on sale for close to four years, and despite strong competition from newly-landed rivals it’s still the best small car in Australia.

“This is the second win in a row for the Mazda3, which beat highly fancied rivals from Mitsubishi, Toyota and Hyundai to the coveted award.

Mazda3’s capable dynamics, powerful engine and state of the art interior radiated to the judges and eventually gained their favor. What could the Acura CL radiator say to that?

“Nearly four years after it debuted in Australia, however, the Mazda3’s interior design and quality more than holds its ground against fresher opposition.”

The judges said of the Mazda2:”It offered the best quality, had the most available safety features, the briskest performance, and the most sure-footed handling and precise steering of the bunch.

“The judges declared the Mazda2 not only a worthy winner, but a breath of fresh air in what has long been a conservative class.”