Mazda2 2007 review: road test

It's fair to say the Mazda2 has never really lived up to expectations. Competing against the likes of Toyota's renamed Yaris and the popular Hyundai Getz, it languishes near the middle of the light car field. The tall, rather boxy but practical design is mostly to blame, because there's nothing wrong with the rest of it. It's just one of those cars crying out for a dash of excitement.

With this in mind, it was to the controversial RX8's designer Ikuo "Speedy" Maeda that Mazda turned. The result unveiled at the recent Geneva motor show could mark the turning point for Mazda's ugly duckling.

Although it shares the same wheelbase, it's slightly wider but sits shorter and lower than the current model - 15mm wider, 41mm shorter and 65mm lower to be exact. It's also significantly lighter, about 100kg overseas but closer to 65kg with equipment changes by the time it gets to us.

Although the Mazda2 sits on an entirely new platform, the engine and transmissions are carry-overs from the current model. We take the most powerful of the engines offered, a 1.5-litre twin cam four cylinder unit, hooked up to either a five speed manual or four-speed auto.

The engine has been recalibrated to meet strict European emission regulations, with a slight loss of power as a result. Power is down from 82 to 76kW at 6000rpm and torque from 141 to 136Nm at 4000rpm.There's also a 1.4-litre diesel in the offing, but it's not on the shopping list at this stage.

True to his nickname, the designer Maeda tried to impart a sense of motion to the car. Its strong forward stance incorporates a plunging bonnet and large, steeply raked windscreen. The front in turn is complemented by a window line that rises dramatically towards the rear and its cheeky, upturned rump.

Inside, Mr Maeda wanted to get away from the cheap feel that he said pervades small cars, favouring chunky controls and curved rather than flat surfaces. The designer said Mazda spent almost a year looking for the key element to the design, which he describes as "agility."

Engineers meanwhile concentrated on shaving as much weight as possible, with the use of lightweight, high tensile steel in strategic areas.

Final suspension tuning was carried out in Europe, so it will be interesting to see how the car copes with our rougher roads. On the smooth test circuit where we drove the car, it proved to be plenty of fun.

The seating and driving position are comfortable, with plenty of support from the heavily bolstered sports seats. The gear shift has been moved to the lower part of the dash to create more storage space between the seats and falls easily to hand.

The test cars were all manuals fitted with electronic stability control (DSC) which will be optional. Brakes remain discs front and drums back as is the norm in this size car, with anti-lock brakes standard.

Pushed to the limit the Mazda2 remains stable, confident and easily controlled, with a DSC system that doesn't intrude. The car responded well to hard braking and sudden changes of direction - more like a pricey Euro than the cheap Japanese hatch that it is.

Based on looks alone the new Mazda2 should win many new hearts. The excellent dynamics are a bonus, but then the current model wasn't too shabby in this department either.

Rear legroom is not what you could call fantastic but there's plenty of head room. Two airbags are standard and the short deep boot hides a space saver spare wheel.

Fuel economy is yet to be tested, but Mazda reckons it will come in between 6.0 and 6.5 litres/100km. The current model is good for 6.6 litres/100km in manual form.

Its yet to be crash tested but the company is predicting the car will earn a maximum five-star safety rating.