Image 1 of 11
Mileage: 2,979
Real world fuel economy: 45.6mpg
“Mazda is the brand to have at the moment.” Those aren’t my words, they’re coming from Graham Doley, General Sales Manager at Croydon Mazda, as we look across the showroom towards the sparkling ‘Dynamic Blue’ Mazda 2 supermini that’s just arrived on our long term test fleet.
Now, it would be easy to put Graham’s assertion down to the usual patented car salesman bluster but looking around the Croydon Mazda showroom at various examples of the Mazda 3, Mazda 6 and Mazda CX-5, it’s clear that Mazda’s is a range without conspicuous weak points. With the Mazda2 having just hit dealers around the country and both the CX-3 and new MX-5 to follow, there’s definitely cause optimism, and you can quote me on that.
Image 2 of 11
Anyway, we’re about to find out first hand just how optimistic UK Mazda dealers can realistically be. I’ve come to Croydon Mazda to take delivery of a new Mazda2 1.5 petrol in plush Sport Nav trim on behalf of Auto Express. It’s taking its place on our long term test fleet for the toughest of motoring evaluations.
This is a £15,995 supermini with a paint upgrade, a striking Light Stone leather interior and a safety pack pushing the on-the-road price up to £17,725. Even these days, that seems a lot of cash for a supermini but this Mazda2 feels the very definition of ‘fully loaded’ with its slick sat-nav and infotainment system, a neat head-up display, blind-spot monitoring and much, much more.
The family-owned Driftbridge Group that runs Croydon Mazda also represents the Volkswagen and Audi franchises in the area and that produces interesting comparison. Those German brands occupy the upmarket territory that Mazda has ambitions of pushing itself into with cars like the 2.
Image 10 of 11
Is the Mazda2 really up to the task of steeling sales from the Volkswagen Polo? Our early impressions are that it falls a little short in terms of the overriding quality feel in the Volkswagen product but in terms of sheer showroom wow-factor the Mazda may have an edge.
The thought of cream leather seats will give parents of young children serious palpitations but without the footprints and crisp crumbs they look great. There’s even more cream leather cutting a swathe across the passenger side of the dash to enhance the upmarket feel. The instrument cluster looks fantastic too, as does the central display screen with its clever interface blending touch and traditional controls.
For two weeks prior to this official handover, the Mazda 2 has been bedding into the fleet by serving as my family car, a big ask for any supermini. It’s done pretty well. The ISOFIX child seat mountings are very easy to locate through slits in the seat fabric and a tall front passenger can sit comfortably ahead of the bulky child seat once it’s installed. The boot has quite a lip but, surprisingly, our hefty pushchair can be coaxed inside, once you’ve perfected the technique.
Image 5 of 11
The driving position is good but the reach adjustment on the steering column is extremely stiff. Meanwhile, the shifting action on the 6-speed manual gearbox has to be one of the best out there on any supermini.
The 1.5-litre petrol engine does lack low-end grunt in certain situations, especially compared to the small turbo petrol units increasingly being used by rivals. The trade-off for this is a smooth supply of power right up to the 115bhp peak at 6,000rpm and beyond, at which point the engine takes on a sporty growl that should keep the keen driver coming back for more.
So it looks like optimism is the buzzword where Mazda is concerned. Croydon Mazda is only 18 months into its journey with the brand and the sales team were delighted to have sold 275 units in the first 12. “The cars just took off from day one,” says sales support manager Peter Lindsey as he hands me the keys to our Mazda 2 long termer, for which the early signs look just as good.
- On fleet: April 2015
- Price new: £15,995
- Price as tested: £17,725
- Engine: 1.5 4cyl, 113bhp
- CO2/tax: 117g/km/£30
- Insurance group: 19
- Problems: None so far
- Options: Metallic paint (£530), Light Stone leather trim (£800), Safety Pack (£400)