Mazda2 Genki 2007 review

A record number of Mazda baby cars delivered last month helped drive the company to an all-time sales record and its 10th straight month of rewritten records.

The showroom result is no surprise, either for Mazda in general or the 2 in particular.

The Japanese brand has been powering ahead on the back of some of the best, and best value, semi-prestige cars in the business. The new 2 is just the latest.

Explore the 2007 Mazda 2 range

• Mazda 2 Maxx 2007 review
• Mazda2 2007 review
• Mazda2 2007 review: road test
• Mazda2 manual 2007 review
• Mazda2 Genki 2007 review

It is a rethink and rework of the original Mazda2, which landed in 2002 at the start of a total overhaul of Mazda's mainstream models.

It was followed by the Mazda3 and Mazda6, which are now; as is the baby; rolling into the makeover machine.

There are plenty of differences in the new 2, but the biggest is the way it looks.

It is not as jellybean-like fun-and-friendly as the long-dead 121 bubble car, but it takes Mazda away from the boxy look of the 1990s' 121 and the original 2.

Those cars were focused on Japan, where space is everything; inside and outside; but the new 2 is much more global and has a more European style.

It also moves away from its rivals, including the Ford Fiesta and Honda Jazz, with a more organic style that puts many more curves into the bodywork and makes the cabin less angular and more inviting.

So style is strong, but the new 2 has also had a suspension rework, improvements in safety and comfort, big reductions in noise and a fiddle in the engine room.

The new 2 demonstrates that Mazda is not resting on its laurels.

“As the first of our second generation of Zoom-Zoom cars, it ticks all the boxes. We expect it to sell much more of them than the original car,” Mazda Australia managing director Doug Dickson, says.

“The 2's combination of great looks, outstanding value and class-leading driving dynamics make it a super little model.”

He didn't have to wait long for proof. The original sales target was 850 cars a month, and the October result was 1193. Sales of the previous car had run at only 450 or so a month.

The mechanical package is fairly familiar for the class: a front-wheel-drive chassis powered by a 1.5-litre engine making 75kW and 137Nm, and a claimed fuel economy of 6.4 to 6.8 litres/100km.

But Mazda Australia has worked hard on the specification for the car, cashing in some of the strength of the Australian dollar against the Japanese yen to include anti-skid brakes with brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist, front airbags, airconditioning, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, a height-adjustable driver's seat and an iPod jack on every car.

The Mazda2 is also the first of its breed and the first Japanese baby car to have ESP anti-skid control available on all models, even if it is only optional.

On the road

The new 2 looks good. And it stands out in any crowd of compact cars.

The visual impact is important for the sort of trendy and style-conscious shoppers who wander into Mazda showrooms, and it also lures people away from the rival Honda Jazz; which is set for a similar ground-up makeover next year, the Ford Fiesta; which sets the driving standard, and the Toyota Yaris; which leads sales in the light car class.

So the looks get a big tick.

The new 2 also runs familiar Mazda quality, but with a more substantial feel than the previous model. It is a solidity that comes from deep in the basic body, and includes the choice of materials, final assembly and then tuning of the suspension.

It is noticeably quieter than the previous car, though perhaps not as quiet; depending on tyres and road conditions; as a Yaris.

The new look inside is good, the seats are comfortable and supportive, and there is plenty of storage.

Mazda supplied the top-line Genki to road test and that skewed things a bit because the price swells to more than $20,000; even without on-road costs. But the basic 2 starts at $16,500 for the Neo model.

The Genki deal is pretty good because it brings 16-inch alloys with a body kit, six airbags, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and foglights.

But it is the basics that do the deal for the Mazda2.

The car gets along nicely, with a slick five-speed manual shift, and cruises comfortably at freeway pace.

It is fun to spin the engine towards the redline, which is shown on dials. These are definitely aimed at the Gen-Y group, with a combination of analogue and digital readouts in different sizes and styles.

It is the same with the rest of the cabin, including the centre-mount sound system, though we would prefer to see the iPod jack closer to the dash and not almost hidden in the centre console.

On the subject of the console, a cheap slide-out divider does not stop coins flipping around on winding roads.

The 2 corners well, with good grip and balance, but I found the car a bit bouncy on some roads. It's not nasty or uncontrolled, but not as refined as you'd expect from a new Mazda.

The brakes are good, the headlights are fine and the car is easy to park.

As an all-rounder, the new 2 is excellent. It scores strongly with its looks, quality, performance and quietness. It is not as sporty as the Fiesta and not as refined as the Yaris, but beats each of its rivals in other areas.

The real battle will come next year when Honda lands the new Jazz.

It is tough to really rate a $16,500 car against price-driven rivals such as the Getz when you are driving one at more than $20,000, but Mazda is always going to attract people with a bit more to spend and it is a class car that sits at the top of its class.

The bottom line

The original Mazda2 was good, but this one rates at the top of the baby car class.