2008 Mazda 2 – 3 door
May 7, 2008 by Karl Peskett
Mazda has today announced the baby of the range, the Mazda 2, will be available in Australia as a 3 door variant.
Penned by the creator of the RX-8, Ikuo Maeda, the three door has been designed alongside the five door, and shares the same drivetrain, wheelbase, external dimensions and engineering strategy that earned the five door a five-star EuroNCAP rating.
The 1.5-litre 76kW, 137Nm engine propels the Mazda 2 to 100km/h in 10 seconds, and returns a combined fuel cycle of 6.4-litres/100km for the 5sp manual and 6.8L/100km for the 4sp auto.
Mazda Australia is expecting the three door to add 300 units a month to the current 800 units per month for the five door. Of this, 80 percent will be female buyers, and 30 percent of purchasers will be under 30 years old, we’re told.
Only two variants of the three door will be available, the Neo and the Maxx. Priced at $750 below the five door, the Neo retails for $15,750, and the Maxx for $17,960. Auto adds $1650, and a safety pack comprising DSC, TCS, side and curtain airbags costs $1100.
According to Mazda, the new 2 is over 95% recyclable, meaning the environmentally conscious can have their conscience eased.
Brief Specifications:
- 76kW @ 6,000rpm and 137Nm @ 4,000rpm
- five-speed manual is standard; four-speed automatic is optional
- 6.4L/100km (manual) on combined cycle. 152g/km emissions
Pricing
- Mazda2 Neo 3-door -$15,750
- Mazda2 Neo 5-door – $16,500
- Mazda2 Maxx 3-door – $17,960
- Mazda2 Maxx 5-door – $18,710
- Mazda2 Genki 5-door – $20,845
- Automatic transmission – $1,650
- Safety Pack Option (Neo & Maxx) [Adds side (front) and curtain (front and rear) airbags, Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control System] – $1,100
- DSC Option (Genki) [Adds DSC and TCS] – $700
Print it: 
Is it just me, but does the base model with the black grille look better than the higher models with the painted grille?
Say goodbye to the Yaris methinks!
I used to ask the same question as you Reckless, but it seems that some people actually only want a 3 door…(my girlfriend…go figure??!!)
Hey Fenno, must be so when she’s got you in the back seat, you can’t escape :)
Blokes remove the door handles, but chicks don’t know how to do that…..
Um…the article says $750 above the 5-door, but the price list shows the 3-door as $750 below the 5-door. Slip of the keyboard methinks.
looks like a funky,little hatch.
Its $750 Cheaper than the 5-door not the other way around
It’s not a coupe being compared to a sedan where you pay more for less doors. The 3-door is definitely cheaper having less sheetmetal and worse ingress/egress, but a difference of just $750 over the 5-door doesn’t make it justifiable.
The article says that we are only getting the Neo and Maxx models but the white car looks like a Genki, at least to me. Could some confirm whether or not the white one is a Genki or a Maxx with a different body kit?
^Yeah it looks like a Genki to me.
I’m having problems with my Mazda 2 neo Auto 5 door.
Picked it up Oct last year and when i got to 4000k on the odo it started to shake, it mostly happens when im in drive and my foot’s on the break, car shaking at idle would be my problem :( I’m on 8000k on the odo now and even after the second service the problem is still there. NOT happy jan! World car of the year ,, Buhh AS IF !!! Still drives fine though, pity about the problem New Mazda 2 new problems oh well. wish i could go somewhere to get this fixed and not hafto pay $500 :( so much for warranty.
We are having the exact same problem. Our dealer has replaced all the engine mounts which has lessened the effect though not completely fixed it. We have been told this problem is starting to appear all through Europe as well.
We think Mazda are trying to keep it under wraps as it could be a huge recall or software update to the engine management.
You need to continue to hassle your dealer, as we are doing, take the car back and absolutely insist they fix it. We are having on-going hassle with Mazda new Zealand. The more of that complain and then maybe they will be compelled to do something. Good Luck!
Seen a few of these flying around here, nice little cars, Mazda seem to be hitting the market just right with good products. Good luck to them.
Is it just me, but is this starting to look a bit like the unfortunate Yaris? Might drive nicely, but you can’t stow suuff in it like you can in a Jazz.
The front end design of the 2 isn’t one of Mazda’s better efforts. You could say that about the whole design. I actually pefer the look of the Yaris to this, amongst others in this class.
If it has the same wheelbase as the 5 door, and same exterior dimensions, why would anyone want a 3 door? Im quite puzzled. The weight and cost savings are also pretty marginal imo. Slightly more room in the front i guess for the driver and front passenger, as it looks like the doors have been slightly lengthened. I think a benefit of a 3 door would be that you won’t have to cart your mates around too often because the rear seats will be offputting enough that they won’t want to sit there for long periods of time.
I have owned a manual Genki for 3 months now and its a great little car. I’m glad that the 3 door its coming in the Genki model as with the MPS2 rumoured for sale at the end of 2009 with 130kW what a awesome little rocket that will be. As for the 2 looking like a Yaris sorry guys get clean ur glasses as it doesn’t look anything like it..
The 2 deserves the World car of the Year title as it is a all round package.
The white 3dr looks like a Genki. But it specifically says that the 3dr will only come in neo & maxx.
Would someone confirm with me as to what the white model is?!