1996 Mazda 121 Shades 1.3 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

121s set the standard for small economical cars

Faults:

Nothing! New battery and tyres (2x) is all.

Trouble free ultra reliable motoring. Drive with confidence is its motto.

General Comments:

This is a great city car - easy to park and cheap to run.

I love the sedan design - why did they drop this design for the box like small cars that followed its demise?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th July, 2007

1996 Mazda 121 Bubble 4 dr sedan 1.3 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Stylish, reliable, zippy, efficient, highly recommended

Faults:

Nothing except the interior light bulb was not working and I replaced it easily.

General Comments:

The exterior is cute and unique. The interior is surprisly roomy for its class, very reasonable leg room for rear passengers, plus you get a very spacious boot.

The performance is above average for a 1.3 engine, to get faster acceleration you need to push the gas pedal REAL hard. Overtaking requires some planning. The clutch and stick are very easy and comfortable to use. However the gas pedal feels a bit steep.

For such a small car, I was surprised how well the traction on the ground it has. Steering could be a bit heavy while parking, but no big issues at all, since this car is not that heavy. there can be some noticeable under steering while cornering sharply at speed above 40km/h, due to the higher center of gravity of the car.

Unfortunately noisy engine and hard suspension don't make it a very comfortable ride.

The car is very reliable, this is a ten years old vehicle, I have owned it for 3 months and haven't experienced any major faults or breakdown.

Running cost is also very low around 6.9 l/km by my rough calculation.

I am a very happy 121 bubble owner and I would highly recommend it to any first car buyers especially to those students out there like me.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th April, 2006

31st Jan 2011, 00:21

I am interested in buying a '95 Mazda 121 but I am worried about the small fuel tank and also the amount of room for back seat passengers. On average does anyone know how much fuel is used per 100km and if there would be enough room for back passengers?

1st Feb 2011, 21:02

I'm also interested in finding out the MPG. From what I've read in the other reviews there's good leg room in the back seat..

1996 Mazda 121 GLX 1.3 16v from Greece

Summary:

A well-built, fast city car

Faults:

Still nothing gone wrong with the car! The only thing I have changed is the tires!

General Comments:

This car has a very good 16 valve engine so you won't have any problem driving in and out of the city. The only disadvantage is the low high speed (170 Km/h) because of the medium down force (0,36). However the acceleration is really good, reminds you that you are in a higher-class model.

Suspension system has a quite hard adjustment which makes car a little uncomfortable, in contrast with the handling which is nice and would be better if the car had more wide tires.

At last, very good reliability and quality.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th May, 2004

1996 Mazda 121 ZXi 1.25 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

High-Spec Fiesta Look-a-Like

Faults:

The light-colored interior is very cool, but shows stains very easily. The rear wiper is not very effective. Apart from that, no faults as yet.

General Comments:

Although the car is virtually identical to the Ford Fiesta of the same year, the performance is extremely good and I feel the acceleration is much better than the Fiesta.

It's very quick away from the lights and is much more fun than my previous car.

I have driven to Cornwall and back last month on motorways and it was not at all bothered by the speeds or the distance. (600 miles plus) It has exceptional handling at high speed for a small car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd June, 2003