Still on Rims Thingy - I've Done Sleek, Now I Can Live with Cute

Each time I buy a new car, the rims and tyres almost always disappointment me. That's because they tend to be a tad too small for the wheel wells, leaving a disproportionate gap between the tyre and wheel well - check out the Madza 2's rims and tyres for instance.

Of course, I try not to upgrade to larger rims. At the most, I'd put in bigger tyres, at least in the beginning. After a year, I start getting the upgrade-to-bigger-rims itch.

Funny thing is, I don't think there's really anything wrong with just settling for smaller, cute looking rims and tyres.

But the itch just settles in and I just have to upgrade.

Fortunately, now that I've done that with my Kia Forte, I can live with cute. And I like cute. In fact, I can even live with donut-looking tyres, because I've done sleek by getting low profile tyres and larger rims with my Forte.

:P

Getting to Know My "Red Gecko" Mazda 2

It's been a while since I blogged (so busy and so tired from work). In the time away from blogging, so much has happened, including getting a new car for my son.

After scouring the Malaysian car dealerships for the best looking and best value buy (for non-national car), my wife and I settled for the Mazda 2 sedan auto (1.5L) with LCD touch screen (with GPS navigation built in). At RM82,000+, the Mazda 2 was just at the right price point, especially with 3 years free service thrown in.

More importantly, having driven the car around for about a month now, I've come to realise that, moving forward, I don't need a big-engine car to get around quickly.

Yes, big-engine cars are really nice to drive on the highway, especially when you want to outrun tailgaters and overtake road hoggers. But at the end of the day, a small engine car can do just fine - or maybe I'm getting old and prefer to drive more like an "uncle".

Anyway, with a bit of money, I'm sure I can do up the Mazda 2's understated beauty simply by getting larger rims and lower profile tyres, but I'll leave that for later; much later.

And speaking of beauty, I never thought I'd go for a car that looks like a gecko - a bright red gecko. But over time, I guess almost anything can look good :)

Cheeky Little Mazda 2 Hatchback

Cruising along the highway at about 140 Kph, I saw something bright green come up the rear. Curious, I let it catch up.

As I thought, it was a new Mazda 2 hatchback with an enthusiastic driver behind the wheel.

Easily, I could have outrun the green thing, but I moved over to let it pass. "Ooh! Not bad," I thought, as it zoomed pass.

And then the chase was on.

It wasn't my intention to race with it. I just wanted to know how quickly it could go.

As I suspected, the Mazda 2 hatchback wasn't all that quick, because it only has a 1.5L engine under the hood. I could have left it behind in my exhaust trail, but I chose not too.

Instead, I found myself admiring the cheeky little thing.

I consider it cheeky because it has all the 'blings' of a sports car - low profile tyres on 16-inch sport rims, sporty colour (bright green) and highly contemporary looks, as well as irresistible "smile" of an intake grill at the front.

Yes, it's pricey for a little thing like that. For about RM85,000+ on the road price, the Mazda 2 hatchback is not for your average Joe or Jane. Still, if you're in the market for something other than a Toyota Vios, a Honda City or even Kia Forte, then the Mazda 2 is really worth considering.

So what if it's not really a sports car?

The cheeky little Mazda 2 I trailed pushed all the way to 160 Kmh before I overtook it at 170 Kmh.

No, I wasn't showing off... oh, well, maybe just a little. But I really enjoyed looking at the Mazda 2 while trailing it.

And if I had the money, I wouldn't mind owning one either.

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Addendum: The inside of the Mazda 2 hatchback is a little cramp, but that simply adds to its charm. When in it, I don't feel like I'm in a Proton or some other common car. Rather, I feel like I'm in a Mazda quality car that's light and spirited.

The Mazda 2 hatchback doesn't have the kind of accessories you'd find in a Kia Forte, such as push button start and keyless entry (which are standard for the Forte). Still, if you know how reliable and sturdy Mazda cars are, you wouldn't mind going without a few of such accessories.