The Mazda 2 Is The Perfect Starter Car, But It’s Not For Me

Mazda 2 Topshot 2
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As enthusiasts, we often spend our time daydreaming about high-powered sports cars and steroid-pumped off-roaders with enough torque to peel the crust off the Earth itself. And yet, so often, we make our lives happen with simple workhorses that go about their business quietly in plain sight. These everyday vehicles may rarely grace magazine covers, but they dutifully serve their owners with fair attitude and faithful reliability. The 2023 Mazda 2 is one of those cars. Not a rockstar, but faithful and willing to serve.

Today, I’m giving you a tour of the Mazda 2’s latest facelift, as delivered to Australia for the 2023 model year. Americans may recall its doppelgänger, the Toyota Yaris iA (née Scion iA), with the model leaving the U.S. market after 2020. The Mazda now stands alone, having received a healthy refresh for the global markets in which it is sold.

[Editor’s note: Americans could actually buy the third-generation Mazda 2 hatchback for several years, albeit only in Puerto Rico. Still, nothing’s stopping residents of the contiguous 48 from bringing a Puerto Rican example to the mainland by boat, seeing as models sold there are fully federalized. -TH]

If you’re hunting for a rush of adrenaline, look elsewhere. That’s not what the Mazda 2 is for. Instead, it presents itself as a dependable option for regular transport that looks more fashionable than some of the competition. It’s designed for those just starting their driving journey, or those who simply want a reliable companion for their daily commute. It’s a textbook example of a starter car. While it may be the lowest-ranking Mazda currently on sale in Australia, it still does the brand proud with its clean, modern aesthetic.

Mazda 2 Low Qtr

Mazda 2 Rear Qtr

 

 

The Mazda 2 is key to the company’s lineup, serving as a budget option in a market rapidly flooding with cheap Chinese compacts. In these bleak economic times, many simply desire a car that starts every morning, handles well in traffic, and doesn’t break the bank. Mazda manages to deliver this in an affordable, well-appointed package that never feels cheap.   

For $26,361 Australian dollarydoos (~$17,300 USD), you get a 1.5-liter four cylinder good for 109 horsepower and 104 foot-pounds of torque. It’s available paired to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. I found myself behind the wheel of the Pure automatic trim, which retailed a little higher, at $28,441 (~$18,700 USD). It seats five, weighs 2445 pounds, and is amusingly rated to tow up to 1984 pounds if you have a braked trailer. As a sub-compact, storage is limited, at 8.8 cubic feet.

So far, so typical. The humble engine and light weight will naturally net you good fuel economy. By Australia’s fuel economy standards (ADR 79/04), the Mazda 2 is rated to get 36 mpg in urban driving, and 51.1 mpg in extra urban driving. You know, like, in the countryside and stuff. It’s rated at 44.4 mpg combined.  

Mazda 2 Badge

Mazda 2 Front Side Low

 

But let’s look past stats. What’s the Mazda 2 really like? Well, it’s a rather elegant thing, hewing to the fine fundamentals of Mazda’s current design language. A limited number of curves do a great deal to make a smooth, attractive form, without being excessively rounded or eggy. It’s undeniably an improvement over the Toyota Yaris iA, because the facelifted Mazda front end is far more appealing than the gaping maw of the Toyota version.  

The car’s compact footprint is evident, but smart design choices ensure it doesn’t come across as tiny or cramped. Today, many cars scream for attention with bold design choices, stacking lines upon creases and stashing vents everywhere the eye can see. The Mazda  opts for a more understated charm, doing more with less. 

Inside, the Mazda 2 is pretty straightforward. You know how it is. It’s a car, and everything is where you’d expect to find it. Materials, while not lavish, feel durable and fit for purpose. For the price, you wouldn’t find much to complain about with the seats or interior plastics. 

Mazda 2 Wheel

Mazda 2 Console

Mazda 2 Hvac

Mazda 2 Dash

Mazda 2 Selector

 

 

Despite the car’s outer dimensions, Mazda has done well to maximize the space inside, making it feel more open than one might expect. It largely gets the simple storage matters right, too. You’ll easily find a spot for your Monster energy drink or your Friday night takeaway. 

