Although Mazda has cosied up with Toyota for its Mazda2 Hybrid, which is a rebadged Yaris, it continues to make its own version of the 2 supermini. However, this generation of Mazda2 has been around for ten years now, enough for this to count as the second facelift of the runaround (the first was in 2019), so can some mild technical updates and revised looks keep the Mazda relevant in a marketplace that has, admittedly, become a little more competitively open following the demise of the Ford Fiesta?
In the metal
The Mazda2 has been around for a decade in this form so its overall shape is nothing new, but this 2024 Exclusive-Line version certainly looks different from the Homura and Homura Aka models in its own line-up, because it - along with the Centre-Line - has a half-panel of body-coloured plastic mounted in its radiator grille.
Whether you like this one striking design feature or not won’t matter too much, as otherwise the Mazda2 is a pleasing little shape in general and the 2023 tidy-up of its form - new wing grille shape, revised bumpers, a different type of lower grille and so on - did nothing to hurt that. Another distinguishing feature of the latest Mazda2 models is that coloured ‘tab’ that is offset front and rear. For the Centre-Line and Exclusive-Line cars, it is yellow and sits just on top of the ‘facemask’ panel at the front, while at the back it is mounted low down in the chrome strip on the bumper. For the two grades of Homura, which as we’ve said do without that panel in the grille, the coloured tabs are switched to red to reflect their sportier character.
Inside, nothing much has changed except for some decorative dash and surface panels which take on different colours depending on which exterior paint you went for on your Mazda2. So, Air Stream Blue and Ceramic Metallic cars have mint-coloured highlights, all of Soul Red Crystal, Snowflake White, Platinum Quartz and Polymetal Grey get white panels, and every other body finish has mirror-black interior detailing.
In truth, that’s nothing more than a styling gewgaw which cannot hide how dated the 2’s interior is looking these days. It’s bolted together nicely, and Mazda is canny enough to make some of the main touchpoints feel high-quality, even if some of the plastics (most notably on the door cards) are not. There’s plenty of equipment and Mazda’s clever infotainment system, which functions as a touchscreen when the car is stationary but then reverts solely to commands from the rotary controller on the transmission tunnel once the 2 is in motion as a safety feature.
Driving it
We drove a Mazda2 back in 2019 when it was first facelifted and given the company’s ‘M Hybrid’ fuel-saving technology. So, five years further down the line, with no major changes to the drivetrain save for the raised compression ratio and different exhaust manifold the car gained in 2022, we’re about to be very critical, aren’t we?
Well... no. We’re not. And sometimes, it’s the factors out of your control which can play into your hands and benefit you. In Mazda’s case, the factor in question was Ford’s bonkers decision to kill off the Fiesta permanently. It means the easy class-leader for years was vanquished, leaving other models looking more appealing in the wake of its demise.
None have benefitted so much as the Mazda2, though, which now feels a refreshingly simple and enjoyable thing to drive in the modern era. It is offered solely with this 1.5-litre mild-hybrid-augmented engine in a variety of outputs these days, with this 90hp derivative representing the middle ground. So yes, with a mere 151Nm of torque, you need to work the little Mazda’s motor quite hard if you want to keep up with faster traffic flow - not for the 2 driver will be the lazy rewards of fat, low-speed, turbocharged torque.
Yet getting the Mazda2 moving at pace is a pleasurable affair, mainly thanks to one of the best six-speed manual gearboxes in the business. All crisp of throw and tight in action, stirring the Mazda’s gear lever about the gate is a genuine delight. Then there’s also the lightness of the car, clocking in at a smidge over 1.15 tonnes with a 75kg driver and all the necessary fluids onboard. This means that despite its sub-100hp maximum output, it can still run 0-100km/h in less than ten seconds and that makes it feel brisk. The little 1.5 is also smooth when asked to rev out, even if it becomes a trifle noisy as you approach the redline.
Maybe it was the 2022 technical updates to this engine which have helped further, but we also don’t remember the 2 feeling this refined and quiet on the move. It’s an affordable supermini, so no, the ride quality isn’t going to match a luxury saloon’s, while you’ll hear a fair amount of tyre and wind noise at 80km/h-plus. Yet none of this is unbearable, while the way the Mazda2 soaks up lumps and bumps in the main is surprisingly assured for a short-wheelbase, lightweight vehicle such as this. Better still, if you explore the Mazda’s handling abilities, you’ll find it’s one of the finer superminis to drive in the class, with lots of grip, great steering and a decent level of body control. The ‘G-Vectoring Control Plus’ system also helps in both regards, making the Mazda agile when you want it to be and stable when you don’t.
All in all, dynamically the Mazda2 e-Skyactiv G 90 doesn’t reset any parameters in terms of its refinement, handling and powertrain, but neither does it feel like it is short-changing you in any of these departments. If you want a simple-to-drive, straightforward little runaround, this is it.
What you get for your money
The Mazda2 Exclusive-Line starts from €26,000 and has a decent level of standard equipment, including 16-inch alloys, cruise control, smart keyless entry, automatic air conditioning, rear parking sensors, privacy glass, and a selection of driver assist systems too, among more, making it well-equipped for the money. It kicks off from €23,870 as a Centre-Line, though, which makes the Mazda competitive with the supermini-leading-light likes of the Toyota Yaris (€24,470), Renault Clio (€24,845) and Volkswagen Polo (€25,650), although the more advanced Hyundai i20 (€21,995) undercuts it. Still, the regular Mazda2’s price compares well to the Yaris-derived Hybrid version in its own portfolio, the one which starts from €27,800.
Summary
There’s no getting around the fact the Mazda2 is hardly in the first flush of youth, and for 2024 the changes are only moderate primping exercises to keep the styling (inside and out) as fresh as it can be. However, reappraising it proves that the 2 is an amenable little hatchback in this format and one that still deserves serious consideration in its marketplace, fully ten years after it first appeared on the scene.
