Mazda 2 1.5 Sport (2007) CAR review

What’s that new 1.5-litre engine like?

Apart from sounding a little gruff above 4500rpm, the new alloy blocked engine pulls cleanly and smoothly, returns 48mpg on the combined cycle and its 140g/km CO2 figure means its sits in a lower tax band than the model it replaces. It's a pretty high-tech unit too - it features variable inlet-cam timing, variable-length inlet tracks plus swirl valves to boost combustion efficiency. Despite relatively short 20mph/1000rpm gearing in top, it’s a quiet cruiser and only starts to sound hoarse above 90mph. It’s an engaging little package that delivers a genuinely spirited driving experience. And there’s even talk of a hot three-door MPS version arriving later next year. There’s no way Mazda’s existing 2.0-litre unit will fit in the 2’s tight engine bay, so bank on a 150bhp blown version of the existing 1.5-litre engine.

It sounds like a great little package. What’s the catch?

The cabin. Although it's incredibly spacious on the inside – sitting four six-footers is not a problem at all, and the boot is more than adequate despite retaining the same 2490mm wheelbase as before – the quality of some of the plastics used on the neat dashboard is uncharacteristically below par for Mazda. The swathe of dimpled dash-top material is hard and shiny, and the plastics on the centre console are prone to scratching and marking. And the dials are hardly going to win any design awards. Still, it felt solidly bolted together, and despite a steering wheel with rake-only adjustment, the driving position is spot-on and visibility is good.