The one thing it misses is a good spot to stash your smartphone, especially given the basic models lean on Android Auto and Apple CarPlay over inbuilt navigation. Having a nice rectangular nook is always a boon, and the Mazda 2 kinda forgets to include this. Ultimately, you’ll either keep your phone in your pocket, or invest in a dangly mount somewhere on the windscreen or dash. [Editor’s note: Although there’s a tray in front of the shifter, it’s sized more for an iPhone 5 than today’s huge phones. — TH]

Driving the Mazda 2 is perfectly fine. It’s fit for purpose, if lacking anything to excite the enthusiast driver, but hey—not every car is for us. 

Mazda 2 Front Qtr

Mazda 2 Side

 

 

Mazda 2 Low Front 2

Mazda 2 Light

 

The Skyactiv powertrain is all about efficiency, and unlike some rivals, it doesn’t rock any hybrid support. It’s not a rev-monster, it doesn’t bark or yelp; it just gets you down the road. The automatic transmission is smooth enough and largely transparent to the driving experience, which is perfect for a car like this. The kickdown offers limited pep, but that’s largely due to the engine’s humble output more than anything else. The drivetrain offers perfectly acceptable acceleration for the class, but an exciting combination, this is not. It would be interesting to try the manual, but I suspect it wouldn’t make much difference. 

The Mazda 2 is an entirely predictable car to drive. This isn’t a car that overwhelms or overcomplicates the driving experience. It’s like slipping into a well-worn pair of average shoes that fit just right. If your friend lent you this car and you instantly wound up in a Jason Bourne-style chase, you’d be pretty confident on how to handle it. It offers a turning circle that’s appreciated in tight spaces and crowded lanes, and its steering is well-weighted, if a little uncommunicative. There’s too much body roll and too little engagement for it to be a fun handler, but people buying Mazda 2s don’t want to be entertained by their car. They just want to get where they’re going. 

Dsc06123 Scaled

 

On the open road, the Mazda 2 settles into a calm, steady rhythm. It maintains highway speeds with ease and exhibits admirable composure despite its short wheelbase. Wind and road noise are well excluded, allowing for easy conversation without the need to raise one’s voice. Through the curves, the vehicle’s handling remains stable and predictable, with no unexpected surprises. Overall, the driving experience of the Mazda 2 mirrors its design and intent: unpretentious, reliable, and pleasantly uncomplicated.

Fundamentally, it genuinely does a good job at being “an car.” It’s super easy to park, it’s easy to see out of, and it’s untroubled by any daily duty you could throw at it. It’s hard to imagine a better first car for a new driver, and it’s even available in a manual version for those eager to learn how to drive a stick.  It’s a great car for learning to park too, because its tiny size provides a lot more margin for error.

Mazda2 Pure Jetblack 28
It’s roomy enough for the front seat passengers, but it’s pretty short on legroom in the back. Credit: Mazda
Mazda2 Pure Jetblack 39
Yellow dash says it’s the facelift model, baby! Credit: Mazda
Mazda2 Pure Jetblack 29
It’s a bit tight. Credit: Mazda
Mazda2 Pure Jetblack 49
Groceries? Yes. Ikea furniture? More difficult. Credit: Mazda
Mazda 2 Engine
Mazda does not expect you to look under the hood at the Cthulhu-esque nightmare within. I was amazed they included this in the press pack. Credit: Mazda

Having Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard (albeit in wired form) is a big win, too. It’s also available as a sedan for fans of that bodystyle, something a lot of other automakers aren’t offering right now. For some reason, Mazda also put a splash of colored plastic in the middle of the front grille for reasons we can’t possibly understand. I checked, and it’s not a piece of pre-delivery packaging. It’s an intentional styling feature that shows up in the official press photos. Fun, though? Fans of leaving yellow splitter guards on Dodges will appreciate the detail.

Perhaps the biggest let down for me is that it just isn’t very fun. Automakers like Ford and VW have done a great job building exciting, enjoyable econoboxes in years past, even outside of the more bonkydonk hot haches. A good Fiesta, Focus or Polo really has some spunk to it, even if you’re not looking at the sports models. 

Mazda’s effort here simply doesn’t light up the joy receptors. The engine is yawn-inducing when the pedal is matted to the floor, even in the unjustified “Sport” mode. Nor does the diminutive car dart or dance with any verve. It’s just a commuter, through and through.  

