Mazda2 Genki 2008 Review

Road Test

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Ten years ago, it would have almost been unthinkable to see a Japanese car in contention for European Car of the Year, such was the limited impact of the country's automobile industry in Europe. Japanese brands were seriously under-represented and, in markets that retain high levels of nationalistic fervour, never seen to be considered on par with local makers.

The times are a'changing, however, with Nissan the first Japanese marque to take the award with its Micra in 1993. Since then Toyota followed with Yaris in 2000 and Prius in 2005. In 2007, it was a close call with the new Mazda2 taking second place [Ed: behind the Fiat 500]. This was the third time Mazda has been the bridesmaid in Europe's major journalist-juries, with the Mazda6 in 2003 and Mazda3 the following year both finishing in second place.

Such consistency shows that Mazda is now designing and building cars that are increasingly appealing to Europeans and those with European design and dynamic sensibilities. Given our local changing taste in small cars, at least, it's therefore little wonder Australians are taking to the Mazda brand with gusto.

Indeed, Mazda's Euro-centric product strategy has certainly paid off in the past few years with its local passenger car sales having climbed to overtake Ford -- putting it in third spot.

No more is this European influence more obvious than in the new Mazda2. Having eschewed the tallboy styling of the previous generation for a very attractive, almost sporty new look, the new car has a certain dynamism in its visual appeal alone. This was particularly true of the range-topping Genki that Carsales Network drove for a week, with its standard body kit comprising a lower front apron, side skirts and rear roof-mounted spoiler and bigger 16-inch alloys.

The new car is both smaller and lighter than its predecessor but although more compact on the outside, it retains comparable interior space and slipping into the comfortable and supportive driver's seat, there are no complaints about room up front.

The rear is, as you would expect, cosy, with headroom having been shaved over its predecessor. Having said that, there is still enough head and legroom to accommodate a couple of adults over short journeys. The boot space is also slightly smaller now swallowing 250 litres, although this is expandable courtesy of the 60/40-split rear seat back.

Like the exterior, the interior styling is of the fun and funky persuasion and by and large it all works well with good quality fit, finish and materials. As the top-spec model priced from $20,845, the Genki comes standard with air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, remote locking and a good sounding in-dash six-stack CD audio system with an MP3 input jack.

Safety kit runs to six airbags and anti-lock brakes but the DSC stability and traction control as fitted to our test car is a $700 option. This together with the $1650 auto option pushed the price of our tester to $23,195. For a light car, that's getting up there. Indeed, for the same sort of money you can get into the (larger) base model Mazda3 Neo, albeit without all the safety and creature comfort kit.

Although the car is a dramatic departure from its predecessor on the styling front and it features a new chassis, the 76kW/137Nm 1.5-litre four and manual five-speed and four-speed auto transmissions are largely carried over from the previous model. This is not such a bad thing though and with the reduction of around 65kg in weight, the engine feels more than adequate.

Around town, you could almost call it perky. It's not immediately strong off the line in automatic guise, but with a few revs onboard, it is more than up to a lively drive.

The power delivery is reasonably smooth and while it gets a bit loud over 4000rpm, it will keep pulling through to just over six grand without getting harsh. The shift quality of the automatic transmission is fairly smooth and unfussed although the shifts do become more noticeable under heavy throttle.

You can lock the transmission into S for sport mode or simply press the hold button on the side of the gearshift lever that drops the top ratio to keep the engine revving in the power zone between about 3500-6000rpm. And this is definitely where you want it for reflecting its sporty styling, the baby Mazda is a joy to drive with enthusiasm.

The suspension design of front MacPherson struts and rear torsion beam is pretty much standard small car fare but the tuning, spring and damper rates that Mazda has applied have made the car nimble, agile and fun to throw around a winding country road.

It feels quite light although it remains solid and secure on the road. If you push too hard into a corner, a gentle lift has the car quickly turning in and getting back on track. The steering is reasonably direct if a little light for our liking, but the body remains very well controlled over most surfaces.

Despite the firmish suspension, the ride is comfortable over most surfaces and while poor roads do make themselves felt (especially at lower speeds),  it is never in a particularly harsh or uncomfortable way.

Mazda claims the new 2 offers a vast improvement in NVH over the outgoing model and while that may be true (it has been a long time since we sampled one), cabin noise is still not the car's strong suit.

Anything more than smooth freeway causes obvious tyre roar. Indeed at highway speeds on coarse chip surfaces, it's loud enough to require adjustment of the stereo volume. Other noises are suitably muted, so perhaps Mazda should look at its tyre choice for Australian roads.

At the end of the day though, after price, most light cars are bought on aesthetics, safety and creature comforts and on all counts the Mazda2 scores well. Throw in good driving dynamics and its few foibles don't seem such detractions from the solid overall package.

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