This is my third review on my April 2023 Mazda 2, white pure with a six speed manual with tinted windows and a few other inclusions such as LED headlights (marvellous), lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert (fantastic). Ok so the plastics are scratchy and the infotainment system is small at… Read more
around 8 inches but it is very clear. And cupholders in the back and centre armrest storage bin would have been nice (I fitted all of these items at much cheapter prices). However, the drive of this car is excellent, a beautiful six speed manual box that shifts precisely and a clutch that is so well matched that city driving is a breeze. Combine that with fuel economy that is consistent at around 6.5L/100kms as well as sharp handling and direct sterring and this car given its design age is truly fantastic for what it costs. However, the greatest improvement I have made to the car is the fitment of 195 instead of 185s still on the standard 15" alloy rims and what a difference. Ride is much smoother, road noise is reduced and handling in tight corners is much sharper. I throughly receomend upsizing. Overall a great car for the money, this si where the real value is, everything you need but note this car needs to be driven, you can't just lope along but as both a city and highway car it is truly fit for purpose.
Bought it for the wife and its had its fair share of problems ie lane departure light keeps flashing when its not near the lane touch any button you didnt mean to and youll need the manual just to put it back again its now gone back to the dealer as it slipped into "safe mode" all by itself and the dealer says its a safety feature !!!??? so right… Read more
you drive to the end of the street and all the power dies and the Limit light goes on and thats a safety feature ? also the power steering light keeps intermitanyly flashing . no had it a year now and not really impressed at all JFYI I bought a toyota 14 years ago and its NEVER missed a beat never gave any error codes and never needed to go back to the dealer all in all dissapointing would sum up the Mazda for us
Very happy with my 2024 Mazda GT, top of the range with all the bells and whistles so it's easy to drive. Zippy, economical and comfortable, it's dated in some areas but it still can hold its own. Show details
Reviews with attachments
AVOID THE BONNET PROTECTOR! – I love this car. But regret paying for the bonnet protector. Not only did it not protect from damage IT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF MY CAR - PAINT WAS SCRAPED OFF BY DEBRIS BEING TRAPPED IN IT. I complained to Toowong Mazda but they didn't care. See PICS OF THE DAMAGE DONE WITHIN 6 MONTHS. Show details
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Will not buy a Mazda again – I bought my Mazda 2 Automatic Hatch Genki, at that time the highest Mazda 2 model, in Dec 2017 brand new. It is a very comfortable car, easy to drive, has good fuel economy, however with just 3.5 years and under 40,000 I started having problems with 3 indicator lights coming on at the same time: TCS/DSC indicator light, Smart Brake Support/Smart… Read more
City Brakes Support indicator light, and the Check Engine light. They come on randomly and the car starts to break, I am not able to accelerate and the car feels bumpy, like when a manual car is on the wrong gear. Once it happened while driving up a hilly road at night and it was very scary! This issue has reoccured more than a dozen times over the last 7 months. I have taken my car to the 2 nearest Mazda Service Centres, one in Lismore and one in Tweed Heads, both were not able to detect the problem as they say the 'codes' get erased from history. Lismore Mazda kept my car for a few days to be driven by the technician while connected to live data recording, but the problem didn't occur as it comes on very randomly. It is frustrating as I am concerned about my safety but Mazda says it can't do anything to fix it. As far they are concerned, this problem does not exist as there's no record! (even though I have many photos to prove it) I will definitely not buy Mazda next time.