Mazda 2 Rear Offset

Mazda 2 Dutch

Mazda 2 Rear Qtr 3

 

 

 

 

As a subcompact, the Mazda 2 is up against plenty of solid rivals. In Australia, it’s competing with the Kia Rio, The Toyota Yaris, and the Volkswagen Polo, while it’s getting undercut significantly by the ultra-cheap MG MG3. In Australian dollars, the Rio can be driven away for as little as $23,590, while the Yaris starts at $28,190. The Polo is a more premium option starting at around $33,287 for the same metric. The Chinese-built MG3 is, by comparison, a budget queen at just $19,990, albeit with a slightly lacking feature set and a cheaper-feeling interior. The Mazda 2 is towards the medium to premium end of the subcompacts in price, starting at $26,361 in 2024, or $28,441 for an auto.. It makes up for that by being nicely appointed, and it has an appropriate look and feel to match. Still, paying close to $30,000 for a subcompact is… kind of lame, and indicative of just how badly inflation has hit in the last few years.

I’d probably rather see an MG3 in my driveway for the oddball factor, but I suspect a lot of teens would prefer a “name brand” car like the VW or Mazda. If you’re seventeen and your parents are buying you a new car, let me know what you’d go for. We like to stay up with the youth trends here at the website where the cofounder makes art on a 40-year-old computer.

Mazda 2 Learner
Mazda’s own press shots support the idea of it being an ideal car for new drivers. Credit: Mazda

I found the Mazda 2 interesting in the same way as visiting a friend’s family home and sitting down for dinner. It was a taste of something I’d usually never go for, and a look at how other people live their day to day lives. As an enthusiast, the Mazda 2 offers me nothing, except perhaps a smart backup for a fleet of dodgy project cars. 

At the same time, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it as a good car for a new driver or someone looking for an affordable new commuter car. The Mazda 2 is a great appliance for the kind of person who doesn’t want to think about driving at all. It makes driving transparent, easy, an afterthought. The fact that it looks good doing it is an excellent plus for the people charged with selling it.

Barring any surprises, it’s hard to go wrong with a simple commuter that’s easy to drive and cheap to run. In the Mazda 2, the company has done well at screwing together a subcompact that feels a cut above the economy cars of yesteryear. It may not be the car for me, but the Mazda 2 is a good car. 

(Image credits: Lewin Day, Mazda where stated)

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65 thoughts on “The Mazda 2 Is The Perfect Starter Car, But It’s Not For Me

  1. You’ve been unjustifiably kind to the MG3, if I found one in my drive way I would not only get it towed, I’d move house out of fear of it happening again.

    A lot of the cars we’ve gotten out of China have nailed looking like a new car from above, but from below I’m still seeing horrendously inadequate and underdeveloped chassis and mechanicals, and sourcing parts can still be quite difficult for anything that isn’t a service item.

    Awhile ago, I had to inspect an MG3 that had run up against the sleeper in a parking spot, something I think we can all agree is a moderately common occurrence, however for the MG3, this all but killed the car, it pushed the engine and gearbox up, snapped the roll stop off the back of the transmission and cracked the transmission casing while doing so. We were given an estimated 6 month wait time to source a transmission for it.

    Obviously this article wasn’t about the MG3 per se, the Mazda2 is everything you said it is, undeniably, I was just surprised to see you suggest you’d roll the dice on something like a modern MG just for the novelty.

    1. I haven’t said anything kind about it, just that I’d like to try one!
      That is kind of hilarious that one died so easily, how bad were those engine mounts?

      1. Ha, I’d consider acknowledging it as a driveable vehicle ‘being kind.’

        And it’s a combination of issues, from poor general design with nothing to deflect away from the engine copping the force or allowing it to move without breaking something and cheap materials used for the transmission casing.

        I just feel like more people need to ask *why* when things are notably cheaper than the competition. You get what you pay for, which just isn’t much.

        At least I can admit that the tin can I chose to daily drive is 30 years old and I can trust it to act accordingly.

  2. The 2 is cool. Too bad they never made a Mazdaspeed 2 🙁

    Also, I HATED it when Toyota rebadged it as a Yaris and killed off the real Yaris. People that buy a Toyota want a fucking Toyota.

