Our most popular second-hand Mazda cars
29 Apr 2022 | Buying A Used Car
Share:
Mazda is definitely a mainstream brand, but there’s something about the Japanese brand’s cars that makes them quite aspirational. And they do tend to be cars: while a Mazda SUV is still a sought-after product, this type of vehicle is a relatively recent phenomenon for the maker. Our most popular used Mazda models are hatchbacks, sedans and station wagons: the Axela, Atenza and Demio.
Axela accelerated Mazda’s sporty image
2014 Mazda Axela
Our single most popular second hand Mazda is the Axela, as it’s known in the Japanese market, or Mazda3 as it’s called in New Zealand.
Mazda went from being quite a conservative company to a maker of family models with sporting aspirations, and the replacement of the old 323 with the Axela in 2003 really marked that change. Even the name suggests as much: “Axela” is a wordmash of “accelerate” and “excellent”!
There have been four generations of Axela since then. In general, the Mazda Axela sedan tends to be the more understated model (although still very stylish), while the Mazda Axela hatch tends to put style and that sporty flavour first.
Being a small/medium family car, most models are still economical and practical, with a choice of four-cylinder engines. The exceptions are the more specialised Mazdaspeed/MPS turbo models, but they are enthusiast cars and you are getting plenty of performance into the bargain.
The first generation model (2003 – 2008) still stands up well in terms of design. The second generation (2008 - 2013) adopted a more avant garde look that can be polarising, but it’s a model that introduced lots of new technology, including stop-start and, in the very last of the generation, the SkyActiv lightweight/low friction engine technology that Mazda uses in its current models.
The third generation (2013 – 2018) really cemented Mazda’s place as an alternative to many premium brands: it’s built around SkyActiv platform and powertrain technology.
The numbers don’t lie: the Axela is a Mazda car NZ buyers really love.
Atenza brought style to Mazda’s family car lineup
2013 Mazda Atenza
Around the same time as the small-medium Axela came along, Mazda was also injecting a big dose of glamour into its replacement for the 626, called the Atenza (or Mazda6 for the NZ-new model). As with its smaller sibling, the name says it all: it’s derived from the Italian word “attenzione”, denoting an attention to detail.
The Atenza is big on style and dynamics in each of its three generations (2002 – 2008, 2008 – 2012, 2012 – present). It’s available in sedan, hatchback (often called “liftback”) and station wagon body styles, with petrol and diesel engines.
The first generation model really established the Atenza as a highly desirable family car with a sporting flavour. It’s a spacious car in any guise, but the interior design also carries cues of some of Mazda’s more specialised cars, such as the MX-5 and RX-8 sports models.
The original Atenza got quite specialised in itself with the limited-run Mazdaspeed Atenza/MPS sedan, which boasts a turbo engine and AWD. It’s relatively rare, but keep an eye out if you like your Atenza with real sizzle.
The second-generation model is even larger and more practical, and has been praised for bettering European mainstays such as the Ford Mondeo for driving dynamics and passenger/luggage space.
Highlights of the third-generation Atenza are the sharpest styling yet and Mazda’s SkyActiv platform and engine technology, including a very accomplished range of petrol and diesel engines.
Mazda Demio swallows shopping and mountain bikes
2016 Mazda Demio
The Mazda Demio (aka Mazda2 as a NZ-new car) is the Japanese maker’s small hatchback, but in its first two incarnations (1996 – 2002 and 2002 – 2007) you could almost say it has crossover elements with SUVs and Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPVs).
The Demio is a fun-to-drive small car in each of its four iterations, but the first two are deliberately tall and boxy, providing occupants with a great view out and endowing the car with incredible cargo carrying ability, given its small exterior dimensions.
The second-generation version even presents a unique talent for a city hatch: it can swallow a mountain bike whole thanks to a cleverly laid out loadspace and that tall roof. It’s an appealing option for city-based buyers who want a thrifty car for urban driving but like to get out and explore in the weekends (and keep valuables like bikes locked inside the car).
The third generation Demio (2007 – 2014) is a more traditional supermini – lower to the ground and less boxy. But it stands as one of the more fun-to-drive and stylish cars in the segment. The fourth-generation model (2014 – present) evolves that template, but brings in Mazda’s SkyActiv technology – just like the Axela and Atenza.
And just like the Axela and Atenza, Mazda stopped using a different name for Japan from 2019, using one badge right around the world. So all versions are the “Mazda2” after that year, no matter where they are sourced from.