Feann Torr•10 Jul 2012
REVIEW
Mazda2 Neo 2012 Review
It may be one of the oldest cars in its class, but the Mazda2 is still running at the front of the packMazda Mazda2 Neo
Road Test
Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges):
$17,440Road Test
Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges):
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Nil
Crash rating: Five-star
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 6.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 162
Also consider: Toyota Yaris (from $16,590); Suzuki Swift (from $17,690); Holden Barina (from $17,990)
Mazda has an enviable reputation in Australia. The Japanese importer ended the Holden Commodore's 15 year reign as Australia's most popular car in 2011 with its Mazda3, and though its little brother -- Mazda2 -- is getting a little long in the tooth, it's still a very good compact car. In fact, for the first half of 2012 it was the second highest selling car in its segment, beaten only by the Toyota Yaris.
If you're looking for a car with a bit of spirit, Mazda2 is up there with the Ford Fiesta for speed and agility. Pin the accelerator pedal from standstill and the Mazda2 will hit 60km/h in first gear, and does so surprisingly briskly. However, the engine does sound a bit raspy at high revs.
Mazda2 Neo is the entry-level model in the range, and is a neatly packaged city car that drives well and doesn't really put a foot wrong.
Like a lot of Mazda's passenger cars, Mazda2 has an effervescent feel to the way it motivates -- even when coupled with a prehistoric, power-sapping, four-speed automatic transmission.
Despite the transmission being archaic in many ways, Mazda2's cog swapper does well. It doesn't have Ferrari-fast shifts and sometimes gets caught out searching for the right gear during roll-on acceleration, but for commuting it works well.
The engine is a dual camshaft 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit that outputs 76kW/135Nm. Mazda2 will gladly sit on speeds above 100km/h without revving too much, and can be quite thrifty on the highway with the cruise control flicked on.
Activating the cruise control is ultra simple and the steering wheel buttons are some of the best in class; easy to use without requiring a long look. Only the essentials are present: cruise controls and audio adjustments.
The car's fleet footedness is matched by its handling. It steers well with a well-sized steering wheel for quick manoeuvres. The suspension is somewhat firm and this reduces ride quality and comfort slightly, but it's a compromise I was happy to take, particularly when attacking tight curves.
Contoured seats support the body when navigating tighter corners and as a commuter car the baby Mazda is acquits itself nicely. A turning circle of 9.8 metres makes quick work of U-turns and parallel parking exercises, while outward vision fore and aft is also above average.
It's affordable to buy and cheap to run with claimed fuel use of 6.8L/100km -- though we saw figures closer to 7.5L/100km. Nevertheless, it certainly didn't drink like a fish and was happy running on low grade (91 RON) unleaded petrol. It can also use E10 ethanol blends.
There's plenty of safety features fitted as standard including six airbags, stability control and antilock brakes, all of which contribute to a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
You get discs brakes at the front and low-tech drums reside at the rear, but the brakes deliver good stopping power despite this, partly because Mazda2 is so light -- just a few of bags of potatoes over 1000kg.
The standard feature list reads well for an entry-level compact car. You get cruise control, power windows and mirrors, a four-speaker single-CD audio system with 3.5mm auxiliary input socket and air-conditioning with pollen filter. I also liked the way the interior lights faded softly when you close the doors.
Boot space is a touch below average for a car of this size but it's not a deal breaker; you can still easily fit loads of grocery shopping in there. All up the storage space is 250 litres and that opens to 469 litres with the back seats folded down.
The design is still relevant -- our test car looked fresh in red -- and the interior fit out doesn't feel dated or clumsy either. In fact the interior is a really nice place to be, which is impressive for a vehicle that is getting on in years [Mazda2 was launched in 2007].
Everything takes on a scarlet hue at night as red back lighting illuminates the stereo and instrument cluster. Sporty but easy to read instruments work splendidly and the radio and heater controls are clustered within a tasteful spherical motif, adding a touch of style to the cabin.
Mazda2's report card would be unblemished were it not for a couple of major concessions, such as the denial of Bluetooth telephony and music streaming or even a USB port. Another one is steering wheel adjustment -- it can only be tilted and not adjusted for reach.
Add to that list of negatives a firm ride that isn't as absorbent as some of its rivals, a temporary instead of full sized spare tyre, and an engine that gets a little noisy at high revs and there's clearly room for Mazda2 to improve.
Granted there are a few concerns with Mazda2 and it is a bit dearer than some of its major rivals but, ultimately, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
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Mazda
2
Car Reviews
Hatchback
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Written byFeann Torr
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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