240,000 km and never had a spanner put on the engine – Bought this car new in 2005 and everything still works perfectly. Original brakes, exhaust, radiator. It has heaps of room and headspace, and is a great highway car. It's spent most of its life in regional areas where I've lived and done many trips such as Brisbane to Cairns, Dubbo, Sydney about 20 times. On to its fourth set of tyres and third… Read more
battery but apart from that everything works as new. Serviced religiously every 10k . An impressive feature is the seating layout. Just by folding seats you can turn it into a little cargo van or by folding another way you can turn it into two reasonably comfortable single beds with the aid of some cushions or a doohah - have camped many a night in it. When they discontinued it in 2007 I got a big trade in offer and went to see the new model. I was horrified to see that they had turned this mini-wagon into a silly little kids racer so I stuck with the old model and glad I did. The "Iris Blue" colour still turns heads and unlike a lot of other Japanese cars where the paint has started peeling, it still looks like new as you can see. Love my little Mazda - I honestly believe I'll get another ten years out of it then go electric.
In-depth reviews
A Keeper – This is a brilliant little car, extremely reliable and very well-built by Mazda at the Hiroshima plant. With plenty of space, it's significantly roomier than later Mazda 2 offerings. Handling is great for a car of this class, with the front strut tower brave fitted from factory. As for the models engine, the 1.5L ZY-VE has sequential valve… Read more
timing, producing 90% of its maximum torque at 1900rpm. An exhaust manifold at the rear, reducing the distance between the ports and the catalytic converter thus activating earlier. Other features include: equal length 600 mm long intake manifold for improved intake efficiency, Tumble Swirl Control Valves (TSCVs) to improve air/fuel mixing by controlling the strength of the tumble and swirl inside the combustion chambers and a variable length intake manifold that was referred to by Mazda as a variable induction system or VIS.
The drawbacks of this model are a higher than expected road noise through to the passenger compartment, and a difficult to read clock/stereo display.
This is definitely a car to hang on to.
Premium small car – Having owned many small cars over the years, this one definitely feels the most expensive and well built, but at a reasonable price. I chose the highest spec Mazda 2 here in NZ (the Limited) and have not been disappointed with the options it includes. It has many bigger car features including adaptive LED headlights, auto high beams, head up… Read more
display, GPS/satnav, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, front and rear brake support, to name a few. The interior certainly doesn't feel like a cheap car, it shares similar Mazda design features as many of the larger more expensive Mazdas, such as partial leather seats and leather trim on the dash. To drive the 6 speed auto is much more refined than the previous Mazda 2 with only a 4 speed auto, although I did feel the older model was actually more nippy off the mark. The 6 speed is definitely quieter at higher speeds, the extra gears helping no doubt. It is still not a big car but as a city commuter it is great. Overall I have been very satisfied with this car, the only niggle I have had (which appears to be fairly common) is with the wing mirrors sometimes not folding properly. Apparently this can be due to water getting in the mechanism but the google method of spraying in some WD40 seems to be working so far. 9.5/10
The daggy aesthetic keeps prices low – This is one of the better small cars out there. Pros: -Roomy, practical interior -Powerful engine for a small car. 110 hp. -Great handling -Moderate fuel use - 6.9-7.9L/100km depending on aircon use. Takes 91 RON fuel. -Very good build quality Cons: -Too much plastic in the engine bay makes some service items a pain -Base model (neo) lacks ABS… Read more
and side airbags. Get a genki instead. -Factory stereo head unit is built into the dash, better hope you like CDs
The best feature of this car is the cabin. Even though this car has a smaller footprint than most cars on the road, it genuinely fits 4x 6 foot adults comfortably. The rear seats recline, fold, and tumble, and the front seats fold flat to form a bed. The boxy rear end means the load space is really useful and there's a low loading lip. You can even fit an XL bicycle in the back.
The driving dynamics are good, better than most small cars. Although the suspension is soft, it's well damped, and there's good feedback through the steering wheel. The engine is smooth, quiet, and powerful if you rev it out, although I find it a little bit peaky for this type of car. The manual gear shifter feels like it's been totally rubber isolated from the engine, which although great for NVH, gives it a squidgy/plasticky feel in the hand.
My particular example has been very reliable, and all the trim items or hidden engine bay components have been of high quality, durable construction. The engine computer is moulded together with some airflow sensors into a huge plastic nightmare on top of the engine, which needs to be removed to access basic items like spark plugs. Aside from that, most other service items should be easy for the home mechanic to replace.
