Mazda is now importing a four-door sedan version of its popular Mazda2 to Australia to complement the existing five-door hatchback. At the same time it has facelifted the 2010 model hatch to give it even more striking styling, and has added extra safety equipment to some models.
The booted Mazda2 has an altogether different appearance to the hatch, being more sedate in its shape in order to suit the anticipated older buyers. But we aren’t so sure that the typical 60+ car buyer is as sedate as the marketing people believe. After all, this is the rock ’n’ roll generation we are talking about.
To counterbalance the more refined look, Mazda Australia is offering the sedans, as well as the hatches, in some striking colours should buyers want to stand out from the motoring crowd.
Talking of paint, Mazda loves to point out that it offers metallic colours at no extra charge, whereas its competitors typically charge $400 to $600 for theirs.
This sedan is a very practical car, with almost twice the boot capacity of the hatchback – 450 litres versus 250. This big boot means the Mazda has similar luggage space to that of a car in the next size category up. The boot opening is reasonable, though in the manner of most modern body styles the bootlid is relatively short. The load area is well shaped and very useable.
There is good space in the back seat and the Mazda2 has everything a family with pre-teen children needs for transport.
Power for the sedan is provided by the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder 76 kilowatt engine as is used in the hatch. During our initial test drive as part of the launch program organised by Mazda in south-east Queensland and the northern end of NSW we found the engine has good performance and is able to hold onto gears pretty well on the hilly territory we encountered.
That's chiefly due to the engine having been retuned to fatten out its torque. Top torque of 135 Nm isn't reached until 4000 rpm, but we found it really starting to kick in from 2500 upwards.
The suspension has been reworked as part of the mid model upgrade of the Mazda2 and we were impressed with the driving pleasure offered from a car in a class that's seldom renowned for bringing a smile to drivers’ faces.
Changes to the appearance of the Mazda2 hatch, and of course also seen in the sedan, centre around the front, where the five-point grille is larger than before and features a bolder shape. The latter is achieved by giving it a deeper, more 3D look. The bumper has been reshaped and the bezels around the foglights also benefit from a bolder look.
Safety upgrades see ESP (Electronic Stability Program) become standard on all models, it was previously an extra cost option on the cheaper variants.
The complete new Mazda2 model range, with prices (excluding on-road costs) is:
Neo five-door hatch: $16,500 (manual), $18,150 (automatic)
Maxx five-door hatch: $19,090 (manual), $20,740 (automatic)
Genki five-door hatch: $20,940 (manual), $22,590 (automatic)
Maxx four-door sedan: $19,090 (manual), $20,740 (automatic)
For an indeterminate introductory period Mazda Australia will sell the outgoing Neo manual hatch for just $16,990 driveway. |
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