Mazda2 hatchback

Drive

There are five engines available - three petrol and two diesel. The smallest 1.3-litre petrol engine comes with either 74bhp or 85bhp, and is best suited to town driving. The 102bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine is a better all-rounder - it's smoother and delivers decent performance. The 67bhp 1.4-litre diesel is a good performer around town and on motorways, but it feels short on power when overtaking, while the 89bhp 1.6 diesel is much faster on the move. The Mazda2 has lots of grip and is very agile on the road. The steering is light enough to make the 2 easy to park and manoeuvre around town, but it's also accurate and precise on a twisty back road.

Comfort

This is where the Mazda falls short of rivals. The ride is quite firm, so the 2 can judder and be quite unsettled over rough road surfaces. It also makes quite a bit of noise on the move, mainly from the wind flowing over the car and the tyres on the road. The petrol engines are quiet, but the diesels rattle at speed.

Reliability

The Mazda scored five Euro NCAP stars for adult occupant protection, four for children and two for pedestrians, which is good for a car in this price range. Electronic brake assist is standard, as are anti-lock brakes, twin front airbags and Isofix child seat mountings. Basic models miss out on side and curtain airbags and electronic stability control, though. The interior is well built and tough, but the materials aren’t of the highest quality. Mazda has a strong reputation for reliability and came third in the supermini class in the JD Power Satisfaction survey.

Practicality

With 250-litres of storage space available, the Mazda2 offers a below average boot. What's more, its shape makes loading quite difficult. The glovebox is large and there's also a useful magazine rack in front of it. The boot can also be split in two by a handy dividing panel. The three-door version has wide-opening doors, but the five-door model is the one to go for if you’ll be using the back seats regularly.

Value for money

Next to mainstream rivals like the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa, the Mazda2 looks like good value, as it undercuts them by a significant amount. It's priced closer to rivals like the Peugeot 207. Entry-level TS models miss out on equipment like air-conditioning and alloy wheels, but mid-range TS2 versions fill in those gaps and offer great value for money - they also come with side and curtain airbags, electric door mirrors and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. Top spec Sport models get 16-inch alloy wheels, traction control, cruise control, electric rear windows on five-door cars, a sporty body kit and climate control. Resale values are strong across the range.

Running costs

The 1.5-litre petrol engine is the most expensive to run, but even that offers 49.6mpg and emissions of 135g/km - that means it falls into Road Tax Band E, which costs £110 a year. Lowest running costs come with the 1.4-litre diesel; it returns 68.9mpg and 107g/km, so Road Tax costs only £20 per year. All of the other engines fall in between these two, so none of them are at all dear to run. Insurance ranges from a nominal group nine to 16, which is cheap.