Motoring

Mazda 2 G15 review – sedan or hatch

Before I even start, if you’re looking for boot space then the sedan is your only option, with 440-litres v 240-litres. The entry level Mazda 2 G15 Pure sedan is an interesting one. Based on the Mazda 2 hatch platform, the sedan at first glance is a little uncoordinated when it comes to design. This is a facelifted car so other than new bumpers not a whole lot has changed. I got behind the wheel this week and headed to my usual “proving ground”.

As soon as you slide into your seat, it’s obvious this is the benchmark in the category. I’m not sure about the brown cloth seats.

This car being tested here is the G15 model. This means up front sits a 1.5-litre four-cylinder. It’s up and go is thanks to 82kW at 6000rpm, 144Nm is there too, it’s on tap from 4000rpm.

Now when you see those figures, you might be thinking gee-whiz this needs a boot full. It does, but at least the engine note is pretty nice. 

Being a front-wheel drive you’d expect some torque steer, or the odd chirp from the lights. There’s nothing overly special about the six-speed auto, it seems to be paired well with this car and goes about its duty trouble free.

Fuel economy you’d assume would be good. The claimed figure is 5.3L/100km, I pulled off a 7L/100kW.

On the road it’s my view that Mazda needs to rework the ride for our conditions. At present the ride is rather firm, on those tiny 15’’ alloys!

Car safety tech continues to blow my mind, especially on car like this, it has Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) that can pick a pedestrian but not a cyclist. Some key standard driver assist functions include, lane departure warning, blind spotlights in your mirrors and a reversing camera. All that is standard. 

EFTM Scoreboard

This car is not designed to take on Pikes Peak, but it’s a solid alternative to a hatch. Especially because of the 60:40 rear seats and the potential massive space in a smallish car. $20,990 it’s also a big ask, and that’s not taking into account on road costs. Mazda still rocks as an interior designer, but from the outside I think this sedan looks silly, from most angles. But it has great safety technology, good fuel economy and a ride that’s pretty good stuff.

It’s 7.2 out of 10 for me.

Recent Posts

  • Podcasts

The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast – Trading Places

A snobbish Wall Street broker and a streetwise hustler have their lives swapped as part…

13 hours ago
  • Tech

Budget friendly Galaxy A27 5G will land in Australia next month with Six Years of Security Support

Samsung is expanding their affordable A-series mobile series with the new Galaxy A27 5G landing…

17 hours ago
  • Tech

Apple prices go up, but not on iPhones – Tim Cook warned us

Tim Cook warned just within the last week that due to pressures on memory and…

21 hours ago
  • Tech

The Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast – Episode # 738 – Smart Glasses – the gadget of the year? Price rises coming in tech

Meta has some new smart glasses without the high-end branding, but there's also a huge…

2 days ago
  • Lifestyle

A partnership maybe not made in heaven, but close – Introducing Drumstick Mini MILO’s

It probably comes as no surprise but Drumsticks are pretty popular in this country but…

2 days ago
  • Tech

MOVA introduces the newest of their robotic cleaners to Australia – The Diver A10 pool cleaner

MOVA makes the next logical step in their bid to offer a whole-of-home robotics solution…

2 days ago