![]() No air vents, no charge points, not even a fold-down armrest with cupholders. Amenities are scarce back there too – as in, there are none. No grand touring in this little city car, despite the lofty pretensions of its GT name. The back seats, as you’d expect, are adequate at best for grown-up humans, best saved for short trips. Two small LCD screens either side of the tacho provide some driver information, but a fully digital cockpit display, this ain’t. There’s also Mazda’s flip-up screen head-up display, which is crisp and easy to read. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels solid in hand, and frames a single central tachometer which incorporates a digital speed readout. It’s fine once up-and-running, but as we’ve experienced with the older MZD in the past, it can be a little glitchy, especially when first connecting.Ī single USB point and a 12V socket help in keeping devices juiced up (and in running CarPlay/Android). The interface is controlled via Mazda’s tried-and-trusted rotary dialler in the centre console. Still, with smartphone mirroring, native navigation, DAB+ digital radio and Bluetooth connectivity, it is perfectly acceptable at this price point. There’s a 7.0-inch infotainment screen sitting atop the dash running Mazda’s older MZD interface and not the newer, fresher look found in Mazda 3 and CX-30. The cabin features plenty of soft touchpoints, which does add some plushness to the experience. ![]() Wrapped in partial leather, the front pews are indeed supportive and comfortable. There are newly-designed seats too, which Mazda promises will offer greater comfort. Standard equipment in the GT now includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 360-degree camera as well as advanced safety tech like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and lane-keeping assistance along with pedestrian detection, which has been added to the low-speed city autonomous emergency braking system. ![]() ![]() While the styling tweaks are minor, it’s inside where the MY20 Mazda 2 GT receives the biggest overhaul. The GT sits on standard 16-inch alloys, shod in 185/60 R16 rubber all ’round. The most noticeable is the grille, which has been flattened and widened to lend the Mazda 2 a slightly meatier stance, certainly from the front. This mid-life update brings some subtle styling tweaks around the grille, front bumper and headlight treatment. So what does 26 grand of Mazda 2 get you? Let’s find out… An Abarth 595, as example, can be had for $26,990 plus on-roads, while $25,390 gets you all the Volkswagen Polo money can buy aside from the range-topping GTI. placing the GT hatch into the gun sights of rivals from Europe and Japan with either more brand cachet or performance, sometimes both. It’s certainly an interesting strategy from the Japanese brand as it tries to reposition itself into the premium-ish classes.Ĭirca $26k is a lot of money for a city car. Still, that pricing is now deep inside small car territory, where bigger cars, such as the Kia Cerato and Hyundai i30, can be had for similar money with similar kit. To be fair to Mazda, the range has been chopped, with the price-leading Neo variant dropped entirely. Where previously the Mazda 2 hatch range started at an economical $15,570 and topped out at $24,400 (plus on-roads), the new pricing sees that fatten out from $20,990 for the Pure manual to $25,990 for the range-topping GT auto on test here. It’s also received a price hike across the range, a substantial one at that. Mazda’s range of its popular city car has received a facelift and a boost in equipment. What it is, is a city car, and now a rather expensive one.
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