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Back in 2008 the Mazda 2 was voted World Car of the Year. Considering the car’s engineering thoroughness and individuality, that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Like the exterior, the 2's interior benefits from the originality of Mazda’s designers. It is based around a theme of circles, from the round air vents to the heater controls, console display and instrument faces. The dashboard is one big, simple, curved volume which gives the cabin calm distinctiveness that’s unlikely to date quickly.  

The gear lever is mounted up high on the centre console, which makes for easy shifting. Like most superminis, the door bins aren’t up to much and the cabin suffers from a lack of oddment stowage.  

The removable floor in the boot is a good idea, but it is fiddly to remove

The surface material quality is, arguably, not as good in places as that of rival European superminis. However, the Japanese do know how to mould plastics and how screw interiors together tightly and efficiently. It’s a pretty good bet that the Mazda’s dashboard will remain rattle free in years to come. The cabin is big enough for four adults and the boot decent at 250 litres with the seats up, although the Fiesta can manage a useful larger 290 litres.  

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