SHAH ALAM: The Mazda2 is the latest SkyActiv-ated vehicle to enter the Malaysian market and while some may not expect much from its size, there’s some interesting goodies awaiting its new owner.
“We have added more value to the car for the money that customers would usually have to pay for and this is to match up, if not, surpass our competitors”, said Bermaz Motor executive director Datuk Seri Ben Yeoh.
Mazda2 sedan
Bermaz Motor, the exclusive distributor of the Mazda brand in Malaysia, launched the Mazda2 in sedan and hatchback forms and both costing RM87,956 OTR with insurance with four colour options of Soul Red, Snowflake White, Metropolitan Gray and Aluminium Metallic.
The launch was held at the company’s new 67,165 sq ft RM1.5mil body and paint repair centre located just 300m away from its headquarters in Glenmarie which now provides services such as body and paint repair, paint coating protection and glass tinting.
Mazda2 hatchback
The Mazda2 is assembled in Thailand and is the fourth model to adopt the Kodo (soul of motion in Japanese) design language and the full range of Mazda’s SkyActiv technology.
In terms of size, the Mazda2 hatchback comes in measuring 4,060mm-long, 1,695mm-wide, 1,470mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,570mm, while the sedan measures 260mm-longer and 25mm-taller.
Mazda SkyActiv-G 1.5L engine with a compression ration of 14:1.
Under the hood is a 1.5-litre SkyActiv-G (gasoline) four-cylinder engine with a compression ratio of 14:1, providing 113bhp at 6,000rpm and 148Nm of torque at 4,000rpm.
The Mazda2 can be driven in either normal or sports mode as the electronically controlled direct injection engine sips from a 44-litre fuel tank while being mated to a SkyActiv Drive six-speed automatic transmission.
With a kerb weight of 1,056kg (sedan – 1,065kg), the Mazda2’s suspension uses McPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear.
Stopping power comes from disc brakes for both front (258mm) and rear (200mm), which are partially hidden by its 16-inch aluminium wheels with 185/60 tyres.
While the Mazda2 has a newly designed pair of halogen headlights with daytime-running lights, it also has electric-folding side mirrors with integrated turn signals.
Moving inside, the seats have been upholstered in leather with fabric for the inner backrest and some leather also finding its way onto the dashboard with an up-standing seven-inch LCD touchscreen that can be accessed with the commander control rotary or via voice command.
Convenience and luxury amenities include an electric powered multifunction leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle-shifters, keyless entry with push-start button, automatic air-conditioning and the i-Stop idling-stop technology.
Also included as standard is the Active Driving Display, the first heads-up display in its class, which projects the current speed and navigation directions onto a screen just above the instrument cluster.
The navigation system is available as an option and will cost an additional RM1,200.
The MZD Connect six-speaker audio system has Bluetooth connectivity, radio, CD, SD card slot, AUX port, USB ports and supports iPod and MP3 playback.
In addition, the audio system also features its own vehicle apps such as Eco-display, maintenance reminders and fuel consumption readings to name a few.
For safety, the Mazda2 gets equipped with two airbags, anti-lock braking system, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, dynamic stability control, traction control and hill launch assist.
Keyword: Welcome, Mazda2