Mazda 2 2015 Review

Maybe a bit of time-travel is in order here.

To put the following text into proper perspective, you’ll need to set the dial in your (slightly) modified DeLorean to, say, 20 years ago, buckle up, settle down and transport yourself to the Australian streetscape of 1995.

Looks a bit different, doesn’t it?

Mobile phones have taken hold, but aren’t anywhere as universal as they are today, the architecture, in this third year of Jeff Kennett’s reign in Victoria, is surprisingly similar to what an 11 year-old-would do structurally with a deck of playing cards and the local car industry still believes it is in for the long haul – provided it can figure out the sustainable degree of local manufacturing that can be supported by the market.

The cars? Well, they are rather less swoopy and full of convoluted curves than what we see today, and there are some brands that have little idea of the doom that awaits – Swedish manufacturer SAAB, for example – but the basics are essentially the same: High-efficiency engines, refined suspension systems and safety-engineered body structures are pretty universal.

And while it might be only the high-end cars that are adopting the most advanced future technology, even bread and butter family transport is becoming more refined, especially in terms of active safety engineering. Among many other things, anti-lock braking and stability control are filtering their way down to the proletariat.

Not so for the light car class however.

Consider the early predecessor to today’s Mazda2 – the cutely-rounded 121 sedan that survived locally between 1990 and 1997 – and you won’t find an awful lot of refinement, equipment, or safety technology. Multiple airbags? Er, not quite yet. Stability control? Don’t even think about it.

Air-conditioning? Sure, provided you choose your model and spend a little more money. The same goes for power steering, power windows, or power mirrors. That’s the stuff of pure luxury.

20 years ago, the light car market was where you shopped if you simply wanted a brand-new car and were prepared to make sacrifices in order to benefit from a full warranty and a potentially more extended lifespan than a similarly-priced, if classier, second-hand car. You didn’t expect a lot, you didn’t get it and probably thought you never would.

That was then. Now, it’s time to flip-up those gullwing doors, set the dial for a return to 2015, get a little dizzy moving through space and time, then park your burnished stainless steel machine outside a handy Mazda dealer – and prepare to be amazed.

What we are about to look at is the present-day equivalent to that 1995 Mazda 121. And we are about to discover how remarkably advanced even a humble light car can be in today’s world (and money).

The five-door Mazda2 hatch in question is the very basic Neo model. Basic, that is, by today’s standards: incredibly advanced when compared with its bubbly little 1990s predecessor.

For the same price as a 1995 121 sedan ($14,990 in manual form), today’s Mazda2 buyer not only gets all the mandated active safety gear including anti-lock brakes and stability control, but also the multiple airbags and passenger-protective structural design that enable it to qualify for a full five-star ANCAP safety rating.

On top of that, for an incredibly well-spent $400, the Mazda2 Neo can be specified with Smart City Brake Support which activates the brakes the car autonomously if a low-speed nose to tail collision is imminent. Hardly something you’d have been conscious of in the mid 90s.

In terms of in-cabin comfort and technology, the base Mazda2 comes as standard with air-conditioning, trip computer, four power windows, power side mirrors and a raft of connectivity systems including Bluetooth phone and audio, iPod-compatible USB audio input and, as a piece de resistance of the kind you’d normally expect higher up the price ladder, a keyless push-button starter.

If you want more – a lot more – there’s the option of stepping up to the premium Mazda2, the Genki model which adds things like head-up display, voice activated sat-nav on a 7.0-inch colour monitor
as well as internet capability, Twitter and Facebook.

The point is that choosing even an entry-level light car these days doesn’t mean you must sacrifice all of life’s luxuries and functionalities.
And the same goes for the on-road experience: The driveline of the Mazda2 Neo is as handy on the road as it is entertaining you and your passengers with its in-cabin technology.

Even if it gets the lower-powered version of the shared, long-stroke 1.5-litre engine (79kW at 6000rpm and 139Nm at 4000rpm as opposed to 81kW and 141Nm for Maxx and Genki versions) there isn’t a hugely detectable difference in performance. The lower powered engine equates to 77.5 Watts per kilogramme where the 81kW variant is only marginally better with 79.4W/kg.

The most significant differences are in fuel economy and emissions (5.5L/100km for the auto-equipped base engine plays 4.9L/100km for the 81kW version, while CO2 ratings are 128g/km and 114g/km respectively). Our auto-trans Neo failed to match the official fuel figure, averaging a disappointing 6.7L/100km on test – well behind a manual transmission Genki tested previously that managed 5.7L/100km.

The 81kW version gets its extra punch via a higher 13.0:1 compression ratio (12.0:1 for the 79kW engine) and a 4-2-1 exhaust system, and is helped in economy and emissions by Mazda’s smooth-acting idle stop-start system.

Both engine variants benefit from the extended lock-up of the crisp-shifting SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed auto transmission and, important in this segment, both are also happy to run on regular unleaded fuel.

The ride-handling compromise is pretty sorted, too. Even with its tres ordinaire steel wheels and 185/65R15 tyres, the Mazda2 Neo grips and steers with a lightness and accuracy (the ratio has been quickened compared with the previous model and the rigid steering mounting helps precision) that encourages an occasional quick fling along a quiet, winding road.

At 100km/h on the highway, recording around 2200rpm on the tacho, the Mazda2 Neo is pretty quiet, confirming the claim of a 15 per cent reduction in NVH and the ride, which benefits from a slight increase in wheelbase, brings no cause for complaint. In fact the only real complaint in these circumstances is the Neo’s lack of cruise control.

It can’t be all wine and roses though: While we loved the sense of quality and tastefulness in the Neo’s cabin including the little iPad screen in the centre of the dash and its attendant controls, as well as the multi-function (non-leather) two-way adjustable steering wheel, the one-touch power driver’s window and the easily-configured Bluetooth, we were blind-sided on occasions by the thick B-pillars, the small 250-litre boot and the tight back seat.

Intriguingly, for this iteration of the Mazda2, the company has in fact gone generally slightly backwards in interior room. In spite of measuring slightly bigger in overall body dimensions, including the wheelbase, there’s less headroom front and rear – in fact, less of everything throughout, apart from a slight (+11mm) increase in front-seat legroom.

Realistically though, these were the only things that blotted the Mazda2 Neo’s copybook.

Once you’ve been engaged by the high-class interior, the generous internal trinkets and the refined on-road capabilities, it’s likely you’ll relegate most of the Mazda’s shortcomings to – if not irrelevant status – things that are acceptable to live with.

Unless all-up passenger accommodation and luggage space are your priorities, it’s difficult to imagine anything better in the light car class than the Mazda2. And all for the same price as a new-in-1995 Mazda 121.

Also consider:
>> Toyota Yaris
>> Hyundai i20
>> Honda Jazz