Mazda 2 restyled test (2022): a Mazda 2 can hide another

For a small manufacturer like Mazda, the development of new technologies in all market segments is an impossible mission, especially in categories that are only really successful at European level. This is why the brand has chosen, thanks to its partnership with Toyota, to market a hybrid Yaris that is strictly identical to that of its compatriot rather than developing a new model in its own right. If this novelty in the range is aptly named Mazda 2, she does not put not end however to the career of the existing model, marketed since 2015 and restyled for the first time in 2019.

The Mazda 2 is still characterized by its attractive lines and its range of exclusively petrol engines. As if to better welcome its hybrid namesake, it treats itself to a little fitness which is limited to a new Homura finish, at some improvements in terms of soundproofing, with the arrival of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but especially with the return ofa 115 hp engine equipped with light hybridization. This power level had been removed from the catalog on the occasion of the previous refit. Unsurprisingly, this engine takes up the original system of the 90 hp which is based on an alternator-starter and capacitors but does not allow any mode of electric propulsion, even at very low speed.

Mazda 2 restyled price

The Mazda 2 has always been positioned at the top of the range of city cars and therefore does not change gear on the occasion of this fitness. The new 115 hp version is offered exclusively in the high Selection finish at €23,150, which represents a significant additional cost of €1,450 compared to the 90 hp engine. Behind this high price, however, hides a particularly rich equipment, which was the main feature of the model from its launch.

It thus includes some rare functions on the segment such as the head-up display or the blind spot alert. Added to this are automatic air conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels or navigation with Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. The Exclusive Edition equipment, even more luxurious, allows you to benefit from the leather upholstery, which has become rare in the category. On the other hand, there is no question of taking advantage of the new Homura endowment with the 115 hp engine. The assembly of a micro-hybridization also allows the latter to completely escape the ecological malus and to access the partial TVS exemption for companies. Tax benefits identical to those of the 90 hp model.

Driving

Mazda is one of the very last manufacturers in the world to still believe in the virtues of the naturally aspirated engine. The 1.5 compensates for the lack of turbo by a much larger displacement than what is practiced at this level of power. It has just received in all its versions improvements in terms of its combustion… transparent for the driver. With an additional 25 hp and a slightly shorter gearbox staging of its transmission, we legitimately hoped for an increase in performance from the new 115 hp. The gain is clearly perceptible at the wheel when compared to the 90 hp version that we tried again on the same trip, and the figures validate a progress of 0.7 s at 0 to 100 km/h, which does not is not negligible. Nevertheless, this gain in approval is not significant enough to justify the additional cost of the version. There are two reasons for this: the low torque value, which remains identical on both engines, and an excessively long transmission.

Admittedly very elastic and capable of picking up at lower revs in higher gears, the engine is singularly lacking in momentum and requires constant downshifting. Despite the quality of the typically Mazda gearbox control, it does not provide any particular pleasure. The four-cylinder is definitely not a fan of high revs despite maximum power delivered at 6,000 rpm. The micro-hybridization does not change the case: it only allows flash restarts, without any vibration. Quite noisy when restarted, the engine is still able to be very discreet at steady speed. Unfortunately, rolling noise then takes over.

Consumption appears quite reasonable, oscillating around 6 l/100 km in smooth driving. On the chassis side, the Mazda 2 has undergone some modifications to its ground connections, but these are not very convincing. While the steering appears precise, its damping is singularly ineffective, revealing unexpected pumping phenomena in active driving for such a light car. Overall, the Mazda 2 betrays an old design that does not compare well with the most recent city cars and especially with the French references that are the Renault Clio and the Peugeot 208.

On board

Competetion

In an ultra-congested B segment, the Mazda 2 has no shortage of rivals, starting with the Renault Clio, essential in its eco-G 100 LPG version which allows you to benefit from fuel at less than €1 per litre. Available only in the Evolution finish at €21,200, it requires the use of the options catalog to approach the equipment of the Mazda. However, the Cio remains less expensive, but above all much better soundproofed and comfortable. If the Peugeot 208 GT Pack 100 hp seems a little more expensive, its 100 hp engine is more pleasant on a daily basis thanks to its 55 Nm more torque. Its technological equipment is also more up-to-date than that of the Mazda, as is the performance of its chassis.

Perhaps the Mazda 2’s most formidable competitor is the other Mazda 2, the Toyota Yaris clone. Certainly less licked in finish, it benefits from a motorization much more pleasant, sober and automatically equipped with an automated transmission. However, you have to pay €26,500 to benefit from it in the high-end Select finish equivalent to that of our version.

Find the results of the test, the technical sheet and the equipment on the following page.