2009 Mazda 2 Genki: owner review

I purchased my Mazda 2 a little over a year ago now, and with 23,000km done in that time, including a trip to and from the Sunshine Coast. I thought it would be fitting to do a review of my car and explore what it’s done well and where improvements could have been made.

I have the top-of-the-range Genki model, which brings a few niceties over the lower grades including premium seat trim, leather steering wheel, metallic inserts around the cabin, as well as six airbags instead of two. In addition, my Genki had the option of DSC fitted when new.

As with all generations of Mazda 2 in Australia, a 1.5-litre petrol engine is standard fare, and with this generation two, transmission choices were five-speed manual or four-speed auto. I have the auto given a lot of my driving is stop-start.

The auto is one of the better examples out there. Despite having limited ratios, the car has adequate go for almost all scenarios and shifts are seamless and smooth. Only very steep hills will leave you wishing you had an extra one or two cogs.

The engine is also great! Producing 76kW of power and 137Nm of torque, it has great get-up-and-go from a standstill, and has a nice sound from around 3000–5000rpm. Anything above that and it sounds quite unrefined and noisy.

The Mazda 2 handles like a dream. It loves corners, handles bumps better at high speed than low speed, and does not get blown around at 100 or even 110km/h. However, like with many Mazda models of this era, expect a bit of road noise on rough surfaces.

And with the trip to and from the Sunshine Coast, I discovered that doing 14 hours of driving in one day is possible in a Mazda 2. No squeaks or rattles and the engine was completely reliable in operation. You just need a driver to match!

Exterior-wise, I absolutely love it! The Mazda 2 is compact, sporty and, in my eyes, the proportions are spot-on. The 16-inch alloys are super stylish and the fog lights are both practical and really help to complete the look of the car. The car being black also helps it all.

Interior-wise, it’s pretty good. The seats are super comfortable for me at 5ft 8in tall. And with the hard plastics around the cabin as well as excellent Japanese build quality, the interior is easy to keep clean and looking new. One of the little things I take huge pride in.

I appreciate the glovebox for its dual compartment design, and the little shelves on either side of the steering wheel are a nice touch. However, rear seat passengers have pretty much no storage options. No map pockets, door bins, bottle holders. It would’ve been nice to see those features given the space itself is excellent.

The technology is pretty sparse, as you might expect. I know that this generation two came out in 2007, but having simple info like range, fuel economy, and a temperature gauge would be much appreciated. Furthermore, Bluetooth would’ve been nice at least in the top-spec model, along with electrically folding mirrors, auto lights and wipers, and climate control.

I’ve had a pretty good run as far as reliability. I’ve had a knock sensor replaced that was more costly in terms of labour than the part itself, but that’s been the only hiccup. Nothing else has gone wrong with my car or caused any concern.

It’s also worth mentioning that despite the Mazda 2 being a five-seater and having adequate room for four people, five at a pinch, I would never have more than two full-size passengers from my experience. Three full-size passengers and you can feel the difference in handling and power, four passengers and the car genuinely feels overloaded.

Overall, my Mazda 2 Genki is an awesome little car that hasn’t disappointed me. It’s great for those busy peak-hour drives and a lot of fun to drive enthusiastically. All the while, it’s super reliable and supported by excellent Japanese reliability.

It’s spacious, solid, smooth, sure-footed and capable of super-long drives. Absolutely consider a Mazda 2 if you’re in the market for a city-sized car!

Owner: Jack

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