The year was 2016. I was still driving my 1998 Ford Laser which I’d bought second-hand ten years previously and while it was a decent and reliable vehicle it was showing its age.
Owner: Jerry
- Economy
- Driving efficiency
- Features
- Rear passenger room
- Engine power
The year was 2016. I was still driving my 1998 Ford Laser which I’d bought second-hand ten years previously and while it was a decent and reliable vehicle it was showing its age. The destroyed bash plate, the pipes and other parts dangling out of the bottom and the timing belt’s screeching made it look and sound like an extra for The Walking Dead. So after several second glances from the police and saving some cash I finally got to buy my first ever brand new car: the Mazda 2.
Pros
- Nice interior and cabin comfort. It doesn’t scream luxury (seats are cloth and there’s some hard plastics around the cabin) but the red and black trim on the seats along with the red lines around the dashboard and around the air conditioning vents make it look lively and sporty with a touch of quality. The seats are also comfortable to sit in so driving for extended periods isn’t such a bad thing in this car
- Excellent gearbox. The 6-speed manual transmission is a doddle to use. The clutch and gear shifting is super smooth with very little jarring or jerkiness. For anyone still interested in learning to drive a manual this would be an excellent car to start with (except maybe a Holden Gemini if you can resurrect one).
- Handling and ‘zippy’ drive. With 81kW of power and 141Nm of torque it’s not a car that’s going to beat lap times on the Nurburgring. But it handles and corners very well and as long as you’re willing to push the engine (more on that later) you can get some good acceleration out of it. One reviewer previously said this Mazda isn’t a sports car but ‘feels’ like one and this is a comment I definitely agree on.
- Compact size. This is one of the (many) reasons I settled on this car. It’s more compact dimensions make it a great choice for inner-city driving and you can park this thing almost anywhere. So in tight parking spaces where large SUV drivers will grimace and either forego a parking spot or make 7 different corrections to fit in, this car will fit in without a hitch.
- Plenty of tech and sufficient safety features. This model comes with a 7-inch touchscreen, which controls your entertainment (AM/FM radio, Bluetooth, USB and CD Player -perfect for those who want mod-cons but still want to belt out Pearl Jam on compact disc), mobile communications and satellite navigation (which is an extra cost). The touchscreen also displays your reversing camera view and you also get reversing sensors so (hopefully) no more rear collisions! For added protection you also get dual front, dual front side and full length curtain airbags and the car also has Electronic Stability Control (which is pretty much standard on all new cars, I think).
- Large boot space. At 440 litres this boot can swallow a lot of things you can throw in it. You can also lower the back seats to fit in longer objects (up to 180cm). For me it fits a large pram, picnic equipment and half a dozen grocery bags without a hitch.
- Reliability. I’ve owned this car for 5 years and racked up 45,000km on it. A dead battery and replacement is the only mechanical fault it’s suffered. Besides that, with annual servicing this car has had no problems or hassles.
- Fuel consumption. I’ve managed to keep fuel consumption on this Mazda at 7 litres per 100 kilometres so I’m usually able to get about 550-600km out of a full tank before I need to consider refueling.
Cons
- Rear cabin space. Remember when I said that this car has got cabin comfort? I meant for the front passengers. The rear seat space is small, leg room is limited and the roof sits a little lower in this area, making this a cramped experience for anyone riding in the back. There are three seats in the back and while they’ll accommodate infants and children decently (as a brief plus there are ISOFIX points for baby car seats) you’ll only be fitting two adults there and even then I’d only recommend it for short drives.
- Boot space limitations. The boot can swallow up to 440 litres of content but the limitations of the sedan design along with the gooseneck hinges on the boot and the smaller boot opening means that you’ll only be fitting smaller dimension items in there. This is where the larger opening of a hatchback comes in handy. Smaller space but at least it can handle bulkier items.
- Engine power limitations. The engine works well for general city driving and if you need to accelerate quickly off the mark, but the moment you need more power (i.e. driving uphill on a freeway) you’ll need to row through your gears and plant the accelerator hard to wring as much power as you can to get the car heaving along. In these instances the screaming engine will sometimes make you wish you had something with more guts.
- Driver’s seating and visibility. I’ve tried raising the seat in this car but despite this I’ve found that you tend to sit lower in this car which in turn makes it harder to have an all-round field of vision when driving. Compounding this matter is the thicker A and B pillars, which can occasionally cause a blind spot in the right circumstances. I’ve had to be a bit more vigilant with my visual checks when changing lanes or driving around curved roads.
- Pricing. I bought this model back in 2016 for about $18,500 (with sat-nav and floormats included) and I felt this was a great price for the car. I’ve just checked Mazda’s website for the same make and model (in sedan form) and the price is now $26,500! Don’t get me wrong, this is a great car and I understand COVID has made car prices jump a bit but this is ridiculous!
Verdict
I have no hesitation in recommending this car if you’re looking for a second smaller vehicle for the family or if the only regular passengers are yourself and one other (assuming you can get one for around the price range I paid). It gets the job done well, is comfortable enough to drive (even on longer distances), has enough mod-cons without interfering with your driving experience and is extremely reliable.
Owner: Jerry
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