Mazda 2 1.5 Sport (2007) CAR review

So what’s the line-up like?

Pretty straightforward really. It will initially come with the choice of three new petrol engines – a 1.3-litre with 75bhp and 86bhp, and a 1.5-litre with 103bhp – and all three are hooked up to five-speed manuals. A funkier three-door version arrives next summer as will a five-speed auto and the 68bhp 1.4-litre turbodiesel from the current engine line-up will debut in January. Mazda will use the familiar TS, TS2 and Sport names, with prices ranging from £8500 to the £12,500 1.5 Sport we drove here. Spec levels are decent enough. The TS2 – expected to be the key seller – gets four front airbags, traction and stability controls, 15-inch alloys, a powerful CD-MP3 stereo and a nifty multi-function steering wheel.

Small Mazdas have never exactly shone. How does this one drive?

The budget-oriented drivers this car is aimed at are unlikely to have outright dynamism at the top of their list of must-haves, so they’ll be more than surprised by the 2’s peppy handling and outright agility. Ditching that 100kg means the little Mazda always feels sprightly and energetic, even if its on-paper stats are modest. There’s fine body control, a compliant ride from the MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension, and although the electrically assisted steering is wafer-light, it’s enjoyably accurate and direct.