Accelerating to awesome
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In many ways the Mazda 2 fits the modern supermini template perfectly. It’s compact but still seats four, has a practical five-door layout, a range of frugal engines, low running costs, and offers the kind of technology buyers now expect.
But where the Mazda differs from many of its rivals is in the kind of interior feel and quality that very few cars in this class match, and an engaging driving experience that’s also only shared with a couple of other cars. It’s not the most spacious small car but in most other respects it remains one of the best, and with a used market stretching back nearly a decade, there should be a Mazda 2 for most budgets too.
Don’t be too put off by the fact the current Mazda 2 has been around for nearly ten years. It certainly doesn’t look like a ten year old car, feeling as fresh inside and out as the latest superminis, and Mazda has made several small updates during its time on sale to keep it competitive. It wasn’t in a bad place to start with, anyway - it’s always been one of the higher-quality, better to drive superminis on sale.
So if you’re shopping among older Mazda 2s you don’t have much to worry about, but newer ones will have a few more features that Mazda’s designers probably didn’t consider a decade ago. What you get from all Mazda 2s is an appealing driving experience, with accurate steering, agile handling, and a firm but not uncomfortable ride. Unlike rivals, Mazda has chosen to offer a slightly larger, non-turbocharged engine range, and while it needs working a little harder than those of some rivals, real-world economy is generally pretty good. There is a full hybrid, too, though this is effectively a rebadged Toyota Yaris - so we’ve covered it on its own page.
Quality is up there with the best in the class too, and it’s more than skin deep, as the 2 has a good reputation for reliability. The 2’s cabin has a simple and appealing design, which even feels quite sporty - there’s more than a hint of the brand’s MX-5 sports car inside. The materials feel good too, and while Mazda’s infotainment systems aren’t as flashy as some, they’re generally very easy to use, with Apple CarPlay offered in later models.
The cabin and boot feel a little smaller than some rivals in this class - a Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo, Skoda Fabia or Honda Jazz certainly offers more space. To drive though the Mazda 2 is up there with cars like the Ford Fiesta, the Clio, and the lightweight Suzuki Swift, while its cabin quality and feel are better than most. A Mazda 2 isn’t the obvious choice with so many alternatives in this class, but it’s well worth considering.
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Either of the 90PS or 115PS 1.5-litre petrol engines make a fine choice in the Mazda 2 - and a better option than the 75PS car, which doesn’t quite have the pep to go with the Mazda’s fine chassis and quality interior. There’s no particular economy penalty for the more powerful units either and on the used market, the price difference shouldn’t be too great. SE-L specification would be our trim line pick, though the latest Sport models feature a few natty toys too, such as keyless entry and wireless CarPlay.
The Mazda 2’s exterior dimensions are:
The Mazda 2’s boot space is:
As the Mazda 2 debuted in 2015, earlier models before April 2017’s tax changes get VED rates based on their CO2 emissions, and this means cheap tax - just £20-35 depending on the engine. From April 2017 onwards, all models get a flat rate of £190 per year, though the Toyota-based Mazda 2 Hybrid is £10 less.
The Mazda 2 may prove slightly more expensive to insure than a Fiesta or a Polo, whose tiny 1-litre engines perhaps look a little friendlier to some insurers. The Mazda 2 range starts in group 13 for an older SE model with the 75PS 1.5-litre petrol, and rises to group 22 for a GT Sport Tech with the most powerful engine. A Fiesta, for comparison, starts in just group 2, and hot ST model aside, tops out in group 20 for a top-spec 155PS car.
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