Selwyn Times: October 17, 2017

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday October 17 2017 35
Driven
Small Mazda big on performance
• By Ross Kiddie
I’M ON one of my favourite
Selwyn roads, the stretch includes
short straights mixed with a
combination of tight and open
corners.
The car is responding delightfully
to the way it is being steered
and I’m being entertained by its
handling and balance. I’m thinking
that this could be the best
evaluation drive I’ve had for 2017.
No, I’m not driving a sports car
or anything exotic. In fact, I’m
in one of New Zealand’s budget
models – a Mazda2 to be exact.
The reason why I’m so smitten
is not because the Mazda2 is fast
or exciting, its performance is
honest and it works hard to please
through the chassis, but the series
is priced for affordability and
in terms of all-round value for
money it a real attention-grabber.
Not only does it drive purposefully
at all speeds, you get a lot
of kit on Mazda2, and for a car
which lists under $30k it is a
rather special purchase.
The test car was in Limited
specification and it sits at $29,695;
an entry-level GLX variant comes
in at $21,945 while a GSX comes
in at $24,945. I’m picking the
GSX would be the car for me but
the Limited variant does get a lot
of kit, features which are included
elsewhere in the Mazda line-up.
Such are the changes for 2017,
MAZDA2: Punches above its weight.
the Mazda2 could certainly be
described as a facelift, there aren’t
a lot of cosmetic enhancements
but there are new side mirrors,
grille and wheel changes.
On the inside the dash panel
graphics have been enhanced for
clarity, there’s a new centre console
display, while trim materials
have been upgraded.
More importantly, there have
been chassis changes to promote
the driving experience and that’s
what I noticed during the time I
tackled the exit from the Waimakariri
River gorge. The most
significant development is the
addition of G-Vectoring Control
which improves handling and stability
especially during emergency
• Price – Mazda2 Ltd, $26,695
• Dimensions – Length,
4060mm; width, 1695mm;
height, 1495mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
front-wheel-drive,
1496cc, 81kW, 141Nm, six
speed automatic
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 9.5sec
• Fuel usage – 4.9l/100km
avoidance manoeuvres.
In Limited specification that
also combines with a suite of
other collision avoidance technologies
such as smart city brake
support and driver attention alert.
Together, these functions
provide the Mazda2 driver with
confidence at all speeds, you don’t
need to be moving along at pace,
in everyday situations the newcomer
feels in control of itself and
has a decisive feel from behind
the wheel which will lure drivers
of all ages.
That is the reason why I like the
car’s balance so much, it just feels
right from behind the wheel and
you feel so much part of the car.
That’s an aspect Mazda is building
into all of its range, and along
with the superb feel of quality that
accompanies it, it’s no surprise
that the new Mazda2 appeals and
the entire companies line-up in
general. I’ve driven several from
the manufacturer recently, and it’s
fair to say the company has upped
the ante in terms of desirability.
Under the bonnet sits a 1.5-litre
naturally-aspirated engine which
drives out of a conventional sixspeed
automatic transmission.
I mention that because Mazda
hasn’t developed its turbocharging
techniques any further and I
guess it doesn’t need to. It claims
81kW and 141Nm from the
engine and with a 4.9l/100km
(57mpg) combined cycle fuel usage
claim, the figures are healthy.
There is also a sport mode
which the driver can activate for
busier engine behaviour, and
if you couple that to a manual
sequential gearshift function the
sporty feel of Mazda2 will come
into its own.
I left the evaluation car mostly
in normal mode and enjoyed
the interaction between engine
and gearbox, it is a traditional
way of drive and for that reason
I warmed to it, changes are crisp
and smooth and the engine stays
on song. Even though the area
of maximum torque is high at
4000rpm, the Mazda2 is light and
it doesn’t take a lot of energy to
move it quickly (0-100km/h in
9.5sec), the engine is unstrained
and responsive.
The Limited rides on 185/60
x 16in Dunlop tyres, and even
though their footprint isn’t wide
they have a solid tenure with the
road surface and provide the
driver with strong feedback as to
how they are reacting under pressure.
The spring and damper rates
also favour the uneven surface
of Christchurch’s roads, while
occupant comfort has been an
engineering priority.
Christchurch is a tough market
for Mazda2, there’s some fairly
hefty competition here from
Suzuki and its clever marketing
campaign. However, Mazda also
has a free servicing programme
which is most tempting – three
years or 100,000km.
All factors considered, the
Mazda2 is a compelling buying
proposition.
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