2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP Review

Back in 2014 when the current shape Mazda 2 launched, the light car field represented 9.3 percent of new car sales. The segment was made up of numerous options including the Holden Barina, Honda Jazz, Hyundai Accent and non-performance oriented models of the Hyundai i20 and Ford Fiesta. Eight years on, the segment looks very different – all these cars have been discontinued and light cars only made up 4.1 percent of new car sales in 2021. Yet somehow, the 2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP remains.

What’s driven the downturn? The majority of the remaining players which compete against the Mazda 2, such Toyota Yaris, Kia Rio, Skoda Fabia, Suzuki Swift, and Volkswagen Polo have all increased in price, with increases of $8,000 in some cases. Manufacturers claim the high levels of safety equipment required to achieve 5 star ANCAP ratings are to blame for the price increases. What’s clear is that sales volumes have dropped considerably. However with the skyrocketing prices of petrol and the price of both used cars and larger cars also increasing – will smaller cars come back into vogue?  

While this generation Mazda 2 did launch eight years ago, it has received a number of updates and facelifts since then, adding more features and safety. We tested the Pure SP hatch variant to see if the Mazda 2 is still a smart choice in 2022 – read on to find out! 

Price & Equipment: 7/10

Priced at $23,890 plus on-road costs or around $28,000 drive-away (depending on location), our test car was the 2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP automatic hatchback, which is positioned as an upgrade over the base 2 in Pure spec. The Pure SP features black 16 inch alloys (over the 15 inch silver wheels on the ‘normal’ Pure), cloth trim with red trim, and a gloss black external mirror and grille treatment.

All other equipment mirrors the Pure, and includes LED headlights, electrically adjustable and retractable side mirrors, intermittent wipers, keyless start, remote central locking, manual air-conditioning, electric windows, a trip computer, cruise control with a speed limiter, a leather wrapped steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake, two USB ports, 7.0-inch infotainment display with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio and a six-speaker sound system. 

Safety kit includes six airbags; front (driver and passenger), side (front) and curtain (front and rear), auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning with emergency steering assistance, rear auto braking, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and hill start assist. 

The only available options available for the Mazda 2 Pure SP are exterior colours. Our test car featured the no cost ‘Platinum Quartz Metallic’ colour option and ‘Snowflake White Pearl Mica’, ‘Sonic Silver Metallic’, ‘Jet Black Mica’ and ‘Deep Crystal Blue Mica’ round out the available non-cost colours. Buyers can opt for ‘Soul Red Crystal Metallic’, ‘Machine Grey Metallic’ and ‘Polymetal Grey Metallic’ for an additional $595.  

The main competitors to the 2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP are the Kia Rio Sport automatic ($24,990 drive away) and the Toyota Yaris Ascent Sport ($27,222 drive-away. depending on location). The Rio, while significantly cheaper, adds a lot of kit not available on the Mazda including heated mirrors, a 4.2-inch driver’s display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a larger infotainment screen, auto door locking, Daylight Running Lights, auto headlights, a centre console box, larger 17 inch alloys and cyclist avoidance for its AEB system. However, the Rio Sport misses out on blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, rear auto braking, LED headlights, push button start and digital radio of the 2 Pure SP.

The Yaris Ascent Sport offers LED daylight running lights, a rear fog light, auto-folding mirrors, a rear seat reminder, a 4.2 inch driver’s display, cyclist avoidance for its AEB system, automatic high beam, road sign recognition, emergency steering assist, intersection turn assistance, radar cruise control and two extra airbags (knee and front centre). The 2 Pure SP, however, features LED headlights, push button start, alloy wheels, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, rear auto braking, one additional USB charging point and a leather gear knob, steering wheel and handbrake. 

While the price increases to the Mazda 2 range have been accompanied by better equipment lists and it’s well equipped against rivals, the equipment list is still slim for this price point. We think the inclusion of a digital speedometer, auto headlights and high beam, daylight running lights, a centre console box, a larger infotainment screen, keyless entry and radar cruise control would make the price easier to justify.

The high price of the Mazda 2 Pure SP (and its competitors) also brings up a tough question – why bother with the light car segment when you can get the larger Hyundai i30 for a mere $329 more? Or a Toyota Corolla for $1,321 more? The value equation doesn’t quite add up, and we’ve got no doubt that this has been a major contributor to the downfall of this once popular segment. 

