Mazda2 Pure hatch 2024 Review

Value is everything in the light passenger car segment, which makes Mazda’s task of competing effectively with the triumphant MG3 an issue on the same level of complexity as rocket science. Suzuki knows the battleground well, and its sales strategies help keep it afloat in a segment where Mazda, as an aspiring premium-class contender rather than a bargain-basement player, is compromised by its own branding, the aspirations of its customers and its production costs.

Leveraging its growing reputation for quality, while holding prices at competitive levels as it observes MG slipping into what looks like an unavoidably upwards price-spiral, the Hiroshima-based company seems to have found something that works.

The entry-level Mazda2 Pure, at $22,870 before on-road costs, is not impossibly distant from the $18,490 base-model MG3 which no longer quotes difficult-to-match driveaway pricing. In fact, the $28,070 flagship Mazda2 GT is cheaper than the $29,990 top-spec MG3 Essence.

And Mazda does it without slashing equipment levels, or compromising any of the fundamentals that underpin its basic, assiduously-promoted brand values.

In the Mazda2 Pure, it’s not so much a matter of what’s missing, as what is actually there.

While the base Mazda2 might lack embedded GPS, adaptive cruise control, an electric parking brake, climate-controlled HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) or head-up display, its tally of safety technology – which we’ll discuss later – is extensive.

What does come with the Mazda2 Pure is fuel-saving start-stop technology, four power windows with one-touch up-down for front passengers, auto on-off headlights, hill-hold braking and (15-inch) alloy wheels. The Driver’s seat can be adjusted for height and reach but, not unexpectedly, there’s no power adjustment or leather-look trim to be seen.

And – many of the Mazda2’s competitors are equally guilty here – there’s no air outlet to help back-seat passengers breathe freely, and no rear-centre or front-centre armrests.

The SP variant of the Mazda2 Pure is upgraded, mainly cosmetically, over the base version with black 16-inch alloy wheels, a carbon-fibre-look roof, shark-fin antenna and a chrome exhaust tip.

The Mazda2 is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometres warranty – whichever comes first – and there’s a solid five-year roadside assist program.

Regular servicing is carried out at 12-month or 15,000km intervals and Mazda provides calculated costs for up to seven years – or 105,000km – that add up to an estimated total of $3272.

In this segment of the small-car market safety technology doesn’t always get premium-class attention but the Mazda2 Pure gets the bulk of the important stuff, including vulnerable road-user technology to look after pedestrians and cyclists, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring with active assist, rear cross-traffic alert with rear sensors and a rear parking camera that feeds the centre screen on the dash. Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is standard, but it’s a low-speed ”city safety” system.

There are six airbags, but not the front-centre airbag that is appearing in more and more new and established vehicles, and there’s no mention at Mazda2 Pure level of some of the increasingly common systems such as driver fatigue detection, tyre pressure monitoring or speed sign recognition (Evolve and GT versions do feature the latter, while the GT goes a step further with front parking sensors and a 360-degree parking monitor).

With the expiry of its previous five-star safety score in January 2023, the Mazda2 is currently unrated.

Like all Mazdas, the Mazda2 Pure has the low-distraction tactile control dial on the centre console for navigating the seven-inch screen, although its use is optional, as the Mazda2 does retain touch-screen functionality.

Auto-dipping LED headlights, wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (enabling GPS functionality) and Bluetooth are standard, but there’s only a single USB port in the dash.

The 1.5-litre Skyactiv engine continues as the sole engine for the Mazda2 range and was recently upgraded in terms of efficiency and CO2 outputs. Power figures remain unchanged at 82kW/144Nm for the manual version and a slightly lower 81kW/142Nm for the six-speed auto.

Mazda claims a 5.4L/100km combined fuel consumption for the manual gearbox Mazda2, and we came close to achieving that in the test vehicle, which recorded 6.0/100km over a week’s driving in a mix of conditions. That’s nothing special in the segment though, where the manual-gearbox Suzuki Swift and CVT-driven Toyota Yaris – both mild hybrids – beat the Mazda hands-down. Although the auto gearbox Mazda2 is more economical and cleaner than the manual version driven here.

With its willing little 1.5-litre engine there’s no real exaggeration in saying the manual-gearbox Madza2 recalls something of the first-generation MX-5. It’s audibly happy to rev and, providing the driver doesn’t mind a bit of gear-shuffling, it can be pretty zippy in the traffic. Helped by the manual driveline’s lower final drive gearing, the torque delivery isn’t bad either. We found our review Mazda2 capable of holding pace in top gear on long inclines that have defeated some other light cars. The Mazda2 Pure is rated for a reasonable 900kg braked towing capacity too.

Smaller 15-inch wheels wearing relatively high-profile 185/65R15 tyres are oriented more towards comfort than road grip, but the Mazda2 still rides and steers well. And its relatively-quick steering (2.8 turns from lock to lock) helps ease the chore of parking in the city.

What’s not so good is an instrument cluster that’s so small it can be impossible to read in some lighting situations. One might have hoped it would be fixed after 10 years.

The dash – apart from the instrument display – is clean, tasteful, and functional, although it is a bit more old-school than its competitors. Our review car looked good with its featured (white) body-colour panel running across the dash. And the three-spoke steering wheel functioned with clarity and tactility. The pull-up handbrake and the simple air conditioning twist-dial controls were inoffensive.

The Mazda2 has neither the biggest nor smallest cabin in its class, but there can be no questioning that it’s a light car with proportionate passenger space. Finding legroom up back is negotiable rather than impossible, and tall passengers are generally able to figure out a deal provided it’s not for the long term.

Mazda doesn’t quote a maximum cargo figure for the hatch, saying only that the deep boot (with a space-saver spare dwelling underneath) will hold a meagre 250 litres with all seats up. A bit of research indicated that with everything thing bar the front seats laid flat, the maximum available volume is a little below 900 litres. While not huge, that is no reason for shame.

Indications are that Mazda got most things right when it launched the current-gen Mazda2 10 years ago.

Today, it neither looks nor feels old. Particularly in entry-level Pure form, the Mazda2 is priced well and better equipped than might be expected.

Dynamically, the Mazda2 is also more than simply sound.

At $2000 cheaper than the six-speed auto version, the manual-transmission Mazda2 Pure is not a bad driving experience for small hatch buyers seeking a bit of dynamic verve mixed with quality and high safety credentials.

2024 Mazda2 Pure hatch at a glance:
Price: $22,870 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 82kW/144Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 5.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 125g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

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