I think most people would be very happy with this very daggy, very reliable and practical car.
Recent reviews
Don't buy Mazda! – Mazda 2. Not even 40,000km, iStop lights flashing. All mechanics and the RACQ aware this is a Mazda problem. Was told they get at least 3-4 cases a day with Mazda owners with this problem. So what does Mazda do? Mazda service charge me $187 for a diagnostic. Not to fix it. Just to tell me that there's a problem. And what it is. After that,… Read more
hundreds of dollars to fix it. Question: Mazda knows this is a problem with most of their cars. Why don't they fix it for free? My advice: buy another brand! Because this is going to hit your pocket hard!
Overall good – Good car. Just a little small but has all the features absolutely very reliable
The great allrounder – Small hatchback 1.5 litre non-turbo and a manual gearbox, hot day, three adults including the driver and steep hills and high speed variable roads. Reads like the road trip from hell. Yet it wasn't, my 2022 mazda2 pure (have done a previous review) handled it beautifully whilst returning 6.5L/100kms. The gearbox, clutch and engine work so well… Read more
together alongside the direct steering and handling (note 185/60/15s) and nobody complained. The air conditioning worked superbly and apple car play allowed us to be entertained. So what if the car is ageing, this is a car that needs to be driven and will return you back home safe and sound in my case satisfied. The BSM, and RCA are great along with LED headlights, lane keep assist and lane departure warning are excellent safety features and this is the base model. My Mazda2 surprised me with how well three adults travelled and it was never lacking for power with quick and easy overtaking.
Perfect little car – I’ve always had larger commodores so making the switch to a little hatch was a big change but I haven’t regretted it one bit. I brought a used ‘07 DE series 1 Genki early 2019 for 4200 with 130k on the clock. For a 14 year old car she still goes great! The fuel consumptions amazing, nippy and easy to park, good acceleration, nice smooth gear… Read more
changes.
The suspension is a little stiff and there’s a bit of road noise which you can definitely hear even more when the back seats are folded down but other then that, I honestly can’t point out any other flaws. A great safe little car :)
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Should have stuck with Toyota – Car purchased brand new from a dealer in 2015. Has driven beautifully, quite spacious, roomy enough for the family. Good fuel economy. Great car until last week when out of nowhere, the Variable Valve Timer Actuator died. No power to drive above 60km/hr and definitely undriveable. Car has always been serviced by Mazda and just recently serviced a… Read more
month ago. Mazda will not rectify this new problem, even though the component should last the life of the car. This appears to be a common problem with Mazdas and with Mazda refusing to fix the issue - look on the AAC website. So $3500 out of pocket even though it's only just under 6 years old. I should have bought another Toyota. No problems with that one in 22 years.
Super practical hatch! – This is the second Mazda 2 hatch we have owned, and our fourth Mazda. Decided on the GT after experiencing the benefits of the Vision package in our Mazda 3. Car is a delight to drive and park. Surprising amount of storage with the second row folded down. I regularly fit a lawn mower and gardening gear when I have to tend my parents' home. … Read more
Load area is short though - our line trimmer handle sticks out over the centre console.
The only disappointment is that actual fuel consumption has not matched the claimed figure. We are hoping this will improve as the engine loosens up with more kilometers. Five year warranty and five year roadside assist make Mazda a safe purchase.
