2005 Mazda Sassou Review

Specifications

Funky Little Flyweight Could be B-Segment Buster

Its going to be really hard to avoid excessively using the adjective sassy in describing this concept from Mazda, so Ill just get it out of the way: sassy, sassy, sassy…

Well, actually, its called Sassou (pronounced sa-so), which is apparently a Japanese term that means having a positive state of mind, of looking ahead with optimism to the future, which is exactly how I would feel if someone from Mazda called me right now and told me that they will build a production version of the Sassou and bring it to the U.S.

Okay… It looks like nobodys calling. Im still grinning, though, because it is such a cute car, yet somehow still bad-ass looking. Im guessing that the Sassou is one color choice away from swinging drastically to either end of the spectrum. Bubble-gum pink and matte black being the polar extremes on my color scale. I mean, can you just imagine how badass it would look in pink, with maybe some baby blue trim… B-A-D-A-S-S.

If you havent guessed that this is a small car concept yet, then this is me filling you in. It is mostly a design exercise testing the waters for certain features and general styling direction for the redesign of the Mazda2 (Demio in Japan). It will debut on September 13th at the Frankfurt Motor Show. A straightforward description might call it “a small, lightweight, three-door hatchback,” and I really hope they are not kidding when they say lightweight, because it is powered by a three-cylinder gasoline engine with 1 litre of displacement. I think about the only thing we get with less displacement here in North America is the smart fortwo (lower case intended), dirt bikes and riding mowers, although I could be mistaken about the riding mowers.

Actually, the 1-litre number wont be so anemic considering this is a state-of-the-art turbocharged direct injection (some MZR DISI mumbo jumbo) engine. And while this is the smallest displacement engine Mazda has used since I cant remember when (even the old Euro/Japan-spec 121s had larger engines), Im sure that Mazda has given it careful consideration and will inform us that it gets 100 miles to the gallon (or like, 5 litres per 100 km), while surpassing an output of 150 horsepower. OK, the numbers wont be quite so impressive, but they will be good with the help of a turbocharger on the performance front and an idle-stop engine shut-down system that will help save gas in stop-and-go traffic.

Onto another subject, Im not a big fan of in-your-face marketing and especially find zoom-zoom irritatingly passé, but I love Mazdas cars. Nobody else seems to care that while BMW gets derided all the way back to the Black Forest for their flame surface styling, Mazda quietly and unpretentiously applied some very similar details on the Mazda3 and even the Protegé5. Maybe its just the fact that they didnt name the design language? Anyhow, the Sassou sees an even bolder and more adventurous foray into molding body panels in such a way that under certain lighting conditions, they create the suggestion of flames rippling over the surface of the cars body. In fact, the Sassous side panels remind me of BMWs XCoupé concept of several years back, when Bangle first sparked debate with his flamed surfaces. Maybe the fact that the Sassou was penned in Mazdas design centre in Frankfurt has something to do with the similarities?

But truly, thats just a passing detail, and the overall effect of the Sassou is one of futuristic fun-loving playfulness. The front end resembles a wildly laughing Pokémon character with a mask-like clear plastic cover (or possibly some sort of electro-luminescent or reflective surface?) over the face set against the teal metallic color of the hood, fenders and lower fascia, while the severely tilted headlights serve for eyes. The bumper, looking like a wide open cackling mouth, is surrounded by a knocked out area to allow for airflow into the radiator. Serving for eyebrows are some tricked out turn signals that point back in an inverted V-shape to a definition crease over the wheel arches.

That definition crease disappears just under the rear view mirror, and another one starts just below it and trails all the way back into a similar shaded plastic cover over the taillights and license plate housing. The top of the car is almost entirely glass, except for the two wide strips of satin-finish metal that emanate from the A pillars, forming a truncated V when seen from an aerial view. Rounding out the package is a set of oversized V-spoke alloy rims in a matching satin finish. And peeking through those are some seriously oversized disc brakes.

The interior is, I dare say, even more radical than the exterior. It seems to be an exercise in streamlining. Visually it amounts to large uncluttered surfaces, particularly the dash and seats. The need for accessory controls seems to have been alleviated by the round Borg-style interface in the middle of the dash, taking the wow factor of the MX-Crossport concepts display module and bumping it up a notch. The said interface port is crucial in programming the cars hard disc drive, which will no doubt store movies, songs, games and other programs for taking over the world.

The streamlining is largely the result of Mazdas designers applying the “Shoji” principle, which involves nestling the hidden, practical features under a clean, decorative yet suggestive façade. Shoji screens are thin Japanese rice paper dividers and doors that allow silhouettes of images behind to shadow through without detail, as seen in such movies as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, though I doubt thats what Mazda engineers were envisioning when they conceived the idea.

Gone is the conventional shifter in favor of a low-mounted housing that allows you to dock your very own USB stick, which serves as a key. Perhaps there is no need for a shifter considering the large Formula-1 style paddle shifters behind the steering wheel indicating a sequential manual automatic.

The seats look like a hard-shell molded plastic covered with super memory foam in a baby-teal color that matches the lower dash. The doors and others panels are picked out in darker blue-green tones with bits and strips of satiny aluminum and some more of the mysterious shaded plastic rounding out the Seaquest DSV interior. Other features get highlighted by a trick lighting system that illuminates and highlights objects in use while somewhat concealing them when dimmed. Shoji that!

On a practical front, the rear seats fold completely flat, forming a significant cargo area, although this isnt too much of a shocker as the rear seatbacks resemble nothing more substantial than an ironing board. Despite appearing uncomfortable, theyre filled with compressed air and are designed to “morph” to a person sitting alone in the middle for maximum “spreadage”, or if two people are sitting side by side in close quarters, to separate them.

Aside from trying to bludgeon us into a state of catatonic withdrawal by using the phrase “zoom-zoom” to describe every aspect of the cars design, functionality and performance, Mazdas early press release reveals nothing else significant about this possible direction for its B-segment entrant. Chances of North Americans seeing anything like are slim to none, as Mazda official have previously hinted that at the very least the U.S. may be a target for the Veriso (Japanese market only), the production rendition of last years MX-Microsport Concept.

However, with the subcompact segment finally getting some attention in North America, look out for a lot of tried and tested performers from Europe to tackle these shores. After Toyotas Scion brand paved the way for major stakes in the subcompact market, while GM has seen success with its Aveo, Hyundai its Accent, and Kia its Rio and Rio5, others are sure to follow and round out the segment. Honda is promising its Fit, Nissan is hinting that we may see a B-sized version of the Sport Concept, and even Mercedes and Audi are bringing over small (though not tiny) offerings in the premium segment, so why shouldnt Mazda get in the game?

With all these other automakers already picking up a lot of new shoppers in the young and “cool” demographic with their smallest offerings, Mazda should give shoppers who come up short of Mazda3 cash a chance to get into one of its cars. And if its half as hip as the Sassou, they wont be picking up stragglers but will be on the top of shoppers lists.