Mazda 2

• Price£9999
• We like...Sporty drive
• We don't...Cheap-looking interior

As part of our tests, we tug and tweak every fitting and fixture to assess for you, dear reader, how well the car’s screwed together. Rarely does anything come away in our hands. But, this time, as we yanked away, a small chunk of dash in this 2 came adrift. Hmmm...

Mazda bangs on about how it has made this 2 lighter and smaller where most rivals have become bigger and porkier. That’s good. But if the car has become a bit flimsy along the way, that’s a worry.

We should add that our 2 drove without squeaks or rattles. But the cabin does, in places, look cheap and behind-the-times. We’d swear the lever controlling the heater air intake is taken straight from a 1980s Mazda 323. The patterned seat fabrics look if they’ve time-warped in from that decade, too.

The old 2 was one we’d file under ‘worthy, but dull’, so it’s cheering that Mazda has injected some zip into this newcomer. As Mazda’s ‘zoom, zoom, ad campaign suggests it’s even, dare we say, a bit of a hooligan. The 86bhp 1.3 motor feels swift enough, while its quick steering and snickety-snick gears urge you to try harder in it. The impression is reinforced by a leather-clad steering wheel, a dash-mounted gear shifter and a driving position that’s cosy but also spot-on. The ride is firm but it trundles over the bumps well.

The TS2 sits mid-way up the model ranking, and comes with the air conditioning and the full suite of electric gizmos that you’d expect for its £10,000 price. But there are a couple of things missing, which annoy. First, there’s no engine temperature gauge. Instead, Mazda has installed a warning light that glows until the motor is warmed. At night, it’s a dazzling blue. Next to it, the car shows a series of bars to show how much fuel remains, in place of a proper dial and pointer. It’s vague, and hard to see. Last and most important, the markings for 30, 50 and 70mph on the big speedo are too vague for our liking.

And while its light weight and weeny dimensions help the C2’s low CO2 rating of 129g/km and 52.3mpg official average, it also means that the cabin is cramped if you’re a six-footer sat in the rear. Boot space is middling but the rear seats only drop their backs rather than double-fold.

If you love the way it drives and you’re sold on its looks, fine. But, for similar money, a VW Polo or Vauxhall’s Corsa ticks more boxes.

Mazda 2 TS2 hatchback datafile

• Engines 1.3
• Power 86bhp
• 0-60 mph 12.9 sec
• Economy 52.3 mpg
• CO2g/km 129
• Insurance groups 4E
• Airbags 6
• Seats 5