Mazda Premacy 2002 Review

When Mazda launched the 1.8 Premacy they won a lot of new friends, mostly comprising of couples with, and without, kids. Surprised? No I didn't think so. However, the 'space hatch' concept as Mazda prefer to call it has caught on and the other players have responded with the likes of the Renault Scenic and the Holden Zafira to name but two. Sadly, even collectively they haven't managed to persuade the urban nuclear families to abandon the beloved and pointless 4WD giants yet, but the new and improved 2.0 litre Premacy deserves to win Mazda a swag of new sales.

SO HOW IS IT BETTER?
Well the most obvious thing is the new bigger, cleaner 2.0 litre 16 valve DOHC engine, which originates from the Astina, and passes the Euro Step 3 emission standards which will be introduced to Australia in 2005. Mazda claims that 98kW of power and 174Nm of torque is available, up six kilowatts and eleven Newton metres over the 1.8, which goes some way to answering one of the biggest criticisms levelled at the predecessor. Mazda also claim that the new engine makes 95% of its maximum torque available from as low as 2000rpm.

Ride quality and handling has been improved with 15inch alloys as standard, recalibrated independent suspension, and most importantly a stiffer chassis. While on the chassis front, the doors now feature double door seals and thicker front door glass in an effort to reduce cabin noise.

Occupant safety is high on the list of priorities for young families, and Mazda are right on the case with four wheel discs with ABS, traction control to minimise wheelspin, three child seat anchor points, dual air-bags and Mazda's 'Triple H' safety cell.

POKING ABOUT
Once you get into the new Premacy there's certainly a feeling of space and headroom, which bodes well for the transportation of bigger kids who are in reality often bigger than the parents.

The compartments found in the old Premacy have been carried over and by playing with the front and rear seats, which can be folded, juggled and removed, the space available allows a lot of different permutations for odd shaped loads. One of the surprises is that there's still no third row of seats. Although Mazda claim to be looking at doing a seven seat version in the future.

However, having had a bit of a makeover within the cabin, which includes more trim covers to tidy things up, the emphasis is on function rather than style. Everything from the controls, including the indicator stalk, now on the right side of the steering column to the radio is easy to access and operate on the move.

OUT AND ABOUT
From the outside the Premacy has had a rework resulting in a more attractive and sportier look. The rear, which previously looked very plain, has been modernised by the inclusion of huge rear light clusters with circular insets for the indicators and brake lights. The result is quite eye-catching and very distinctive.

You might think that any vehicle that tries to bridge the gap between full size MPV and sedan runs the risk of being neither one thing nor the other. Not so with the Premacy as the car always feels like a medium sized car and drives like a medium sized car courtesy of having a wheelbase longer than a 626 but is shorter overall than a 323 Astina.

Inside, the newly reshaped seats sit the driver in a nice commanding position that allows plenty of unobscured visibility, which is going to find a lot of favour in the school pick-up parking scrum. While on the subject of all that ducking and diving into tight spaces and around town chicanery, the power assisted steering is light and accurate, so much so that one of the prevailing thoughts I had was that the Premacy would make an excellent learner driver car.

Although available as a five speed manual or a four speed automatic, only the automatic found itself in my hands on the launch. This was no bad thing as the auto shifts reasonably smoothly and allows the Premacy to use its torque to hold its own off the line. However, once up and running at about 90km/h, which is about 2500rpm, should the need to overtake arise there's a pronounced delay in the kickdown. Once the engine decides to join the party around 3000rpm it's pokey enough, but the hole in the delivery does little for the driver's confidence. Leaving aside that one criticism, the engine and transmission are well suited to the task.

Ride quality is better than I expected and over some pretty bumpy roads at sensible speeds the Premacy always feels controlled and comfortable. The car holds a line well in corners and there's plenty of feedback to tell you when ambition is writing cheques the car can't cash. There's a fair amount of body roll in corners which is a bit disconcerting at first, but once you've got used to it you learn to trust the tyres and overall stability. As far as slowing down, the four-wheel discs are very strong and offer lots of confidence inspiring feel at the pedal. Once again very learner driver friendly.

SUMMING UP
The Premacy is a stylish, useful and sensible family car that deserves to do well. It's quite nicely finished, it's easy to drive, and at $28,580 for the manual and $30570 for the auto it's priced about right and it's got everything it needs to entice people out of big four wheel drives except a pointless bullbar.