Mazda is hoping the 2023 Mazda2 subcompact car will maintain its popularity in the Thai market, with the facelift model coming in colourful exterior and interior treatments targeted at young Gen-Z buyers.
For example, the Mazda2 New Wave featured in this review comes with the new Air Stream Blue colour as well as a colored front panel (with an accent tab) across the lower section of the radiator grille instead of the regular black offered in the Sport version.
According to Mazda, 1,5000 orders were placed for the new Mazda2 within the first five days of its official launch on June 21. The Mazda2 is the Hiroshima-based company’s most popular model in Thailand, with sales of over 16,000 units last year, compared to total sales of 31,600 units.
Being a core model for the brand means that Mazda is able to throw in resources for this updated 2, which is offered in both saloon and 5-door hatchback body styles with petrol and diesel engines, priced from 599,000 to 830,000 baht.
In terms of pricing, the Mazda2 competes against the Honda City, which comes with a 1.0-litre turbo or hybrid powertrain. Others in the subcompact (eco car) segment are generally cheaper, for example the Suzuki Swift priced from 567,000 to 637,000 baht or the Nissan Almera priced from 549,000 to 675,000 baht.
Last week there was a test drive event for the Mazda2 for the Thai media who took the cars from Bangkok to the Automotive and Tyre Testing, Research and Innovation Center (ATTRIC) in Chachoengsao province.
ATTRIC is a 3.5 billion baht automotive testing facility which is the largest and most comprehensive in the Asean region and ranks 11th worldwide. Mazda is the first automotive company to bring journalists to experience various testing stations at the brand-new ATTRIC complex.
Among the tests the Mazda2 went through were slalom and braking as well as a timed mini-circuit session.
Design
The third-generation Mazda2 has been around for quite a while, having been first introduced back in 2014 and going through its first facelift in 2019.
The 2023 model gets another round of design updates and new cabin trim treatment, as well as two design themes (Sport and New Wave), the latter coming with two special edition models (Rookie Drive and Clap Pop) featuring special colour accents, roof colour, wheel covers and stickers. Mazda says that in total, there are 83 different configurations possible in the new Mazda2, which is a lot.
Certain features have been made standard across the range, such as LED headlights with auto levelling and acoustic glass front windscreen with automatic wipers, and foldable electric sideview mirrors. It's surprising Mazda didn’t throw in a powered sunroof for the top model.
Apart from the exterior design changes, the Mazda2 New Wave comes with special interior appointments including a coloured dash panel made from bioplastics.
Seat upholstery comprises black leather and grey fabric and there’s a decent amount of soft touch areas. Powered driver’s seat is not standard across the board, and this one comes with manual adjustment.
While the leather, gloss black plastic and brushed metal gives the cabin of the Mazda2 an extremely high-quality feel, space is rather lacking and larger people could feel cramped.
There are several dashboard displays ranging from analogue to digital, but all variants get a 7-inch centre screen that’s a little small by today’s standards and centre commander dial that’s easy to use once you get accustomed to the menu.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are offered, but only the top models get wireless connectivity (as well as wireless phone charger). The same goes for the Mazda i-Activesense ADAS pack, although low-speed auto braking is standard across the range.
Performance
The Mazda2 is the only car in the subcompact market to come with both petrol and diesel engine choices. Both are available with six-speed automatic transmission and paddle shifters.
The 1.3-litre Skyactiv-G petrol engine is capable of producing 93hp and 123Nm of torque. While there’s not much oomph for highway overtaking (engaging the Sport mode does help), it does offer an average fuel economy of 23.3kpl and is suitable for newbies.
On the other hand, the 1.5-litre turbo diesel pumps out 105hp and a whopping 250Nm of torque that gives it quicker acceleration and is suitable for more experienced drivers. Apart from the performance, this engine also offers respectable 26.6kpl fuel economy that you’d expect from a diesel.
Both engines pair up with a well-tuned chassis to offer a smooth highway ride as well as good roadholding for winding roads. In fact, the Mazda2, despite being a subcompact, is quite fun to drive. When entering a stretch of winding road, you can engage the manual mode and play around the with the gearing, and the only complaint is that rear disc brakes are offered only in the top diesel version.
Our test car came with 185/65 tyres which explains the comfort, but this is no good for steering response, and the car felt slow going through sharp corners on a special mini course laid out at ATTRIC replicating the Fuji Circuit in Japan. Perhaps lower profile tyres could help quicken the steering response in the Mazda2 further — even the diesel comes with 185/60 R16 tyres which aren’t considered sporty either.
Verdict
The pricey Mazda2 is definitely ageing, but there’s enough styling enhancements and equipment upgrades to keep it in contention in the current marketplace. Good trick with the special edition models to gain young buyers too.
- Engine: 4-cylinder 16-valve
- Displacement: 1,299cc
- Max power: 93hp@5,800
- Max torque: 123Nm@4,000rpm
- Transmission: 6-speed automatic