  3. What a lovely example of a great segment: unfussy, easy to live with, and lightweight fun. I would find so much joy in finding the smallest parking spaces and fitting the maximum amount of cargo in this thing. Plus it offers a manual! Doesn’t get much better than this.

    My only gripe is I feel this segment looks better as a 3-door. I know the 5-door is more practical but I think 3 doors just looks *right* on this scale of car, not to mention is more realistic to the use case. I felt the same way about the Fiesta when we were blessed to have that available in the States.

  4. A friend has a 2015 Scion iA sedan. Barring the nasty front clip, it’s really a little luxury car on the cheap. Beautiful interior design, great materials, and the automatic is utterly seamless. I’ve driven it often, and find it to be a great little car.

  5. Here in the U.S. we used to have the Mazda 2 from 2009 to 2014. Those shared a platform with the Ford Fiesta. They were only available here in 5 door hatchback form and could be had with a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission.

    Nowadays small car wise the closest thing you can get is a Nissan Versa sedan and even then they’re not long for this world-Nissan announced that they’re discontinuing the Versa in 2025 to make way for an all electric sedan.
    Get em while they last,because they’re going,going fast!

  6. Article about Mazda2.

    A good Fiesta, Focus or Polo really has some spunk to it, even if you’re not looking at the sports models.

    *cries in American unable to get any of those*

  7. I know I have a low bar because of my 80s Subarus, but I’m pretty sure I could toss a 2445lb car with 109hp/100torques around cackling gleefully. Well, I’m thinking the tires are lower profile & wider—but I still like the idea of a cheap car I can drive with abandon.

    1. true! with that said… I almost wouldn’t call this tossable. It’s small, but it really lacks the steering feel or suspension to be joyously tossable in my opinion.

  8. If I was in the market for a commuter car I could beat on and pretend it’s a race car something like this is perfect. Not every car needs 500hp and an intimidating name!

    1. I think a Fiesta or VW might do better in that respect. The Mazda 2 is a bit too relaxed to feel like a little go kart in my opinion, even though it’s got those neat looks and the diminuitive packaging.

  9. Can you entirely remove the back row with basic tools, and without causing any kind of warning lights to come on (e.g., if it has integrated detection of rear passengers for seat belts)?

    If there’s one thing I hate with small cars, it’s decorative back seats. I’d rather a car be honest and be completely missing them rather than have so little legroom.

    (Ignoring that I live in the contiguous U.S. and couldn’t get this easily anyway.)

  10. There seem to be plenty of Mazda2 owners who bought it as one of the more entertaining options if an actual enthusiast car isn’t in the cards for you (can’t accept the risk of downtime, can’t afford the fuel bills), although I suspect most of us took it with the three pedal option. If nothing else, the prior gen North America got was one of the lightest options available.

    Nice to hear it’s more refined, my hearing’s admittedly bad, but holding a conversation is difficult in mine.

  11. I’d probably rather see an MG3 in my driveway for the oddball factor

    That seems like the equivalent of us in the U.S. buying a fleet-only Captiva for the ‘oddball factor’, but you do you. I’ve heard the MG3 is a miserable little car, fit only for rental fleets.

  12. I felt so guilty that I enjoyed my Toyota Yaris rental car several years back, but felt redeemed when I did some research and found out it was actually a rebadged Mazda2!

  13. You say it’s not gonna give you a shot of adrenaline. I beg to differ. I spent three driving around the boonies of Ireland in a rented manual Mazda2. Much adrenaline

      1. It’s half about the transmission, and half about the roads/lack of traffic. Empty B roads twisting through jade countryside and a lightweight car that you are absolutely wringing every single horsepower from. I’ve still rarely had as much fun in a car

      1. The roads there are, indeed, designed by the driving gods. The speed limits are goals rather than restrictions.

        “See if you can reach 80kmh on this dirt road!”

        Irish roads plus lightweight six speed… I still miss that trip ten years on

  14. The whole dash and IP are a slightly shrunken version of my 7-year-old CX-3, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That includes the steering wheel, which on some of the newer Mazdas is a small ergonomic disaster that places form over function. The CX-3, by the way, has been wonderfully trouble-free and a pleasant if not exhilarating driver.

