- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.5i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
76kW, 135Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 6.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Mazda2 Maxx sedan
A British sci-fi series seems an unlikely reference point for a car designer but when you're making a small car, Doctor Who's Tardis spaceship is a good place to start.
The doctor's spaceship-cum-time-machine looked like a humble police box on the outside but felt like a mansion inside.
And that illusion has become the overriding brief for small-car designers: make it able to park on a coffee table while swallowing the average family and their luggage. Although, unlike the Tardis, there's an extra degree of difficulty in the automotive industry - it has to cost less than $20,000.
That's why most car designers will tell you it's much easier to make a great luxury sedan than it is to make a great city runabout.
So when the Mazda2 was named World Car of the Year in 2008, it was a particularly noteworthy achievement. Unfortunately for Mazda, it was noted by its competition, which promptly lifted their game. The Ford Fiesta and the recently released Volkswagen Polo have since trumped the little Mazda, while a new Suzuki Swift and Toyota Yaris are due next year.
It's tough at the top in the small-car business but Mazda is not resting on its laurels. The Mazda2 has just had a mid-life nip and tuck, with some buttock surgery thrown in: it now comes in sedan form.
The Japanese car maker believes one in five Mazda2 buyers will opt for a boot over a hatch, which makes the sedan a vital part of the line-up.