The newest Mazda that is about to hit American shores is the Mazda2, a small 5-door hatch slotted below the renowned Mazda3. From what I’ve seen, this car will be sporty and affordable, and will likely compete with small fuel-efficient vehicles like the Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, or Nissan Versa. What does that mean for gear carrying capability? Being that it is so small, the Mazda2 will probably not hold all your stuff on its insides, so I predict that we will need to come up with a handful of stylish and functional options for our customers who choose this new machine. Luckily, it looks like Thule may have already developed an option, based on these photos of near-production 2s.
Mazda2 with Thule podium aero bars
What you see in the photo is the Thule 460R, a mystery fit kit, Rapid Aero bars, and a 91725 ski rack posing as a surf rack (and attached with a Xadapt2 kit). Luckily, however, I solved the mystery. Using Thule’s United Kingdom fit guide (the car has been available in Europe for some time), I discovered the fit kit is #3069; strangely the same fit kit that is used on the North American Mazda3, -5, -6, CX-7 and CX-9 . Actually that shouldn’t be so strange–Mazda has a habit of building into their cars ‘fixed points’ that hide under the ditch molding (the black rubber/plastic strip that runs the length of the roof). So there you have it, a **very likely** fit, before it is officially announced by Thule US. DISCLAIMER: Neither Thule or Rack Attack will warrant the fit until it is officially published by Thule. How about another angle:
Mazda2 with snowboard racks
So what if you don’t want to use the fixed points in the roof? Of course we have custom options available. We frequently install track systems on small cars to a) increase the rack carrying capacity, b) create adjustability of the crossbars, and c) allow the rack to be more easily taken on and off. Check out the track setup on this similarly sized Honda Fit:
Honda Fit tracks
As always, give us a call if you want to talk about your options, whether you are buying an ’86 Yugo or a 2011 Mazda2. With our experience, we can lend you some advise before you make your new car purchase so you don’t end up with any surprises.
-Scott
Rack Attack Portland
portland{at}rackattack{dot}com
503.226.7300
