Motors North

Make

ANY AC AIXAM ALFA ROMEO ASIA ASTON MARTIN AUBURN AUDI AUSTIN BENTLEY BMW BRISTOL BUGATTI CADILLAC CATERHAM CHEVROLET CHRYSLER CITROEN COLEMAN MILNE DAEWOO DAIHATSU DAIMLER DATSUN DAX DE TOMASO DODGE FERRARI FIAT FORD FSO GINETTA GMC HILLMAN HOLDEN HONDA HUMMER HYUNDAI INFINITI ISUZU JAGUAR JEEP JENSEN KIA KOENIGSEGG LADA LAMBORGHINI LANCIA LAND ROVER LEXUS LIGIER LINCOLN LOTUS MARCOS MASERATI MAYBACH MAZDA MCLAREN MERCEDES-BENZ MERCURY MG MICROCAR MINI MITSUBISHI MITSUOKA MORGAN MORRIS NISSAN NOBLE OPEL PAGANI PANTHER PERODUA PEUGEOT PILGRIM PLYMOUTH PONTIAC PORSCHE PROTON RELIANT RENAULT RILEY ROLLS-ROYCE ROVER SAAB SEAT SINGER SKODA SMART SSANGYONG SUBARU SUNBEAM SUZUKI TALBOT TATA TOYOTA TRIUMPH TVR ULTIMA VAUXHALL VOLKSWAGEN VOLVO WESTFIELD WOLSELEY YUGO

Model

ANY

Area

ANY Badenoch and Strathspey Caithness Inverness Inverness Area and Loch Ness Lochaber Moray Nairn and District Ross and Cromarty Sutherland Other

Price From

0 500 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 90000 100000

Price To

500 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 90000 100000

Your Local Newspaper

Inverness Courier Highland News
North Star Lochaber News Northern Scot
Ross-shire Journal Caithness Courier
John O Groat Journal Northern Times
Forres Gazette Banffshire Journal
Strathspey and Badenoch Herald

Copyright SPP Group

our test drives or view them all

Mazda2 1.3 TS2 three-door

IT’S no surprise that 13,000 Mazda2 superminis were sold in the UK last year – it’s a winner.

The original five-door version was our motorsnorth north of Scotland Supermini of the Year in 2008 – a worthy winner that was clearly set for greatness.

Since then an important addition has joined the five-door. For £500 less Mazda2 comes in three-door guise with a sporty new look, but no less space or comfort.

Last year was Mazda UK’s second best sales period with 50,402 sold units. But Mazda’s not being over-optimistic about 2009 and predicts the recession will erode even its excellent record and reduce sales to around 42,000 cars.

Times are tough for the motor trade – but Mazda is better set than most to weather the financial storm. And when it comes to top sales the affordable supermini is sure to lead the charge.

There are 10 models in the range – five five-doors and five three-doors. Trim levels start with the TS, move on to the TS2 and end with the Sport. Petrol engine choice is either 1.3 (75bhp and 86bhp) or a 103bhp 1.5. A noisy 68bhp 1.4 turbodiesel is also available that can average 65mpg but robs the Mazda2 of its petrol refinement.

The three-door 1.3 petrol 16-valve TS2 tested here is a well-appointed mid-range version that costs £9408 on the road, before discount. That’s good value for a carefully-designed and exceptionally well assembled small car that comes from a stable where reliability is taken for granted.

What’s good about the three-door is its rear seat space and access. Headroom is excellent with plenty of shoulder space. That’s unusual in stylish three-doors where your noggin often touches the headlining because the rear passengers have been shoe-horned into the back. But not on the Mazda2.

Even the front seatbacks have sensible tilting mechanisms. Instead of a lever mounted at the top of the seatbacks, Mazda has opted for a simple pull-tag low down at hinge level. It makes much more sense, is easy to see and use and allows reasonable space to climb in and out over the seatbelt.

What’s less impressive is the car’s lively ride – especially for those in the back. It’s hardly excessive, but the Mazda2’s crisp and accurate handling comes at the cost of a relaxed ride. Having said that, room is first class and the seats comfortable and supportive for such a small car.

