DO THE ROUNDS
The city car takes you and a friend. Not much else T
he next Mazda2 launches early next year, comprehensively refreshed. That means a glut of used city hatches and sedans will hit the classifieds as loyal owners upgrade. A style champion in the light car segment and lauded for its reliability and ease of driving, the Mazda has long been the go-to choice for the very young, very old and anyone in between requiring pint-size transport.
Any brand of pre-loved city car just a few years old is normally hard to recommend, as buying a new one with full warranty, updated styling, safety and technology usually makes more sense.
The Mazda2’s a bit different. The model in showrooms today, so near the end of its life cycle, differs little from those from the October 2014 launch.
To be blunt, the current Mazda2 lags behind many of its rivals on the engine and infotainment fronts, so buying used is no great loss. A point of difference is that a five-year warranty has applied since August 2018, superseding the previous three-year coverage.
Available as a five-door hatchback or, since August 2015, four-door sedan, the Mazda2 stands out for its styling, fun nature and ease of manoeuvring. If you need reasonable rear seat and boot space, look elsewhere.
The Mazda2 shines as transport for one or two people without much to carry. Commendably, the sedan will swallow two golf bags. The more popular hatch carries less cargo — just 250L.
The 1.5-litre four-cylinder, its sole engine, is eager enough around town and is fitted with Mazda’s fuel-saving stop-start tech. Most owners praise its economy, generally about 5L/100km.
It produces 79kW/139Nm — or 81kW/141Nm in “high output” (don’t laugh) guise — so tackling steep hills and getting up to highway speed can be challenging.
Priced at just $14,990 from launch, the base Neo had 15-inch steel wheels, aircon, MP3 compatible CD player, Bluetooth, USB port and push-button start. Trawl the classifieds and you’ll see Neo is the most popular model.
It was worth dropping an extra $2000 on the Maxx grade. With the slightly more powerful engine tune it returned better fuel economy and came with alloy wheels, cruise control and leather for the steering wheel, handbrake and gear shifter.
Range-topping Genki spec brought 16-inch alloys, chrome exhaust tip, fog lamps, auto headlights and wipers, climate control, head-up speed display (dash top mounted), better interior trim and, blessedly, proper infotainment with a seven-inch touchscreen with satnav. These early cars had no rear camera and autonomous emergency braking, optional on all grades for an extra $400, worked up to only 30km/h.
When the sedan arrived, specification improved on the hatches too. The Neo gained cruise control and rear park sensors and the Maxx got the seven-inch screen with satnav and rear camera. The Genki followed suit, adding LED headlights. The sedan mirrored the hatch’s equipment but there was no Genki grade.
Shop for an April 2017-onwards example and you’ll have some of the three-year factory warranty remaining as well as some choice updates.
A new range-topping GT grade arrived, with white leather for hatches and black in sedans. Safety kit on the GT and Genki added blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert and AEB was standard on all grades.
Ride was improved with revised suspension and what Mazda called G-Vectoring Control for better cornering response. Efforts were made to reduce wind and engine noise in the cabin.
Infotainment still trailled rivals. Lack of smartphone connectivity is a deal-breaker for many. If you’re shopping for a Mazda2 you’re likely to be on a budget, so reliability is key. Good news: most owners report little in the way of serious mechanical incidents, with engine and gearbox failures appearing isolated.
Servicing is at quite short 10,000km intervals so ensure the owner has stayed on top of this, preferably using a Mazda dealer.
This generation Mazda2 was built in Thailand and some owners suggest build quality isn’t quite as good as that of Japanese factories. There are hard plastics throughout the cabins, while numerous reports of rattles and squeaks inside mean you should perform a long test drive to ensure there’s nothing there to annoy you.
Other grumbles include a squeaky driver’s seat and Bluetooth dropping out but most criticism is geared towards factors you can easily test. Are the boot and rear seats large enough for your usage? If you’re regularly on the highway, can you tolerate the pronounced road noise?
The auto gearbox, some say, can fuss when searching for gears. It struggles on steeper hills, especially with passengers on-board. Listen for any suspect transmission noises — on a manual, the clutch and shifter should be light and easy to operate.
The manual’s a great little thing, with a long throw, and ups the driving joy.
As they are favoured by first drivers and retirees, these little city jobs might have had the odd bingle. Check body panels, wheels and the underside for damage, and evidence of accident repair — Mazda paint is quite thin, and the attractive Soul red in particular is prone to chips.
There have been three recalls for this series of the Mazda2. Check potential purchases at productsafety.gov.au City car rivals have longer warranties, perkier turbo engines and far better infotainment but, as an all-rounder with style and reliability, the Mazda2 performs well. Neo grades are thin on modern niceties, so target Maxx and above. Even the earliest models with no warranty and low specification can fetch more than $10,000 used, so cross-shop against such new city cars as the Kia Picanto and Suzuki Swift — if you can stretch, they’re smarter buys.
My 2017 Genki hatch auto is a nice little car that’s very fuel efficient. I love the sporty design, navigation, blind spot monitor and head-up display. I was attracted to it because of such safety features as autonomous emergency braking and rear cross traffic alert: great when backing out of a parking space. The boot’s small and the rear seats aren’t functional — my old Honda Jazz, with its Magic Seats, had far better space.
I have a 2014 Genki hatch manual. I chose the range-topper because my son told me I needed help with directions and it came with satnav. It’s been a great buy. The interior’s lovely, the front sensors are handy, changing gears in the manual is easy and it’s great for city driving. Easy to drive, it has hill assist and a good size boot for this type of car. No complaints.