Supermini megatest - Mazda 2

Mazda 2 1.5 Sport 5dr
List price £11,995


The Mazda is the lightweight of this grouping, and we don't mean that in any derogatory way. While other manufacturers were hiding behind safety and customer demands as excuses for producing ever more bloated small cars, Mazda managed to shed 100kg from the 2's overall weight without any shrinkage and while supposedly adding more safety and noise-abatement features.

The 2 shares a platform with the Ford Fiesta, although each manufacturer has gone it alone on engines and chassis set-up. That's good, because no one wants a return to the bad old days of two cars sharing everything except their badges. Still, as you approach the 2, you can't quell a slight feeling of disquiet.
The blame lies with Mazda's obsession with ‘Zoom-Zoom'. Undoubtedly, this approach has produced some great-looking cars that drive well but things such as refinement and comfort have not so much been put on the back burner as doused in foam – acceptable in an MX-5, maybe, but not in your commuter runabout.

Anywhere else but the UK, the 2 would, apart from a sticky gearshift, be a hoot to drive. It's astonishingly sharp, with instant response to a prod of accelerator or a dab of brakes, and with a 102bhp 1.5-litre engine that shouts to be revved.

Not exactly restful, but you can live with it. The trouble is that its stiff suspension can't cope with UK roads. It hops and skips over bumps, and seems to want to pick a fight with every pothole. Don't even get us started on the racket created by the wind and road surfaces.

Things are also compromised in the rear seats, where it's borderline cramped. Not so up front, where the space, shapes and layout are near faultless. A pity the trim is more electrical hardware shop than soft furnishings store.

For all this, you'll pay a middling price and enjoy middling running costs: Mazda always was good on value. Whether you'll want one is another matter, especially if you're downsizing from something bigger and more civilised.

Why not just tone down the Zoom-Zoom a bit, eh, Mazda? You'll have a much better car.