The all-new Mazda2 is no cock and bull attempt to make a car more desirable and user friendly. And it breaks with tradition in a world where bigger is said to be better in lining up in the car park smaller, lighter and distinctly more user friendly than the mini MPV-like Mazda2 it replaces. What we have here is a car that uses the basic underpinnings of the yet to be seen new Fiesta, one of the world’s best sellers. And the little Mazda gives the impression that it would quite like to get in on the act. It brings the zoom-zoom experience to the small car end of the range, and Mazda expect to see around three times more of them that its predecessor. It’s neatly styled, offers a good amount of interior space for four adults and from the rear view, the chunky looks gives the impression of a car well planted on the road. Which it appears to be.
I drove three of them (1.5 Sport, 1.3 TS2 and the ‘only one of its kind in the UK and not on sale yet’ 1.4 diesel version which arrives later this year) on a lengthy and it has to be said gloriously scenic test route through the Scottish Highlands last week on the sort of roads that sort the men out from the...