Mazda2 review: Smile for the camera

Our second favourite light car gets an impressive update, though the base model lacks critical safety gear.

Mazda2 Maxx hatch.

SOMETHING is still missing from the Mazda2.

Despite an update for 2017 with the promise of more safety and refinement, which Mazda Australia claims makes its contender “undisputed safety champion of the light car segment”, the starting-price Mazda2 Neo does not come with a reversing camera.

That’s becoming a bigger and bigger deal for a lot of people. And the day is not far away when a reversing camera will become a legal safety requirement in Australia, the same as anti-lock brakes and stability control.

2017 Mazda2 Maxx hatch.

Mazda says (honestly) that it can’t add a camera without exceeding its $14,990 value price point because it includes a bigger and costlier infotainment display. There is one available as a dealer-fitted option for less than $800.

But is that good enough for Australia’s second favourite in the light-car class so far this year, after the Hyundai Accent? Smaller tiddlers — including even the new Kia Picanto, a $13,990 drive-away deal — have reversing protection.

When you’re pushing the safety message, you need to tick all the boxes.

As it is, the 2017 Mazda2 is trumpeted with auto city braking across the range. There are blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, which is claimed as a first for the class, although those are standard only on the high-specification Genki and GT.

The first update to the Mazda2 since it arrived in 2014 as the starter model in the impressive Mazda range also brings G-Vectoring Control, which electronically shifts the load between front and rear wheels to improve cornering feel. There are suspension improvements and more sound insulation in the boot.

2017 Mazda2 Maxx hatch.

In the cabin, there are a classier steering wheel and clearer instruments. Mazda says the interior trim of every model (there are nine individual choices in the hatch and sedan) has been upgraded.

It’s a similar deal to other recent updates to the Mazda family, most notably the Mazda3 and Mazda6, and comes without any price increase.

So it’s all about evolution, after the revolutionary changes across the Mazda family that enabled the Japanese brand to rebound impressively from the austerity of the global financial crisis and become a genuine quality rival to European pacesetters including Volkswagen.

ON THE ROAD

The new 2 drives with impressive quietness and refinement at all speeds. It feels a little smoother in the ride and a touch sharper in the handling, though it doesn’t feel as sporty as the Volkswagen Polo.

It’s also quieter than I remember thanks to unseen changes that include an “acoustic” windscreen, that extra sound insulation and retuning of the “noise paths” that brought road noise into the cabin. I never had the same complaints about the Mazda2 as the bigger Mazda3, which had a real problem before its midlife update.

Does that matter for people shopping the basic Mazda2? Or are they just buying on price, looking at $14,990 as their new-car starting point?

Yes, it matters because the opposition continues to get better — especially Kia and Hyundai with their tuned-for-Australia suspension — and Mazda Australia says most of the Mazda2 buyers skip straight past the base car to something closer to $20,000 on the road.

That’s why I’m driving the Maxx auto hatch, which starts from $17,690 and brings a lot more standard equipment, including a reversing camera. It’s a tidy, effective and enjoyable little car, quiet and calm.

2017 Mazda2 Maxx hatch.

I admit I can’t feel any benefit from the G-Vectoring Control, even if in the Mazda3 it helps with sharper, more responsive cornering, but this is hardly a hot hatch.

The Maxx gets the (very slightly) sharper engine tune in the Mazda2 range, but it’s still only 81kW and Mazda has not installed the paddle-shifters that signify cars for drivers.

Owners are more likely to be smiling about the 4.2L/100km claimed economy than the marginally higher outputs in the 1.5-litre engine.

I like the bigger infotainment display in the Maxx and the head-up instrument display that makes it much easier to keep an eye on my speed. The feel of the wheel is good and the instruments seem a little clearer.

TICK OR NO TICK

The update to the Mazda2 brings more comfort and refinement, plus slightly more pleasant and relaxed driving.

Mazda knows that is exactly what its buyers want and what has made it such a standout in Australian showrooms, as well as a leading light on sales for the whole Mazda world. It’s a lovely little car.

I will happily award The Tick to the Maxx ... but the miserable decision to scrimp on a camera for the basic Mazda2 means Mazda Australia has not delivered on its safety commitment and there is no Tick for the Neo.

AT A GLANCE

MAZDA2 MAXX

PRICE From $17,690

WARRANTY 3 years/unlimited km

CAPPED SERVICING $1344 for 3 years

SERVICE INTERVALS 12 months/ 10,000km

SAFETY â˜…★★★★

ENGINE 1.5-litre 4-cyl, 81kW/141Nm

TRANSMISSION 6-speed auto; FWD

THIRST From 4.2L/100km

DIMENSIONS 4060mm (L), 1695mm (W), 1495mm (H), 2570mm (WB)

WEIGHT From 1043kg

SPARE Temporary

TOWING 900kg (500kg unbraked)

0-100KM/H From 9.5 secs