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The Mazda 2 shares its chassis and running gear with the Ford Fiesta. The two models are built in the same factory. The Mazda 2’s cabin took the frontal impact well, but impact forces fed to the passenger’s chest were relatively high. The Mazda 2 protected well enough in the side impact for a car without side (thorax) airbags fitted as standard. However, testers noted that a rear door on the struck side came partly unlatched but did not open. Mazda says that it is to investigate this problem. Child protection was mixed and pedestrian protection was average. Mazda paid for an additional side impact and pole test using cars fitted with optional side and head airbags. The results are shown below.

Front impact
The restraint systems worked reasonably but the front passenger experienced high forces fed through to his chest. The car’s fascia and footwell stood up to the crash. As with any small car, it was difficult to provide room to protect the driver’s knees. The steering column, its mounting and adjustment lever and fascia could all cause injuries. The car’s dash also put the front passenger’s knees at risk.

Side impact
The test car protected reasonably given that side airbags are not fitted as standard equipment across the range. But the driver ran some risk from the armrest and the intruding door and trim assembly. An optional head-protecting curtain did not safeguard the driver’s head.

Child-protection
Mazda recommended Britax Romer Lord restraints and these were forward-facing. The protection they gave was mixed. The younger child’s head was protected in the frontal and side impacts but the older child risked head injuries. Both risked chest injuries. Labels warning against using a rear-facing restraint opposite an airbag were well designed. They were fixed permanently to both sides of the passenger’s sun visor.

Pedestrian protection
The bonnet gave some cushioning where an adult’s and child’s head would most likely strike during an accident. But the wings and front of the car offered little protection. Tests on the bumper and the leading edge of the bonnet showed that they did little to prevent pedestrians suffering injuries.