A future classic? Mazda Demio
Fri, 04 Apr 2025
Nostalgia comes in all shapes and forms. And we’re the first to acknowledge that not every regular reader will ‘get’ the inclusion of the Mazda Demio.
But for those of a certain age, the Japanese small car-on-stilts is a vehicle that’s firmly ingrained in their conscience. Indeed, for many, it was the very first car they drove, albeit in the Sunday Cup as part of the iconic video game Gran Turismo.
Both Gran Turismo and the Mazda Demio are fast approaching 30 years old, with Mazda being one of the primary partners of the games developers back in the early days of the ‘ultimate driving simulator’.
As a result, once you’d mastered the art of car control and won the initial Sunday Cup, a Mazda Demio ‘A-Spec’ was the star prize - a car you could either modify and tune, or sell for credits to put towards something more prestigious.
There are, then, lots of people in their 40s for whom the Mazda Demio was a rather iconic car, and one that has become firmly rooted in Japanese car culture not for its brilliance, but for the success of the game around it.
It matters not that most people spent their time on Gran Turismo desperately trying to trade their Mazda Demio in, which in the real world would have had a catastrophic effect on residual values, as that just made the model even more visible.
But what exactly was the Mazda Demio? Essentially, it was Mazda’s new-for-1997 small car and a replacement for the Mazda 121. In styling terms it was much closer to the original Mazda 121 with a traditional boxy hatchback body. The name was derived from the Spanish ‘de mio’, meaning ‘it’s mine’.
Where it differed from more traditional rivals, though, was in its packaging. While the Mazda Demio was never really marketed as a lifestyle vehicle in the UK, it's raised ride height and built-in bull-bar (certainly on early examples) gave it the appearance of a miniature Subaru Forester.
That was something that was done for a reason, too. While Mazda in the UK (back in 1998) was largely a brand favoured by the more mature customer, in its domestic market it was a young and vibrant name that young drivers loved.
The Mazda Demio was all about enjoying yourself. With the back seats folded flat, it was designed to fit two mountain bikes without their front wheels removed, while for more spontaneous outdoor types, both rows of seats could be fully reclined and folded into a double bed.
Think of it as Japan’s answer to the Austin Maxi. It was brilliant around town, with a turning circle to rival a London taxi and light, simple controls. The dashboard was a bit of an 80s throwback, the fabrics bland and the plastic switchgear was nothing to write home about, but the Mazda Demio was nevertheless a hoot to drive.
Part of that driver appeal was down to its revvy 16v 1323cc engine which, although it didn’t sound that quick on paper, was astonishingly eager. Its 72bhp doing their absolute best to get out while encouraging you to thrash it quite hard.
The gear change was brilliant and the handling surprisingly agile. It’s no wonder, really, that it was such a hit in the Sunday Cup.
In total, Mazda sold about 7000 Demios in the UK, of which less than a thousand survive, meaning that it’s well on the way to becoming a very rare car. There are some quirky variants in there, too, such as the Mazda Demio Country Casuals, named after the ladies’ fashion brand and the poshed-up ‘Aegean’ special edition.
None of them are worth very much, but that could well be set to change as those that grew up with Gran Turismo look for cheaper alternatives than the five figures needed to buy a decent Toyota Corolla AE86 these days. Plus, if your other half chucks you out for buying one, at least you’ll have somewhere to sleep. Find a classic Mazda for sale.