I took three passengers to Oban and back over the poor and ice-bound A86 and there was not a murmur of complaint from any of them – not even one incorrigible moaner who normally finds something to greet about no matter how good the car may be!

The relatively large volume created inside the cabin that aids passenger space also delivers good cargo ability. With the rear seats in use the rather narrow hatch accesses a useful 250 litres of cargo area, while folding the back pair turns this handy little runabout into a mini van with 787 litres of packable space.

It all adds to the Mazda2’s all-round ability. It handles beautifully, is roomy, great to drive and has a lightweight construction that may help rob it of some ride quality but compensates the owner with great agility.

Saving weight was one of Mazda’s top goals with this car. The three-door TS2 I tested weighs in at just over a tonne – and feels it. Acceleration is lively with rest to 62mph in 12.9 seconds and overtaking times through the close-set gearbox ratios making slower traffic little problem providing the 1.3’s revs are kept up.

The 86bhp 16-valve petrol is a sweety. True, it has a gruff top end, but in the cruise and round town it hums away to itself and is always willing to respond to throttle.

On test, I managed to average 55mpg – just ahead of its "official" combined average. That’s a good economy figure although it will tail off to around 40mpg if you get carried away and start enjoying its kart-like handling a little too much.

As superminis go, the Mazda2 is up with the very best. It’s a very close cousin to the new Ford Fiesta, another excellent small runabout, and as such shares lots of the Blue Oval newcomer’s technology. That’s good news and both supermini rivals benefit from their family ties.

Where the Mazda moves ahead of the Fiesta is in individuality. The Mazda2 will be seen in far fewer numbers than the newer Fiesta – not because it’s in any way inferior but because it won’t be in the same volume sector.

So to stay aloof from the masses and drive a car with verve and spirit – stick with the Mazda.

I’m still disappointed Mazda charges extra for electronic stability control. I think £387 for its DSC system is a cheek – especially when Ford charges just £294 for ESP on the Fiesta range. A car like the Mazda2 is so well appointed in other areas that to ask a buyer to fork out more for what I regard as an essential safety system is asking a bit much. It only comes as standard when you go to the top of the range with the 1.5 litre 103bhp Sport at £11,160.

Mind you, Mazda doesn’t even offer ESP on the 1.4D turbodiesel model while the Fiesta 1.4 TDCi gets it at the same price as petrol Fiestas. What’s more, the TS2 version I tested might be seen as a bargain in this area compared to the entry-level 1.3 TS where DSC comes with optional side airbags at a cost of £539 on a car that has a price tag of £7930.

Which makes the 1.3 TS2 three-door even better value. It comes with front, side and curtain airbags as standard along with front belt pre-tensioners, ABS, sporty 15-inch alloys, air conditioning, central locking, an alarm and immobiliser, leather trimmed steering wheel, power steering, electric heated and folding door mirrors, powered front windows, split and fold rear seat and excellent RDS radio equipment with CD that can be controlled from the steering wheel. Metallic paint is a good value £343 option.

The Mazda2 is easy to live with. I don’t like the hard plastic dash materials that let the car’s overall ambience down, but for comfort, economy, fun and practicality it’s a hard act to follow.

Rating: 8/10

FINAL THOUGHT: Last year the Mazda2 was the motorsnorth north of Scotland Supermini Car of the Year. That was in its launch five-door trim where it proved better than anything else on the market. This year it has strong competition from Ford’s clone, the new Fiesta, but that does not alter the fact that the Mazda2 is a leader. It is still a cracking small hatchback that’s extended its appeal with the latest three-door bodyshell. Great to drive, it offers excellent rear seat space and relatively easy access in a three-door guise that gives it a sporty look. It is still a prince among superminis.

Mazda2 1.3 TS2 three-door

• Price: £9408
• Capacity: 1348cc
• Power: 86bhp
• 0-62mph: 12.9 seconds
• Maximum speed: 107mph
• Economy: Combined 52.3mpg; Urban 40.9mpg
• CO2 emissions: 129g/km
• ESP: £387 DSC option
• Insurance: Group 4E