Love it – I love my Mazda. She is zippy, low maintenance and economical. I have had her nearly four years, get her serviced yearly and never any issues. Fantastic purchase, I will get another. Highly recommended. Show details
Mazda 2 Automatic 2019 – This vehicle is used mainly to travel to the University on daily basis and for local run arounds. This vehicle is very light on fuel and is only 6 months old and the interior still smells like a new vechile. It is good value for money and has 5 star ANCAP safety rating. Show details
The perfect small car – You can feel and see the materials quality, the standard features for the price are more than what I expected. Very cheap in petrol, definitely I would recommend this car. Show details
good but side mirrors have terrible BLIND SPOT – terrible blindspot on both side mirrors. maybe im just use to my ford fiesta, but with this car, i have to do a full head to body check. also had an odour coming from airconditioning. mazda applied some lemonade freshner during service, but odour came back. otherwise, gps dashboard is good, controls good. steering wheel is very light. doors shut quietly. more fuel efficient than my ford fiesta, brakes a bit more sensitive though. Show details
Gem of a car – Daily driver clocking approximately 1000kms ( yes one thousand!!!) 200kms every day 5 days every week for the past two years. Driven at speeds of 120-140kmph on the motorway (yes slightly above the speed limit of 100kmph :) ). Superb handling even in the corners as the strut-brace gives very good stability. The Mazda2 (Demio) comes with a strut… Read more
brace standard from the factory (most cars do not have this). Good leg room in the rear seats ( I'm 5 feet 9"). Large boot space compared to the small car that it is. Way above the boot space what a Suzuki Swift has on offer. Always serviced at the 10,000km interval using fully synthetic engine oil. When I bought it from the dealer, it had done 39000kms. Now sitting at 185,000kms. Still runs like the day I got it. No oil top ups required between services. Runs on Yokohama Blue Earth AE01 filled with nitrogen. Only one visit to the dealer to get the rear wheel racer changed at 155,000kms.
A lemon – Have purchased a Mazda 2 only one year old. I have broken down 3 times in 3 weeks. Have taken it to Stanmore dealership and it broke down a week later. Took it to Artarmon dealership had it serviced and asked for them to fix the problem and it broke down 2 days later. I am currently on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. This is… Read more
beyond a joke. Artarmon refused any assistance. Said it was my responsibility to get the car to them. I asked if they would provide me with a car and they refused. Asked if they would provide Towing no was the answer. It’s an automatic start. With sky active technology. I am 67 years old and purchased this car believing it was reliable. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED.
Great little car – Bought new ex-demo. Commute to work great on fuel although a little noisy and the speedo is over on the actual speed compared to the cruise control. Love the reverse sensors they’re a life saver! Comfy and zippy to drive and looks good. I have the dynamic blue colour and always getting compliments. Bluetooth is annoyingly slow and sometimes crap.… Read more
Sometimes ding sounds from the passenger floor but apparently nothing wrong with it. Overall no major issues but only had it 2 months so far.
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Has proved to be a great buy – Had the car for 2 years now and could not be happier. Great mileage 6.1 k's per 100 k's average over the 2 years. Comfortable, nippy, great electronics voice activation for phone, navigation, music etc. Cannot say enough about this little beast it is trult phenomenal. Could not be happier. Show details
Not in the quality expected – Got one with just over 100k on the clock but having difficulties with power steering and seatbelt pre tention sensor. These kind of issues are not expected with a reputable japanese manufacturer and repair cost would be more than 2000$ atleast. Never buy Mazda again :( Going back for Toyota. Show details
This is a perfect car for me! – My life wouldn't be the same without it! I've had a Mazda 2 for almost 10 years now and if I was to replace it - it would also be another Mazda 2 but this time I would purchase a White one! It is easy to park, great to drive, and the steering is really well balanced - other makes that I tried before purchasing my Mazda 2 were very light in the… Read more
steering that's why I chose a Mazda 2. I use my car most days for family transport, visiting friends and family and getting to appointments. I use my car depending on what I have on that week. I have my car serviced by following the manual instructions also depending on whether I'm out of the country on holiday mostly every year or when it needs something to be looked at which is hardly ever.
