There is general agreement that Mazda has re-established itself in no uncertain terms as a serious player in the supermini sector with the new 2 launched earlier this year.
The previous Mazda2 seemed a decent enough car when it was introduced back in 2007, but it was starting to feel like an artefact created by long-extinct hominids by the time production stopped. Its replacement is better in every way, not least in that it looks far elegant.
All current Mazda2 models have a 1.5-litre engine, one of them fuelled by diesel and three others by petrol. The car being reviewed here had the most powerful petrol unit, which can produce 114bhp.
Mazda believes that the 89bhp version will be more popular, and I can see why. By all means buy the 114bhp version if you want the best available straight-line performance. No other 2 can match its 124mph top speed or 8.7-second 0-62mph time. But you have to rev it hard to make this happen. Up to 4,000rpm, a speed few owners are likely to exceed, the two engines perform identically.
If you need an automatic gearbox, you're going to have to give this one a miss, because it's available with a six-speed manual only. Mazda reserves its auto boxes for less powerful 2s. The manual is worth savouring, though, since it has a memorably fine shift quality, unmatched by most other superminis.
The handling, though far from sporty, is nevertheless well suited to the car's purpose. I'd prefer a smoother ride over sharp bumps, which is almost certainly a suspension issue rather than a wheel-and-tyre one. The Sport Nav has 16-inch wheels, but lesser models running on 15s don't ride noticeably better.
Access to the luggage compartment isn't great thanks to a very high load sill, but that's a problem with most cars in the class. There's 280 litres of space available, or 930 if you fold down the rear seats - good figures, certainly, but the Fiesta is roomier. There isn't much space for rear passengers either, and for that you can blame this high-end model's sports seats. The more basic ones further down the range improve matters considerably.
In Sport Nav form, the 2 costs £15,995. For that, you get climate control air-conditioning, satellite navigation, keyless entry and start, Lane Departure Warning, Smart City Brake Support, privacy glass, rear parking sensors and automatic headlights and wipers. The test car also had Sport Red metallic paint, costing £650, and the Safety Pack (blind spot monitoring, active driving display and high beam control) which you can have for a further £400.