Mazda2 Sport

Sitting at the top end of the trim range, the Mazda2 Sport features an expansive standard equipment list and big alloy wheels to make it stand out from the crowd. The Sport trim is similarly priced to a Ford Fiesta Titanium and is very competitive against the Ford in many areas.

The Mazda2's design comes from the 'Hazumi' concept car seen at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014, and very little has changed from the concept's striking looks. Those chunky alloy wheels look great but can spoil the ride a little on bumpier roads. The Sport trim has all-round electric windows, automatic climate control, rain-sensing windscreen wipers and rear parking sensors. Automatic headlights, keyless entry and rear privacy glass also make the cut.

The Mazda2 Sport's engine line-up is pretty small, as just one petrol and one diesel are offered. Both, however, use Mazda's fuel-saving SKYACTIV tech, so they are pretty economical. The 104bhp 1.5-litre diesel is the most fuel efficient, producing up to 83.1mpg and emissions of just 89g/km, so it avoids road tax. The 89bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine is still good, as it's capable of 62.8mpg. The petrol emits 105g/km, which isn't quite enough to escape road tax, but it's just £20 per year. The optional automatic gearbox decreases the claimed fuel economy by around 4mpg.

Good points

The Mazda2 Sport prides itself on great running costs. The petrol engine comes close to matching the claimed economy figures of the EcoBoost petrol engines seen in the Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus, while the SKYACTIV diesel completely trumps the offerings from Ford. The highest amount of road tax you'll pay for any Mazda2 Sport is £30 per year.Compared to more conservatively designed rivals like the Volkswagen Polo, the Mazda2 is very stylish. It also looks great in almost any of the colour options available but particularly the Soul Red metallic finish.Coming in at the higher end of the trim list, the Mazda2 Sport is well equipped. All-round parking sensors and automatic climate control are luxuries that are usually only equipped to larger cars.

Bad points

The well-built interior is peppered with some sub-par materials. Although the dashboard is rather solid and quite sporty, some of the cheaper materials quickly showed wear and tear on the test car we used in our Mazda2 review.The petrol engine can become very loud when revved hard, with a noisy, coarse sound coming into the cabin. It's fine in most situations, but the interior lacks a little extra soundproofing to keep noise to a minimum when the engine is worked hard.The larger alloy wheels fitted to the Sport trim can harm the overall comfort more than other trim levels on bumpy roads. Potholes and big creases in country roads can turn into jolts through the cabin and upsets the ride.

What you get

• Alloy wheels
• Folding rear seats
• Electric folding wing mirrors
• Alarm
• Rear parking sensors
• Tyre pressure sensors
• Passenger & Driver airbag
• Front side airbags
• Curtain airbags
• Front fog lights
• Auto climate control
• Leather steering wheel
• Height adjustable driver's seat
• Front electric windows
• Single CD player
• AUX stereo input
• DAB Radio
• Cruise control
• Automatic wipers
• Rear electric windows
• Bluetooth

Our choice

The 1.5-litre SKYACTIV diesel is your better bet because of that impressive fuel economy figure. The 104bhp available from the economical engine should also be more than enough for most buyers needs.