Mazda 2 2015 Review

Mazda 2 Maxx (sedan)
Road Test

Some car-makers do better than others creating a sedan version out of a car seemingly more suited to hatchback configuration. In sum, you’d have to say Mazda has done a pretty good job with its latest lightweight four-door where aesthetic challenges can often be an issue. A big boot, and more-subdued open-road cruising are some of the advantages in a range of Mazda 2 sedans that span from $14,990 to $19,690 before ORCs.

Getting the aesthetics right is a tricky business in the light-class four-door sedan segment.

In fact, if you look at some past attempts at converting a minute five-door hatch to a minute four-door sedan, you might find that not many succeed. When Toyota had a go with its Echo sedan in the late 1990s the result was singularly questionable, and things didn’t improve dramatically with the Yaris four-door in 2006. Equally so in the small-car segment when Nissan simultaneously dished up an unquestionably awkward sedan to accompany the hatchback version of its morose Tiida model in 2006.

Of course stying is a totally subjective matter. But there are times when things go beyond the pale. Even normally non-critical eyes are sensitive to unusual levels of offensiveness, bringing forward the debate about why someone would want a seemingly less-versatile version of a handy hatchback runabout in the first place.

And so we come to the new four-door version of the Mazda 2.

Let’s say straight away that although the company’s Kodo styling themes translate pretty well into converting a hatch into a sedan, many of the proportional compromises remain evident: A light-class car is by definition short, light and narrow and, because packaging is such an important issue at this end of the market, also fairly tall so passengers can sit higher and find adequate legroom in the foreshortened cabin.

This challenge is coped with in an okay manner, but the fact remains that the themes so gracefully interpreted in the svelte, low-slung Mazda 6 don’t necessarily translate into a light sedan.

The designers struggled manfully to package an interior capable of seating at least four adults comfortably and they’ve done a good job even if you’d never say the cabin is best-in-class. That gong goes to Honda’s long-wheelbase City sedan that does a better job of providing breathing space for back-seat passengers. At 4320mm the Mazda 2 sedan may be longer than its 4060mm hatchback equivalent, but all of that has gone into providing a boot. Both versions share the same 2570mm wheelbase.

In terms of accommodation, the new mite-size Mazda sedan is about what you’d expect: Fine if anything but a lanky driver is at the wheel, but tending towards knee-compressing and definitely foot-tangling if there is. And although the Mazda 2 sedan by nature stands quite tall, it still tends to be lower-set than others in its group, with the result that back-seat headroom is only fair.

Of course with a sedan it’s all about the boot. And while the Mazda 2 offers a pretty impressive 440 litres of cleanly-shaped luggage space it is actually 35 litres less than its 2011 predecessor, and again way short of the best-in-class 536-litre Honda City.

Don’t get me wrong. The Mazda 2 sedan is far from being pokey inside and the boot is relatively deep and wide. With the space-saver spare wheel mounted under the floor, it’s still pretty good for its class and, like its peers, offers a split-fold load-through facility (actuated by in-boot levers) to increase its usefulness.

And, being a Mazda, the little sedan offers plenty in compensation.

It’s in the drive experience, and the general feel-good nature, that the new sedan shines through.

Especially in the manual-transmission Maxx version tested here, the Mazda 2 sedan is a treat to live with. The Thai-built sedan’s quality is evident everywhere you look and the equipment levels – including standard sat-nav in this case – bring you to pondering how far the light segment has come in only a short time.

The dash is beautifully presented and the multi-function LCD screen, standing high and proud and offering a choice of iDrive-style or touch-screen control (known as MZD Connect in Mazdas), brings to mind some high-end luxury cars. The instruments – apart from the teeny tacho on the left of the central speedometer – are simple and easily comprehended and even if there’s no soft-touch trim to be found, the Mazda’s overall quality is always evident. The feeling is you’re in something a bit more special than the average sub-$20,000 runabout.

The driving position, complete with height-adjustable seat and telescoping/vertically-adjustable multi-function steering wheel, brings no complaints and the seats are comfortable and well-shaped enough to spend a few hours in.

The driving is pretty good too.

In search of a decent ride-handling compromise, the Maxx comes with standard 15-inch alloy wheels shod with higher-profile 185/65-series tyres that help soften the ride while still providing grip commensurate with the Mazda 2’s eager nature.

Complete with a six-speed manual transmission and light but adequately-weighted and quick steering the Mazda 2 sedan – especially in Maxx trim where the higher-powered 81kW/141Nm 1.5-litre engine adds a little extra verve (compared to 79kW/139Nm for the minimally less-powerful variant).

Although maximum torque doesn’t arrive until 4000rpm, there’s still response from much lower engine speeds, which means everything’s quite flexible within the limitations of a small-capacity, normally-aspirated engine. This makes for a car that is both handy and wieldy around town and, without the hatchback cabin resonance issues that seem to plague Mazda more than some, is a reasonably quiet tourer on the open road.

The gearshift doesn’t deliver quite the deliciously-direct sensation of the Mazda MX-5, but the throw is relatively short and precise enough to encourage use of the six ratios. The SKYACTIV engine’s flexibility, its happiness to rev towards the 6400rpm redline and the muted but crisp exhaust, lend a consciously-sporty aspect to the four-door Mazda.

Importantly, the sedan seems to deliver on its fuel economy promises: On test we averaged close to the official 5.2L/100km combined figure with an average 5.9L/100km – on 91 RON unleaded – which suggested a cruising range of as much as 700km from the 44-litre fuel tank. This helped along by the idle-stop system that also brings smoother and faster re-starts through the simple expedient of arranging the (stopped) pistons optimally so they are always primed and ready to go.

That is all a part of what is an impressively balanced, well-rounded light sedan. In four-door form the Mazda 2 shares all its quality, driving dynamics and efficiency with its hatchback sibling, but adds a little more refinement in terms of cabin noise levels, while providing a large, more isolated environment for carrying luggage.

As for the aesthetics, that’s up to the customer...

2015 Mazda 2 Maxx (sedan) pricing and specifications:
Price: $17,690 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 81kW/141Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 5.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 121g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
Toyota Yaris YRS sedan (from $17,490)
Honda City VTi (from $15,990)
Holden Barina CD sedan (From $15,890)