Head of its Class – A Full Mazda 2 Review
With all sorts of movements and developments happening in the light car industry in Australia, it’s often hard to keep up with the top small cars on the market. The new 2020 Mazda 2 has received a brilliant refresh with a host of new technological features that have led to many eyes widening. Drivers will be happy to find some smart safety and connectivity features that help to give you a safer and seamless drive.
This Mazda 2 review will be examining some of the key features that the car offers, and how it can be seen as being a step above the usual competitors in its class such as the Toyota Yaris or Volkswagen Polo.
What’s new in the Mazda 2 2020 model?
Like in previous years, the Mazda 2 comes in both a five-door hatchback and a four-door sedan. However, the new Mazda 2 2020 model has received a little boost in its design, with a new grille standing out upon first glance. The foglights are also now nicely integrated with the headlights of the car, as well as a handful of other little changes just helping to tighten up the professional look of the model.
You’ll have access to three different trim models in the hatchback, with the G15 Pure being the most affordable, the Evolve as a quality mid-level model, and the GT sitting up the top. For the sedan, the Evolve is not on offer, with the G15 Pure and the GT being the only options.
Stylish Interiors
As a typical car used for regular driving around the city, the sleek interiors of the car give it a minimal and refined look. The Mazda 2 is the perfect representation of a light car that looks great inside and out. Taking a note from some of its other family members, the Mazda 2 takes a minimal design with the classy leather-wrapped Mazda steering wheel, handbrake and gear shift being the central elements.
You also have the ambient temperature display and Bluetooth phone and audio capability coming standard across all models. The easy to use central control panel is able to control all of the internal features with a touchscreen when the car is stopped, and by the rotary dial whenever you’d like.
The newly designed seats are an added bonus with the partial leather wrap making the seats very comfortable and providing nice support when driving.
Comprehensive Safety Features
Just like some of the previous models before it, the Mazda 2 2020 continues to be paving the way for an advanced level of safety amongst its competitors. The Smart City Brake Support is Mazda’s answer to autonomous emergency braking, being a central part of all Mazda 2s. The car will provide a warning when it detects an obstacle in its path, such as when a car in front of you slows down suddenly, and will then apply the breaks if necessary.
Similar to some of its usual competitors, Mazda stands firm on safety with their rear-cross traffic alert, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitor, and lane departure warning features. The rear cross traffic alert is particularly useful for those pesky moments where you’re backing out from a parking space and you need to know if another car is approaching to cross behind the back of your vehicle.
In the GT model, you have the adaptive cruise control feature that uses a precise radar to match the speed of the car in front of you, up to a specifically selected speed limit, and allows you to keep a safe distance between cars. This is perfect for those long commutes or the family trips down south. Speaking of family trips, if you have young kids that are in booster seats, the Mazda 2 also has three top tether child restraint anchor points, as well as two ISOFIX points in the back.
Having been awarded the maximum five stars for safety in both the hatch and sedan in 2015 by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, you know you’re stepping into a safe car each time you get behind the wheel.
Solid Fuel Consumption
The standard 1.5L four-cylinder petrol engine in the Mazda 2 has a fuel consumption of around 4.9L/100km on the manual model, and around 5.4L/100km with the six-speed automatic. If you’re someone who’s looking to save a few more dollars on fuel each week, the engine also has a fuel-saving feature where upon stopping the car the engine will shut down automatically. As you take your foot off the brake, the engine will start back up again, making it a nice feature if you do typically spend a lot of time in a stationary position (traffic jams are unfortunately inevitable) when driving.
Worth the Price Point
The Mazda 2 2020 ranges in price from an affordable $15,570 for the base standard level sedan, up to $25,990 for the GT model. If you’re someone who really enjoys their driving, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on the wheel of the Mazda 2. The based G 15 Pure model is well worth the price with its incredible safety features, sleek infotainment, and stylish design. It also is the only variant where you have the choice of an automatic or manual transmission.
Every model of the Mazda 2 also offers a five year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which also includes five years of roadside assistance. There’s a reason that you’ll often see the Mazda 2 on the best selling list for the light car industry in Australia, and the 2020 model justifies this positioning once more.
If you’d like to take the Mazda 2 Perth for a test drive or talk through some of your requirements to find which model may be best for you, book in a test drive today, or visit us down at Mandurah Mazda.
