Ian Lamming relives his youth in the brand new Mazda2
THERE’S something strangely nostalgic about little cars.
Somehow they transport you back to your youth when they were all you could afford and they helped you develop your road craft safely within the confines of moderate performance.
Small cars have to be driven and as such remind you of the joys of driving. In the larger, more powerful machines, we tend to waft along, virtual passengers, while the cars do all the work.
So time with Mazda’s new ‘2’ proves to be surprisingly enjoyable because it is there to be driven.
It’s a smart enough little five-door hatchback with a new black honeycomb grille, a sleeker bumper design, and decorative dash panels. The Mazda corporate nose, compact proportions and tidy back end result in a big green tick for the new look, which is positively sporty.
Being a Mazda it shares the sheen of high quality build with the rest of the family. These things are built by people who really care about their product and this is evident when you slip inside.
The interior oozes class and you have to constantly remind yourself that you are in something small and affordable. The build is exemplary with tight panel gaps, lovely finish and thecomplete absence of anything that could approach a squeak or a rattle. It just feels amazingly well put together in a way you don’t really expect from a small car.
Mazda2, in the top of the range Homura Aka trim, is exceptionally well specified and it feels like a little pocket of luxury with expensive materials and every gadget going, including excellent infotainment, satnav, climate control, cruise, head-up display and decent sound system. The Homura Aka features black half leather seats with red accents, a soft touch black dash panel with red stitching and a heated leather steering wheel with red stitching. Nice!
Mazda likes to stick a reasonable lump under the bonnet so where you might expect a 1.0 litre in this size of car it has shoehorned a 1.5. On paper this offers a healthy 115PS; once upon a time that would have made it a hot-hatch, not anymore. But while the power is there you have to go hunting for it as the maximum torque lives on the higher side of the rev range.
This means the six speed gearbox has to be stirred regularly, particularly when overtaking. Thankfully the manual gearbox is dreamy and a joy to use, so’s the light clutch. This makes spirted cross country sorties a hoot – hence the idea of reverting to youth.
When you can’t be bothered, the Mazda2 is happy enough to cruise at the legal limits and is frugal enough to achieve 52mpg with ease. On the road it feels taut and precise. Thesuspension does a fine job of masking the lumps and bumps and an even better one of controlling the body through the bends – now that’s something that won’t remind you of your youth when wallowing and pogoing was all the rage.
Hand on heart the Mazda2 might not have strayed onto my test radar without being prompted and that would have been a great shame because it is a fine little car.
It represents a shot glass of luxury sharing all the consummate qualities of Mazda’s excellent range of vehicles while being a welcome reminder of what it is like to truly drive a car.
Fact File
Mazda2 Homura Aka
Engine: 1.5 petrol
Power: 115PS
Top speed: 124mph
0-62mph: 9.1 secs
Combined MPG: 56.5
Transmission: Six-speed manual
CO2 g/km: 113
Price: from £22,985.00
