Boasting an “all new from the wheels up” approach, the third generation of the smallest Mazda also showcases the company’s technical solutions to address the ongoing ecological issues of fuel consumption, carbon dioxide output and recyclability.

Not unexpectedly, Mazda’s smallest car has grown slightly in its generational change, gaining 160mm in overall length to 4060mm, 20mm in height (to 1495mm) and 80mm in the wheelbase (now 2570mm). Overall width stays the same at 1695mm.

Mazda will sell the car here in three model grades, the entry-level Neo, mid-range Maxx and upper-level Genki, all running a 1.5 litre, four-cylinder engine and available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or optional six-speed automatic.

While the three grades run the 1.5 litre unit, the engine itself is available in two grades, the  V-P5 and F-P5. The V-P5 has a lower compression ratio and a four-into-one exhaust design (four pipes coming from the exhaust manifold and feeding into a single exhaust pipe) to produce 79 kilowatts of power and 139 Newton metres of torque.

The F-P5 engine, which has been designed to deliver improved fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, has a four-into-two-into-one exhaust design and a higher compression ratio to deliver 81 kilowatts and 141 Newton metres. 

Average fuel consumption on the official fuel cycle varies between 4.9 litres/100km and 5.5 litres/100km and carbon dioxide output between 114g/km and 128g/km depending on engine and transmission choice.

Pricing starts at $14,990 for the manual transmission Neo and $21,990 for the automatic Genki model. Prices do not include on-road costs.

Discover more about the Mazda2 launch in Saturday’s Motoring