ultra reliable – 2003 model, 150,000km on clock - demo with 400k when bought, cost 16,000 with anti rust and tinting. pro's- never failed, regular service every 10,000 till 100,000 then every 20,000 by Kmart after warrenty expiry. Service / replacements - tyres, 2 new battery, break pads, fluids; thats it :) would buy another mazda 2 in a heartbeat. highway top… Read more
on trip to Vic from Qld - 140-160Kph. not a hickup. No squeeks or leaks. spares cheap as if needed from wreckers galore - runs on 91 [ per book ]. Cons- can't think of any.except the tinting on one back window is starting to peel but that's a third party install
Automatic transmission fail – I Bought Mazda 2 neo 2016 in April 2017 as demo car. The car done only 18000 Km and have major problem with transmission.3 weeks ago when I was reversing there was big noice under car. Took car straight to Mazda, was told transmission slipping. They reprogram on the computer transmission. After 2 weeks the same problem. now car can't be… Read more
drive.Propably they must replace whole gearbox.Manufactures faulty gearbox. I lost trust in Mazda. I don't know if some Mazda 2 owners have similar problem ?
Great car and could be even better for peanuts – We bought this Mazda 2 Neo model 2nd hand with 38000 on the clock, My mechanic said these cars are trouble free and l agree. A delight to drive,great seats and a stylish overall feel when driving. My only annoyances are are few dash rattles,crackles ( vibrating cable noises?) when driving on certain textured roads or bumps. The other annoyance is… Read more
the lack of reverse camera in a 2016 built vehicle (bewildering when rear vision is so restrictive) l suppose it's my fault for not buying a more expensive model to get such a basic feature. The 12 mth service intervals are a big plus and the Mazda Brighton service dept are outstanding to deal with. This is my 2nd Mazda in 7 years and won't be my last.
a good car – A very good reliable car but it is not fuel efficient and can be expensive to service if you service it through the dealer. However, I am still very happy with the car. Show details
A good fit for a family car – As our first family car this is a pleasant purchase, the dealership was also very friendly. Lately everything I am buying has turned out great. My new iPhone, furniture from desired living and now this fantastic car which drives like a dream Show details
Love my baby Mazda 2 – Bought this baby brand new in 2010 at Mazda Dealer Edwardstown and I still love it. It's an economical little hatch that takes me to A to Z everyday, and has plenty of room to store groceries. I can fold down the chairs to give it more room when needed. Needless to say it's been reliable I haven't had any issues with it breaking down on the road. Show details
Good economical small car – We drive our little Mazda 2 everyday and have found it to be very easy to drive and fuel efficient.We have only owned this car for 4 months but it has been very reliable and fun to drive.It also has no problem carrying 4-5 people Show details
Mazda 2 Neo - I love my new Zoom Zoom! – After 6 months of using public transport my Husband finally bought me a car. Having owned a Mazda 2 previously I was keen to purchase another and was not disappointed. With added extra's now on the basic Neo model (rear parking sensors, wing mirror retract button and bluetooth) I was very impressed. Also managed to get floor mats thrown in at no… Read more
extra cost. I bought the manual as it was cheaper. I use daily for a 20 minute drive to/from work and running errands at weekends. No issues so far, I am very happy with my new car.
MAZDA 2 RULES! – This Mazda 2 was bought by us from Private Fleet Chatswood in September 2015. It has been a wonderful car and I'm always scooting here and there in it every week! A lot of people have asked about the colour - 'Smokey Rose Mika' - and they always admire it. It is now my favourite colour - don't ever discontinue it! I would buy the same colour… Read more
all over again!
It has been sound and runs well and smoothly. It is nice to have such a reliable car, when it is used so much!
We are very happy with our Mazda 2 and rave about it when anyone asks (and many people have asked).
Rob Norris was instrumental in our buying this car, so we thank him for that and thank Private Fleet for their great service.
We're keeping on keeping on - motoring that is!!!
Great little car! – Buying this car was definitely a great decision. I bought it brand new and have not had a single problem with it for 4 years now. Great fuel economy. Surprisingly spacious in the back seats. Huge amount of space when you put the back seats down too! I’ve managed to squeeze surfboards, golf clubs and bags in there no problem. A handy little car for all occasions. Show details
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