Mazda 2 sedan 2015 review

Mazda’s runabout can fit one driver behind the wheel and another in the boot.

Golfers of Australia, your new baby is here.

Mazda has put the boot into its pint-sized Mazda2, creating a new choice for people who have clubs but only want or need a compact car.

The brand has always done a good job of designing little sedans and the new Mazda2 is more of the same, with a cute tail that actually delivers a more balanced design than the equivalent hatchback. Some small sedans can look a little awkward, with the boot appearing as if it’s been tacked on as an afterthought.

There is some very clever thinking in the boot, including sculpted plastic side panels that liberate space that’s normally hidden behind the lining. The result is a boot that holds 10 per cent more luggage than the CX-5 SUV with five seats in use.

The arrival of the sedan also brings a slight tweak to the rest of the Mazda2 models that arrived late in 2014.

Controversially, there is still no standard reversing camera, but equipment from the Neo upwards now runs to cruise control and rear parking radar. The Genki, only available as a hatch, gets LED lighting but also a $700 price increase.

The bottom line on the Mazda2 is still pegged at $14,990 for both sedan and hatch, while the Maxx opens at $17,690. A camera comes for $778, satnav is $570 and there is a $400 safety pack, although few people take it.

The man who created the booted Two, designer Shigeki Nakamura, is both crafty and classy with his car.

“We looked at everything to maximise the space. And we used plastic panels because we wanted a more upmarket look,” he told CarsGuide.

“We’ve tried really hard to put some emotional value into the car. We wanted a premium look and feel.”

The only obvious visual clue is a missing rear wiper.

On the numbers front, apart from a boot that’s nearly doubled from 190 litres in the hatch to 440 in the sedan, the car is 260 millimetres longer and 25 millimetres lower.

The only obvious visual clue is a missing rear wiper.

The sedan range mirrors the hatch with Neo and Maxx models, although no Genki, and two levels of tune for the 1.5-litre petrol engine. That means 79kW/139Nm and 81kW/141Nm, with six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes.

Mazda Australia expects the sedan to contribute an extra 200 sales a month, taking the Mazda2 total to 1200, with 70 per cent choosing the cheapie Neo and about 80 per cent going with the auto.

“We’ll just see if we pick up a few more male customers. We’re not sure how many, but the hatch is running 80:20 in favour of women,” said Alastair Doak, marketing head at Mazda Australia.

On the road 

Testing the booted Two is easy. I open the lid, put things in the back, and they fit.

I have nowhere near enough “stuff” to challenge the carrying capacity on an overnight stay in Adelaide, but there is plenty of proof that it will be a welcome workhorse for a lot of people.

Sitting butt-to-butt with a Mazda2 hatch, the carrying space is wider, deeper and longer. It looks like the sort of boot that’ll be good for small-family work and weekend warriors, from skateboarders to bowlers and golfers.

Dynamically, there is no change and noise levels seem the same as the Mazda2 hatch on unfamiliar Adelaide roads.

The Neo starter car seems unusually clunky in the suspension compared to the nicer Maxx, but Mazda later reports tyres which are massively over-inflated on the test car.

As for rivals, there are only four and the Mazda is way better looking than a Toyota Yaris or Hyundai Accent.

“Our expectation is that Mazda2 should match the top two in the segment,” said Doak, talking rivals on the sale charts.