Geneva, Switzerland — Coming to Australia in October is Mazda's new compact car, the second generation Mazda2. With an all-new design that is comes across as a fusion of contemporary Japanese and European design, the new weapon in Mazda's small car armoury looks set to raise the bar in both style and standard features.
For example, all Mazda2 models will come with dual front airbags as standard which will improve active safety standards, plus there's a range of innovative storage functions that have been implemented, such as the inclusion of magazine rack in the glovebox and large tray between the front seats which can be used for storing handbags and other personal items, according to Mazda.
Clearly this car is aimed at a younger audience, and it's price will reflect this when it goes on sale at the entry-level range of the new car market.
The biggest and most telling difference between the current Mazda2 and the new 2007 model Mazda2 is the design, which is far less boxy that its forebear and with passing resemblance to the Peugeot 207.
Unveiled at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show - which indicates how the importance of this model to the Mazda group - the new Mazda2 is not just a model change from the current Mazda2 but the first of its new-generation lineup to evolve to the next stage, explains the Japanese company.
It is the first example of the new direction in which Mazda will take all of its future cars.
In developing the new Mazda2, Mazda says that it took a fresh look at the global compact-car market environment, where there is intense competition among many diverse vehicles, and worked to identify the truly important attributes for a global compact car (categorised as the B-car segment in Europe).
These attributes included things like superior fuel efficiency, which is crucial for low running costs and reduction of CO2 emissions; easy-to-drive functionality and operability; dynamic performance, which delivers enjoyable, comfortable driving; and a design that instantly grabs attention. While many other car makers have enlarged their small cars, Mazda was able to reduce the size of its B-car with the new Mazda2, yet still meet the mainstream demands of compact car customers while enhancing safety.
With the look of the new Mazda2, Mazda’s mission was to embody its next-generation design directions in a way that would appeal to a wide range of people in global markets - including England, Japan, France, and Australia.
Given that customer preferences differ from market to market, Mazda considered various design directions with a view to satisfying all of the diverse expectations, explaining that designers then refined the findings of the study in pursuit of a dynamic design with a distinctive Mazda identity.
New Look
The end result is what you see in the photos to the right - a green machine with a cheeky face that is a far more organic design than the previous one. It combines soft angles and smooth curves to create a new shape that changes wildly, depending upon which angle its viewed from.
Due to its small size, the new Mazda2 (called the Demio in Japan) is an ideal day-to-day car, perfect for getting around and running errands claims the Japanese car maker, as well as being easy to drive and easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces such as car parks.
Mazda adds that the design of the shoulder line, which is angled significantly downward toward the front, is complemented by low mounting points for the door mirrors to afford the driver good downward visibility toward the front and sides. The good visibility makes turning into and driving on narrow roads and looking past the door mirrors to check for pedestrians when turning at junctions all the easier.
New Interior
Like the outside of the new Mazda2, the inside is completely new and adopts an upbeat style that is both stylish and easy to figure out. Most compact cars have angular, traditional interior design treatments with lots of flat surfaces, and Mazda says that it wanted to give its new compact car a strikingly different interior with contoured forms.
The result of this desire to create something different is seen first in the instrument panel, which the company says can help to create a sense of space despite the cabin’s compact dimensions. There's a theme of circles that permeates the interior design of the cockpit, with a circular centre console/stereo system, circular air vents and a gear shifter.
Knowing that's it biggest market will be younger driver, Mazda also sought to improve the car's storage spaces. Items that these drivers would likely have in their cars were also considered and the interior team redesigned storage spaces such as the glove box and floor console – based on these findings - hence the glove box magazine rack handbags/personal item storage between the front seats. There's also a 60:40-split rear bench seat, which is generally standard on cars of this size, and total boot space is 250 litres.
New Engines
The Japanese company has been marketing its cars as dynamic and having the souls of sports cars in the last decade, and the new Mazda2 has been given nimble handling characteristics to suit. According to Mazda, the chassis engineers pursued superior dynamic performance through brisk, nimble handling, through stability that inspires confidence even at highway speeds, and through a ride that's quiet and feels steady but mild.
The lightness and rigidity of the body played an important role in maximizing the handling and ride quality (it weighs about 950kg). With regard to handling, MacPherson-strut front independent suspension will give the car a precise feel, and H-type torsion-beam at the rear is a more utilitarian design that will help keep costs low.
The zoom-zoom theme is also evident in the new engine types, of which there are three - two petrol and one diesel.
1.3-litre petrol: 62kW
1.5-litre petrol: 76kW
1.4-litre diesel: TBC
The two petrol engines on offer will provide frugal, but responsive motoring assures Mazda, while the diesel engine will be offered in Europe a few months after the cars initial launch. Whether the diesel engine will be offered outside of Europe is not yet known.
Both petrol engines feature dual overhead cams (DOHC) with variable valve timing for improved flexibility, while the larger 1.5-litre engine gets an advanced variable induction system. This engineering feature gives the engine more grunt, right across the rev range, giving drivers more lively engine response.
Mazda says it is serious about improving fuel efficiency as a way to reduce CO2 emissions and other exhaust gases that place a burden on the environment. So the new Mazda2 reflects close attention to minimizing weight as a means of increasing fuel economy. Even before full-fledged development of the car was under way, a special team was devising weight-saving techniques using the latest computer-aided engineering technologies, because reducing the car weight reduces the engines workload, and hence exhaust gases.
Through measures that included body-structure optimisation and increased use of high-tensile steel, Mazda's engineers not only made the new Mazda2 about 100kg lighter than its predecessor, they also achieved major improvements in terms of safety, body rigidity, and noise, vibration, and harshness — all attributes that conventionally mean more weight. With the additional benefits of enhanced powertrain technologies and aerodynamic performance, the new Mazda2 delivers some of the best fuel economy in its segment - up to about 15% better than that of the previous model.
Mazda is calling the new Mazda2 an 'urban' vehicle, and says that it will be comfortable and safe to drive, with a strong element of fun thrown in. While being affordable and inexpensive to run with excellent fuel economy, it delivers practically the same level of Zoom-Zoom fun as it's larger vehicles, the company explains.
The new Mazda2 is being built in Japan and will be on sale in Australia from October 2007.