Mazda2 is 22 years old, born of a time when passenger cars were Queen, but much has changed, and the tpssenger car’s gleaming tiara has slipped, hoverung just above her 17% VPL.

77,000 Mazda2 have been sold since 2014, not bad for a bijou runabout. January 2024 sales are down 25% to 424 units on January last year, following a gentle demise-esque slide. December was also a bit of a disaster, down 27% on the previous December.

Models are: Pure, Pure SP, Evolve, and GT

Are the sales variations the result of supply issues, or are potential Mazda2 buyers choosing CX-3 instead? Worse still, have they wandered into the showroom of another brand that offers more, but costs less. New kids like the Chinese brands are giving established car makers a thorough spanking.

Mazda has an ever-expanding SUV range, at the expense of their very small passenger range. QWhen Mazda2 was refreshed for the 2023 model year (MY23), it was still holding itself to the values for which it was created.  It is clear the decade-old set of values need updating.

Where once Mazda2 was the entry into the Mazda range, it has gradually gentrified itself, taking the prices with it. Mazda2, the tiny city car, now ranges from $22,410 to $27,610, forsaking the sub-20k bracket forever.

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ABOVE: 2023 Mazda2

More History

Mazda2’s 3rd generation was launched in 2014, and like Mazda6, has had their best-by dates continually extended, with as little as possible spent on updates. Despite restyling inside and out, Mazda2 still feels a little last-decade.

The range has a single 82kw/144Nk 1.5L engine option, either an ancient 6-speed auto or 6-speed manual, front wheel drive, and can be had in either a hatch or sedan body.

Improvements:

Our “Pure SP” has a rather naff carbon fibre-style roof. Trim in the cabin has a similar look, but its high gloss finish looks less naff. This attempt to tart up the cabin misses the mark somewhat by a substantial mark.

Also missing the mark is the upholstery which has the vague whiff neglect about it. The plastic is hard and scratchy, and not at all preium compared to newer models from other brands.

Mazda2 now has Apple CarPlay via USB, but even that is tempered by a lacklustre sound system.

Thankfully, all models now have dusk sensing headlights and rain-sensing 2-speed wipers, a redesigned grille, new seats, reviewed colourways, and new wheels.

Look and Feel:

Unlike the delicious Mazda6 which is aging like a graceful Golden-Era movie star, Mazda2 is looking a little jowly.

The exterior has a cutsie-pie face and a chubby-cheeked rump. The attractive design represents a useable hatch/sedan that appeals to downsizers and beginners.

Cheekily, the Navigation button brought up the car’s GPS position as a series of numbers on the centre screen. It was accompanied by a message telling us that the upgrade to Navigation was available at the dealer. Presumably this is a software upgrade, as the system was already aware of the location. Forget it, just use CarPlay and be done with.

Comfort:

The seats have decent support if you take the time to adjust it properly.

Ride feels firm, and the handling that has been touched up over the years. The torsion beam rear end does a decent job of keeping things tidy, however there is no hiding the bumpety-bump-bump over the unforgivable tracks masquerading as inner-city Sydney roads.

We found ourselves trying to avoid most minor misdemenours as the cabin noise could be quite alarming.

The Drive:

Mazda persists with the geriatric 6-speed automatic that most car makers have abandonned. The new inline-engine SUVs have 8-speed units, but all other Mazdas are fitted with a unit that should have been retired long ago. Although company executives say the “6-speed Sky-active automatic works like an 8-speed automatic,” it does not.

The 1.5 petrol 4-cylinder has iStop, Mazda’s stop/start system, something most folk turn off.

With 1 beefy lad and 2 twinkie waifs on board, Mazda2 needed a fully planted hoof when trying to enter a freeway. As Mazda2 runs out of puff beavering to cruising speed, we kept the week to domestic duties like shopping and ferrying friends from pub to pub. At that, Mazda2 was adept.

What the boys thought:

Alan:

Last time I drove the Mazda2 I loved it, but that was a very long time ago, yet the 2018 model is still very much like today’s car. The 82kw engine survives from that time, but it now feels insufficient. Our comments from the video review then still holds true now, it’s just that standards have moved on.

This is what I said 6 years ago:

“The cabin is great quality despite the entry level price, From $14,990 to $21,990. NOTE: GT now top model at $23,814

Smart City Braking (AEB autonomous emergency braking), is an option, and should be standard. From next year, new models will require AEB on the base model to attain a 5-star safety rating.”

The range, between 15 grand and 24 grand, was good value. 6 years later the Mazda2 range starts at $22,410 and tops out at $27, 610, and is no long good value, especially for such an aged model.

Ryan:

My experience of the Mazda 2 was quite a roller coaster.

Visually, with its cool yellow accents, the car is quite nice on the outside. In fact, it’s beautiful, but the cabin is another story. it is quite spartan and cheap. You can tell that Mazda has done the bare minimum in updating the car over the last decades. The no-touch-then-touch-screen is plain dumb, and it still looks like an afterthought. Who on earth locks out the system just when it is most needed? You have to stop to use it otherwise, very annoying on an urgent.

Overall, the car was built to a price, for someone who only wants to get from A to B comfortably, and most importantly, safely.

Any Uni student would love this car.

 

Joel:

From the back seat, Joel’s words rang through the cabin

“Scratchy plastic, not cool. What’s what screen about? This feels cheap.”

Conclusion:

Many of the updates have been under the skin, but a decade-old car is still a decade-old car. The driveaway price for our car is $29,508, and for the range-topper, $31,980. That’s a lot of money for a new entry level car that feels like an old entry level car.

Mazda2 is still fun to drive, but for another 7 grand you could have an electric car around the same size. The fully-electric GWM Ora has a digital cabin, a nicer touchy-feely thing going on inside, and fully up to date driver and safety aids.

2023 Mazda2 Pure SP

Price: $25,210

Engine: 1.5L 4cyl

Power: 82kw/144Nm

Trans: 6Sp speed auto

Econ: 5L/100k

CO2: 117g/k

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