Mazda 2 engines & performance

When the third-generation Mazda 2 launched in 2014, a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine wasn't such an unusual thing to find in a supermini. Ten years later, the 2's engine line-up seems almost exotic.

The 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G engine comes with a choice of three power outputs: 74bhp, 89bhp and 113bhp. All have a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, and the 89bhp version can be optioned with a six-speed automatic. The manual 89bhp variant and the 113bhp version are assisted by a 24V mild-hybrid system.

The 1.5-litre engine's willingness to rev is the key to its success here. It pulls fairly vociferously but sweetly from 4000rpm to more than 6500rpm

Matt Prior

Editor-at-large

The Mazda 2 can feel somewhat sluggish if you drive it like you would a turbocharged competitor. Instead, it simply wants to be driven in a different way. The range-topping 113bhp petrol variant goads you to rev it to access the performance, and the 1.5-litre engine’s willingness to rev is the key to its success here. Pulling fairly vociferously but sweetly from 4000rpm to more than 6500rpm, the engine makes performance feel zesty and fairly forceful in the lower gears, as long as you hold on to them. Do that, and it feels every bit as quick as its claimed 0-62mph dash.

The company has developed something of a talent for the shift quality of its manual transmissions, and the 2 has an appealingly solid, slick and well-defined gearbox, complemented by a clutch with well-matched weight and progressive action and a well-tuned brake pedal.