HAZUMI – Mazda Unveils The Hot Hatch We All Wish They’d Make

Hatchback subcompacts come in two general flavors: boring and boring-er. Sure, sometimes they come in overpriced excellence, but usually only in Europe (think: MiTo).

Tuesday, at the Geneva International Motor Show, the Mazda HAZUMI was unveiled. It’s the hot little hatch that all of us would want to own.

Stop laughing. Sure, nobody likes hatchbacks because, as has been said, they’re usually boring. Well, not this one. You’re looking at another one of Mazda’s awesome KODO designs. The Soul of Motion hit us like Tyson on a drunken Saturday night with the beautiful Mazda6 and rabbit-punched for a follow up with the trendy little Mazda3. Now comes the big haymaker to follow that rabbit: HAZUMI.

In Japanese, Mazda says, that word means “to bound or spring up.” We’re pretty sure it means “Move over, Alfa, I can afford this hot hatch.”

The HAZUMI is full of great exterior design cues with an overall impression of preparing to spring into action. Hence its name. Its side profile gives it a long hood and very clipped, nearly fast-back rear end. The hood espouses that new, signature Mazda look with the open face and beautiful lines in the hood arch and grille. This helps accentuate the front wheels and fender curves before jumping upwards at the windscreen while simultaneously beginning a long, peaked curve along the roofline. The doors have two lines moving in tandem, the belt line curving slightly upwards into the back doors and rear pillar and the door cut below moving downward, over the handle and towards the rear wheel. At the base, the running board dimple curves upward as if to meet its downward trending mate. These flow into the rear wheel arch. The rear of the HAZUMI is a rounded curve under a very V spoiler. The front wheels are set back somewhat into the fenders while the rear wheels are all the way out to the corners.

The whole look is one of speed about to happen. It’s a very well-done animal-like hunch that fits the concept’s name perfectly.

Inside, the HAZUMI is similar to past concepts with a hint at a future-looking Mazda3 or 6 interior feel, with a more flowing, Euro-style dashboard and a strong sense of connectivity and tech-readiness. The classic black with white accent leather setting is a nice touch.

The Mazda HAZUMI, of course, utilizes the full suite of SKYACTIV technologies from frame to engine. This promises a fun driving experience as we haven’t met a new Mazda yet that didn’t have it thanks to the stiff and responsive SKYACTIV chassis and body frame.

Under the hood is a SKYACTIV-D 1.5-liter diesel engine, marking the premier of this latest entry into the Mazda engine family. Compact and lightweight, the engine has yet to have its full specs released by Mazda, but they’re promising high torque output and low emissions to beat Euro 6 emission requirements. This engine is coupled to Mazda’s great six-speed automatic transmission and includes the fuel-saving i-ELOOP and i-stop systems.

It should be obvious that if Mazda actually builds the HAZUMI, the buyers will come.