    1. Not even ‘shrunken’ – the CX3 is basically a Mazda2 on stilts, same platform, literally interchangeable dash.

      I often get either a Mazda2 or a CX3 as a loan car when my 3 is in for service – It’s basically the same interior, just with a few styling tweaks here and there.

    2. The CX-3 is almost a Mazda2 on (1.5 cm) stilts: it crucially has more cargo space. That cheap LED action on the dash is the same. We give ours a healthy diet of 80% Autobahn cruising and 20% Alpine/Pre-Alp twisties. Manual was one of our requirements, and, while I enjoy tossing it around and love driving it more than I thought I would, I’d hate this thing in an automatic. Also, since 2022 or so, all Mazdas, 2 included, are mild hybrids. So expect to carry some extra weight.

  15. This is for sale in Mexico with the 2.0 Skyactiv engine from the Mazda 3 (141 hp). I bet the experience will be better with this engine configuration. They even lowered the price recently (I guess they started to feel the Chinese cars sales pressure).

  16. Back in the day we had a term for a bar that was a comfortable place to grab a beer, but offered no pretense of being anything else.

    It wasn’t an “Irish Pub” or. “Tiki Bar.” It wasn’t a blond wood and brass confabulation that doubled as a restaurant and sported names that ended in “igans.” It wasn’t part of a national chain.

    Maybe it had a pool table or a dart board. Probably it had one old TV on the wall and a jukebox. There was no live entertainment or karaoke.

    Nobody danced. Nobody fought. Nobody sold or snorted coke in the bathrooms and prostitutes didn’t hit on patrons.

    It wasn’t a trendy hipster dive bar or college hangout. Maybe there were bowls of peanuts or bar mix. The bathrooms were clean and so were the beer taps. We called these bar bars.

    The Mazda 2 is a car car.

  17. You may be underestimating the improved fun factor of a manual. I haven’t driven these but subcompact crapcan hatches are my favourite segment, and I’ve never driven one where an automatic didn’t completely kill all joy.

  18. You nailed the experience of the Mazda2. Decent room in the front seat for something so small but to me this is a car for either a single person or a couple. These were available in Canada from about 2011 to 2015. A Japanese expat co-worker recently needed to buy a vehicle so I got a chance to drive a number of Japanese cars in the price range she was looking at. I recommended a Mazda3 but she decided on a 2013 Mazda2. It was decent but nothing like what a Mazda3 would be. It only had 53,000 km on it and was in great shape with no rust. They are cheaper than comparable Honda or Toyota vehicles around here.
    Just found one locally with lower mileage and price than she paid, Oh well.
    https://www.autotrader.ca/a/mazda/mazda2/london/ontario/19_12745454
    Not a ton of visible changes over the last 10 years from what I can see.

  19. Y’know what, Lewin? It’s a CAR! Therefore, much closer to my wants and needs than darn near anything available new in the U.S. today. That it appears to have a tiny touchscreen is a “plus,” as are actual HVAC controls.

    If I wanted to get picky, I’m sure one could spend some money and get a reasonable facsimile of a Fiesta ST out of it, maybe without the visual add-ons, but I’m no longer 18 years old so can do without those.

    Any set of wheels that floats my boat these days is used, except perhaps the GR Corolla, and I have yet to see one of those that sold for MSRP. And most of the other fun pre-owned possibilities have been ridden hard and put away wet, to be kind.

    I’d take a chance with one of these if I could. They might be on the dull side, but don’t have to stay that way.

    1. I LOVE the overall haptic balance (if that’s a thing) here – tiny screen, big controls. While this is often perceived these days as “economy”, I choose to see it as “driving focused.”

      This is primarily a car to drive, not to do other, if sometimes related, things.

    2. Actual HVAC controls is right. The knob controlling the vent selection is cable driven, not electric. It blew my mind the first time I turned it

    1. They’ll gladly point you towards a subcompact crossover that gives you the same interior volume while weighing more, getting worse fuel economy, handling worse, and of course costing a lot more.

      1. Ah, but the monthly payments will be exactly the same if you just extend the financing a few years! It doesn’t really cost any more if you’re spending the same amount each month, right?

      2. Fine, but only if it comes with a CVT under the hood, a budget spec tablet glued to the dash, and an interest rate of at least 9%. That’s my final offer!

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