Performance & Economy: 8/10

Powering the entire Mazda 2 range is a four cylinder 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, which is part of Mazda’s ‘Skyactiv’ engine family. Power is rated at 82kW (at 6,000rpm) and torque at 144Nm (at 4,000rpm). Mazda has stuck to tradition, eschewing a DCT or CVT in favour of mating the engine with a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. 

While the drivetrain dates back to 2014, it was revised in 2019 and still holds up well today with plenty of character. As a city car, it’s got more than enough power – it gets up to speed quickly and efficiently, helped by its light weight and diminutive size. What’s more impressive is highway performance – while it’s no speed demon, the Mazda 2 holds its own at higher speeds, with enough oomph to overtake. You do start to reach the limits of acceleration on highways with steeper inclines, but the 2 wasn’t designed to be a highway cruiser anyway. 

In a market littered by DCTs and CVTs, it’s refreshing to see Mazda use a ‘normal’ torque converter transmission. The unit in the Mazda 2 is particularly good as it shifts smoothly and quickly – there’s no CVT drone or the low speed jerkiness that DCTs are known for. The six gear ratios are well suited to the engine and the pairing make the 2 a joy to putter around in – there is a great balance between the drivetrain being unobtrusive and doing its thing, but doing so with just enough character to make the experience enjoyable – the very Mazda-ish engine note puts a smile on your face.

Mazda quotes combined fuel usage at 5.3L/100km – we didn’t get that low and over a week of driving in both urban areas and also on highways, we achieved 6.9L/100km. For comparison, we previously achieved 6L/100km in the current (non-hybrid) Toyota Yaris and 9.5L/100km in a comparable Kia Rio, so the Mazda 2 sits comfortably between them. The 2 will run on 91 RON unleaded petrol and with a 44 litre tank, assuming the fuel economy we achieved, should be able to drive 630km on a single tank.

Ride & Handling: 8/10

The 2 has long been a dynamic leader in its class and despite getting on in years, it still handles well. Mazda has done well with the steering, it gives great feedback and is well weighted and direct. However, the steering also manages to lighten up at lower speeds, making it light footed around the city – great for navigating tight streets and parking in difficult parking spots. 

Pushing the little Mazda a bit through corners reveals a surprisingly planted car – it sticks to the road well and there is very minimal body roll. While the target market of the 2 is unlikely to be demanding sports car handling, Mazda’s dynamic work deliveries predictable handling which doesn’t miss a beat for the type of urban driving most customers will use it for, while also offering those who want more a bit of fun. 

The suspension setup – MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam setup at the back, while basic, works very well giving the Mazda 2 good ride quality. Even though the Pure SP has larger 16-inch wheels (the Pure has 15-inch alloys), road imperfections are soaked up well. While Mazda has been criticised in the past for poor road noise suppression, we found the 2 to be comfortably quiet. Even at highway speeds, while not the quietest car on the market, the sound deadening was enough to make travelling at 100km/h perfectly tolerable.  

While in our testing, we found the braking performance of the 2 to be adequate, we are concerned by Mazda’s persistence in using rear drum brakes. We think that a $27,000 car in 2022 having drum brakes is simply unacceptable. Safety is an area where skimping should not occur – unfortunately the Toyota Yaris also has drum brakes, but Kia shows up both, as its cheaper Rio has disc brakes all around – even on its base mode. 

Interior & Practicality: 7/10

The cabin of the 2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP has a pleasant design. It’s fairly simple but has enough interesting design elements to keep it from being boring which makes it a nice place to sit with a modern ambience. We thought the exclusive Pure SP seat fabric with red highlights was a nice touch. While easy on the eye, the materials throughout the cabin are less easy on the hand. Apart the steering wheel, gear shifter and a portion of the door cards, all of the materials used are hard scratchy plastics. While this is typical of the light car segment, it made sense when the 2 was a sub $20,000 car, but we expect better now that the pricing is closer to $30,000.

At least the surfaces which drivers will interact with the most – the steering wheel and gear shifter – are wrapped in a lovely supple leather and are a joy to hold. The arm rest area on the door cards are fabric covered, which also helps raise the tactile experience. Mazda has done a great job with the switchgear as well – aside from the dated manual air-conditioning controls, it all all feels premium, giving a great tactile experience. All of the controls for the car are laid out well, easy to reach and simple to operate. We did wish there was a proper internal central locking switch – instead the drivers door lock toggle locks all the doors – so there is no way to just unlock the driver’s door.

