Mazda2 (2003 - TO DATE)
MODELS COVERED: 5dr hatch (1.25, 1.4, 1.6 petrol 1.
4 diesel [S, TS, TS2, Sport, Antares, Capella])
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
The Mazda2 is a car that has slipped under the public radar a little. While the MX5, the Mazda3 and the Mazda6 have both sold well, the 2 left quite a few customers scratching their heads and wondering quite where it fitted in. This is slightly strange as its a solid no-nonsense supermini that although not the most exciting car in its class nevertheless represents one of the best screwed together cars of its ilk. With used examples now looking attractively priced, getting hold of a nearly new Mazda2 is a very
smart way of getting quality and modernity at realistic pricing.
Only one five-door body style is available and that tall shape means it looks and feels spacious. You might even mistake this for a car from the next class up. None of this is an illusion either. Theres a useful 267-litre luggage compartment which grows to 1044 litres when you fold down the rear seats.
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Cleverly, the front passenger
seat also folds completely flat to help if youre transporting long surfboard-like items. Equipment levels are a bit basic on the standard S model (radio cassette player anyone?), so its best to try and bargain your way into at least a TS2, the starting point for air conditioning.
Mazda talk a lot about safety but only the top Sport model has side airbags. Still, mustnt nitpick.
The Sport is pretty well appointed, with electric windows all round, electric heated door mirrors, a CD stereo with six speakers and a leather trimmed steering wheel fitted with audio controls. The Mazda2s V-shaped grille wears the now familiar family face, mirroring that of the Mazda6. Further family resemblance is apparent in the way the bonnet flutes draw the eye to that grille. The front spoiler is surprisingly aggressive for such an inoffensive car and the Mazda2s hot hatch frontal aspects may well provoke a few drivers into pulling over.
Small five-door cars have a reputation for being frumpily styled, but when viewed from the side, the Mazda2s rising window line and neat overhangs give it a very trim appearance. Still, that doesnt stop us wondering what a three-door version would look like. The rear hatch reaches deep into the bumper, making loading and unloading the car extremely easy and allows the stylists to design huge rear light clusters that sit neatly either side of the hatch. The build quality is evident in the tight shut line gaps, made possible through newly developed assembly techniques.
Bottom book for a 2003 Mazda2 1.25 is £5,750 in basic S trim although most will hover around the £6,750 mark. The 1.4-litre models start at £7,400 for an S with either a diesel engine and the 1.
6-litre Mazda2 opens at a chunky £9,000. Insurance for all Mazda2 versions is very affordable with the 1.25S being rated at a lowly Group 2 and even the zippy 1.6-litreSport only just scraping into Group 6.
Nothing really to report so far. The Mazda2 has performed very well in customer satisfaction surveys and the mechanicals are largely tried and tested fare. The interior plastics quality could be better and the metallic surfaces are prone to scratching but other than that a clean bill of health for Mazdas baby. As with any car thats often used fore city/shopping duties check for knocks and scrapes.
(approx based on a Mazda2 1.4) With many mechanical parts interchangeable with
Ford items, spares can be found relatively inexpensively. A clutch assembly and an alternator will both be around £75. Front brake pads are around £30 a set and the rears £20, a replacement headlamp is close to £80 and a manual door mirror should be in the region of £50.
A full exhaust is about £120 and a catalyst is about £220. A starter motor around is around £110, front wing is around £90, a windscreen about £70.
Built into every Mazda2 are ISOFIX child seat brackets and twin airbags, as is a
smart system whereby in a head-on collision, the brake pedal decouples and is pulled away from the drivers legs to reduce the risk of leg injuries. Apparently theres also an ingenious body structure design that distributes impact energy equally through the cars cross members and side beams to help prevent deformation of the passenger cell. A cell which by the way is 45% stiffer than this cars predecessor, the Demio, although this may say more about the Demio than it does about the Mazda2. All the engines on offer are forgettable, if willing and reasonably economical.
Only the 1.6-litre unit has any sort of real zip to it, sixty being reached in 11.4s on the way to 112mph. The diesel manages to average over 60mpg but does have the unfortunate drawback of being a little noisy.
Given the lack of sporting pretensions and this cars eminent suitability for the urban environment, wed recommend that you try and find a used example fitted with the optional Automatic Shift Manual (ASM) transmission, an alternative that was only on offer to 1.4-litre petrol and diesel buyers.
The Mazda2 may not be the first choice on a shortlist of used superminis but it definitely merits a look. With solid build quality, a range of decent engines and plenty of space inside, it makes a different choice to the usual run of the mill supermini models and at prices which are starting to look a steal, you wont be penalised for your individuality.
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