Because there's no backseat, the two occupants get more legroom than you might expect; a tilt steering wheel helps, but longer-legged drivers sometimes can't find a place where their knees and the wheel can live in harmony. Occupants above 6 feet in height may fit with the help of the new manual height adjustment, but the taller you are the more claustrophobic you'll feel and the poorer your sightlines will be.

The cockpit is wider than the prior generation's and has greater hip room, shoulder room and elbowroom, but the difference isn't as great as we'd hoped when Mazda set out to redo this model.

The interior is highlighted with chrome and silver accents, and the driver faces a three-spoke tilt steering wheel. Coated glass covers the instrument cluster for easy visibility, even in direct sunlight. Despite the car's tight confines and the stereo's close proximity, there are audio as well as cruise-control buttons on the steering wheel.

Three compartments are built into the back wall of the cockpit, and one storage area locks.