The front seats are comfortable with good support and enough bolstering to keep the driver and passenger firmly in their seats. The driver also enjoys a pleasant position – there is enough seat and steering wheel column adjustment that most drivers should be able to find a comfortable setup. The driver also has great visibility all around. However, the lack of driver’s centre armrest does detract from the driver’s comfort on long trips, leading to sore arms after a while! 

Unfortunately, the Pure SP grade gets stuck with a very 2010-esque instrument cluster, featuring a non-digital speedometer and tachometer paired with a very basic trip computer display. While it does the job, it really dates the 2 – there isn’t a digital speed display and for a car jam packed with safety features, not being able to see the status of (for example) the lane keep assist on a display is disappointing. Even a small LCD driver’s display similar to competitors display to replace the basic trip computer would really help modernise the interior and driving experience. 

Infotainment is handled by a last-generation ‘MZD Connect’ 7.0-inch touchscreen mounted in the centre of the dashboard. While it’s a tad small, it has a high resolution and good refresh rate, making it smooth. Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a USB input, FM/AM radio and digital radio round out the sound input options for the system. The screen itself is a touchscreen when the 2 is stationary, but the touch functionality is disabled when in motion and you must use the command controls in the centre console. While this is a good idea in theory and when using the native system, it can be frustrating while using Apple CarPlay (or Android Auto), which was designed to be using by touch. The experience would be massively improved by giving the drive the choice of using the command controller or the touchscreen, as there are times which the command controllers are good to use. 

The cabin storage is limited by the size of the 2, but there is a reasonably sized glovebox, two cupholders in the centre console with storage boxes behind them, a handy phone cubby under the AC controls and small but serviceable door bins. The lack of driver’s armrest also means a lack of a covered storage bin in the cabin, aside from the glovebox. 

The rear seats will accommodate three, but are more suited to carrying two adults. A third can fit if required but it is tight, however we believe this suits most who will be buying the car – after all the Mazda 2 isn’t supposed to be a people mover! Leg and headroom is more than adequate and quite good for a car in this class, but taking four on a long road trip might start pushing things comfort-wise for rear seat passengers. Besides comfortable seats, there isn’t much on offer for rear seat passengers – no door bins or charging points or even a dome light! 

Boot space on offer is a relatively small 250-litres – the Toyota Yaris has an additional 31L and the Rio has a more substantial additional 75L. There aren’t any hooks or other luggage organising accessories, but the rear seats do have a split 40:60 fold, to create a bigger carrying area – that being said the seats don’t fold flat. A space-saver spare wheel lies underneath the boot floor.

Service & Warranty: 8/10

The 2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP has a service interval of 10,000kms or 12 months, whichever is sooner – compared to a longer 15,000km service interval on both the Kia Rio and the Toyota Yaris. Mazda’s capped price servicing for the 2 brings the total cost for the first five years of servicing to $1,702 ($340 per service) – cheaper than the the first five years of servicing for the Kia Rio, which comes to $1,958, but significantly more expensive than the Toyota Yaris, which comes to $1,025 for the same time period.

Mazda gives the 2 a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is slightly bettered by the Toyota Yaris which matches Mazda, but receives an extra two years of warranty coverage for the engine and drivetrain if customers adhere to their service schedule. Kia beats both with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Along with the warranty, Mazda includes five years of roadside assistance with the 2, compared to none on the Toyota Yaris and twelve months on the Kia Rio – however Kia extend this coverage to eight years if customers service their car with Kia.

2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP Hatch DiscoverAuto Rating: 7.6/10

We found driving the 2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP to be a very pleasurable experience – the dynamic package punches above its weight and the engine certainly added to the car’s character, putting a smile on our faces. However, where things get trickier is the value equation – simply put, we don’t think Mazda has done enough to justify the price rises over the last couple of years. Simply upgrading the infotainment system, the instrument cluster and making more equipment standard would really help make the 2 worthy of its current pricing. Currently the Pure SP model is hard to recommend over the base Pure or the mid-range Evolve, let alone recommending any of the 2 range over a slightly more expensive car in the next size up.

We hope Mazda has further upgrades for the 2 in the pipeline, as it’s too good of a car to be banished to oblivion due to pricing and equipment problems. All of that being said, these are problems which plague the whole light car market, and the 2 is still very much worth being put on your comparison list if you’re after a car in this segment.