Mazda 2 first drive

The all-new Mazda 2; a bigger, plusher supermini built to fill out its manufacturer’s ambitions towards Volkswagen-style status. The previous car, the one you’ll have been mistaking for a Ford Fiesta for the past seven years, was a chip off Ford’s block; small, switch-blade sharp and arguably a little bleak inside.

We liked it. The fourth generation, though, ditches the elfin attitude for something rather more substantial. Now a five-door model only, with a considerably longer wheelbase and bigger boot, the 2 has been transformed into a respectable five-seat hatchback. Although not conventional in Mazda’s book; the designers having shifted the A pillars 80mm rearwards for proportions that apparently contradict the class norm.

Perhaps. But the 2 is only modestly handsome; being slightly under-wheeled and looking for all the world like a scaled down Mazda 3 in the flesh. Underneath it shares in its sibling’s guiding principles, being another recipient of the manufacturer’s far-reaching SkyActiv technology.

Thus, despite being noticeably larger, it is practically no heavier, and, thanks to the greater proportion of high tensile steel in its belly, significantly stiffer.

There’s a choice of two four-cylinder engines; a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.5-litre petrol. The latter is offered in three power outputs; 74bhp, 89bhp and 114bhp, while the smoker comes solely as an all-new 104bhp option - capable of claimed 83mpg and 89g/km CO2 emissions. 

Serious numbers, and delivered – once again – by Mazda’s seemingly superior attention to engineering detail. The diesel shares some of the SkyActiv tech used on the recent (and exceptional) 2.2-litre engine, or else downscales it for use in a smaller package. Hence there is the same ultra-low compression ratio and a great emphasis on thermal efficiency. 

As standard there are both five and six-speed manual gearboxes, while an (untried) updated and lightened conventional auto takes on the slusher duties.

We drove pre-production cars (the 2 doesn’t launch in the UK until the spring) in predictably well-equipped format. Mazda won’t be drawn on UK spec yet, but the infotainment screen is expected to be standard fair and there’s a small heap of new safety tech, including lane assist and blind spot monitoring.

While recent additions to the Mazda lineup have impressed us, a common theme has been the humdrum character of their cabins. Not so the 2.

It’s no surprise to learn that Ryo Yanagisawa, Mazda’s chief designer and the man responsible for the car’s styling inside and out, trained as an interior designer. Up front it’s a minor triumph; incorporating a muscular swathe of dashboard, a natty but fully formed centre console and a gunsight of an instrument binnacle in the kind of limited space that would usually become cluttered by so many standout features.

Outclassing the class is the phrase Mazda likes, and for once, it rings true. The sophistication of the dash, in attractiveness at least, is in a different league to the mainstream opposition. It’s functional too – the centre console might look like the front of a 10 year old PC, but you can plug all manner of things into it, and the slick switchgear above makes a mockery of those used in the new Vauxhall Corsa.