First drive: Mazda2 joins the revival

MAZDA'S product-led revival has moved into its second phase with the release of the 121 replacement, the Mazda2, in Japan last week.

The first phase of the company's turnaround began when the Mazda6, a successor to the venerable 626, was launched internationally in March, although the car is only due to go on sale locally in about three weeks' time.

Mazda2, meanwhile, is due in Australia in mid-November, while the third phase gets underway early next year when the eagerly anticipated RX8 arrives.

The 2 joins the 6 in representing the next generation of Mazda models, which the company hopes will force a reassessment of the marque by both customers and the industry.

The 2 is also one of the first of a handful of cars establishing a new niche within the light car segment, as the big-name Japanese manufacturers move away from the cost-cutting $14,990 end of the market dominated so effectively by the South Korean marques throughout the 1990s.

The likes of Mazda, Honda and even Nissan are instead now moving into a new sector of their own that sits between the driveaway cars, such as Hyundai's Accent and Kia's Rio, and the premium light contenders from Europe - the Peugeot 206, Renault Clio and just released Volkswagen Polo.

Honda will soon join Mazda with its Jazz light car while Nissan's Micra replacement, the March, remains a possibility for Australia.

The Mazda2 continues to utilise the still fashionable space hatch theme of its 121 Metro predecessor and is clearly an evolution of that successful design.

Frontal styling links the car with the new 6, with both cars sharing a pronounced Mazda five-point grille, raised and tapered bonnet centre section and stretched, angled headlights, while at the rear there is more than a hint of Alfa Romeo's 147 in the 2's lines.

The new model is larger and more spacious all-round than its predecessor. With an overall length of 3925mm, the 2 is 125mm longer than the 121 Metro and 30mm taller at 1530mm.

Overall width is up by 10mm to 1680mm and the wheelbase has been stretched 100mm to 2490mm, while front and rear track measurements have also been increased.

The 2 will be offered locally only in five-door hatch form and with a 1.5-litre engine, although three trim levels will be available. A five-speed manual transmission will be standard while a four-speed automatic will be available as an option.

The 1.5-litre, aluminium, inline four cylinder engine is all-new and part of the MZR family that also powers the Mazda6. It develops 82kW of power at 6000rpm and peak torque of 141Nm at 4000rpm Those engine outputs will put the 2 at the top of its class for a 1.5-litre capacity and even in the ballpark of some of the larger 1.6-litre engines of its competitors.

The MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension systems have been completely revised in an effort to improve suspension rigidity, while the steering rack ratio has been lowered for better steering response.

The brakes have also come in for attention with the ventilated front discs now larger in diameter and width, and the rear drum brake shoe width up from 30mm to 38mm.

Mazda claims cabin quietness has been improved courtesy of a reduction in engine and road noise. Liquid-filled engine mounts and aluminium engine brackets have been adopted to restrict the amount of engine vibration reaching the body, while increased levels and strategic placement of sound-absorbing materials are said to prevent road noise penetrating the cabin.

Pricing starts in the high teens with the base model selling from just over $18,000 (it will be less than $18,500), the mid-spec just over $20,000 and the range-topper just over $22,000. The automatic transmission will add just under $2000 to those respective prices.

The base car will be reasonably well equipped with dual front airbags, air-conditioning, central locking, CD player and 14-inch wheels fitted as standard.

The mid level car adds electric windows, a six-disc CD player, steering wheel audio controls and 15-inch alloy wheels, while the top-spec sports model gets ABS brakes with EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), a bodykit, fog lights and different design 15-inch alloy wheels.

Mazda Australia has forecast sales of 250 to 300 2s per month, split 60/40 between manual and auto. Base and mid-spec models are expected to account for about 40 per cent of the mix each, with the higher-priced sports models the remaining 20 per cent.

In its sixth year on sale, the soon-to-be-superseded 121 Metro has been averaging 175 sales per month to the end of June, which is a long way from the car's heyday of its first full year on sale when the number was more like 730 sales per month.

Mazda Australia has no pretensions of the Mazda2 ever reaching those kinds of figures, but it does expect the new car to double the volume the 121 Metro has been generating this year.

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS:

TOKACHI International Speedway in Obihiro, Japan, is a racetrack with a billiard table-smooth surface that comprises a series of flowing, right-hand and switchback corners punctuated by two long straights.

Now a racetrack is not the ideal place to test-drive a road car, least of all a new light car competitor, but that's exactly where Mazda chose to launch its 121 replacement, the Mazda2.

And to the surprise of many, the car acquitted itself remarkably well.

So what can you tell about a light car on a racetrack? Well not a lot that translates into its on-road performance in the real world, but it was a safe place to test the 2's grip limits and chassis balance.

The car points extremely well for a vehicle in the light class and it has an adjustable, well-balanced and competent chassis - one that is possibly class-leading, although we will wait to get the car on local roads before making a definitive judgment.

Even tossing it around a rain-soaked track did little to upset the Mazda2, with easily controlled understeer on offer once its tyre grip was breached.

The 2 could even be coaxed into, and balanced during, four-wheel drifts through corners without it all ending in tears against a concrete barrier.

The 1.5-litre engine is both zippy and rorty, with Mazda even paying attention to the exhaust note during the car's design and development phase.

In manual guise it felt quicker than most in the light segment and while the auto typically hampered performance, it remained more than acceptable.

The manual gearshift was slick and the pedals well placed, even allowing for heel-and-toe down-changes on the track.

Assessing suspension tune in terms of ride quality and comfort - a key area in which many new international models fail to match up to Australia's unique road conditions - was all but impossible on the smooth surface of the race circuit, but the car did seem to have more of a European-style feel in its spring and damper settings.

It was firm but well controlled - and more in line with an overall sporty driving characteristic.

Versatility and packaging of the interior would appear to be class-leading, with plenty of storage spaces in the dash and doors, good vision especially through the large windscreen, adequate head and leg room (the back seat is adjustable fore and aft depending on the requirements for passengers or luggage) and a decent sized luggage compartment.

With a solid combination of mechanical specification and interior equipment, the Mazda2 should do well in the ever changing light car segment, providing Mazda can convince Australian buyers there is value in spending small car money ($20,000) on a better equipped light car package.