Mazda2: month 3

Arrived: Dec 2007
List price (including options): £11,799
Average economy: 33.4mpg

The Mazda2 has been -

Sat in many an airport car park. Despite my intentions to run it more it has been an absolutely hectic month for new car launches. That and I've been away enjoying the snow doing some skiing. So it's been lots of early starts and runs to the airport for the 2, and it's perfectly suited to this task. Although I know the way, I always use my TomTom satnav on such trips, as it informs me of any traffic snarl-ups before the radio does. Combined with my Bluetooth speaker hanging off the visor the 2's been looking like a Halfords advert lately. Usefully, the 2's glovebox is a decent size (even accounting for the huge owner's manual that takes up the bizarre open front portion of it), so I can cram everything in there to keep light fingered opportunists from smashing a window and pinching my stuff.

We're loving the -

Driving position. Superminis have spent the last decade really growing up, and the 2's driving position is spot on, providing excellent comfort and decent all-round visibility. The pedals are well spaced, and the high mounted gearlever is spot on. It's a pleasure to drive too, the steering pretty crisp, the 2's nose very faithful to input behind the wheel. My commute takes me through Milton Keynes and if I'm a little later to leave the office than usual the 2 ensures I return home fizzing from all those roundabouts. The standard DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) has never interrupted my fun, its limits remaining high enough to let the 2 provide an entertaining drive.

The stereo might not be the most powerful we've experienced, but the aux-in socket is great. I'm a big music fan and having it allows me to bring 700+ albums in my iPod for the longer trips. Steering wheel mounted volume controls are also welcome, as are the handy buttons for the trip computer and cruise control. I rarely use the cruise, but it can be useful in camera-watched motorway roadworks to maintain a steady speed.

But not so impressed by -

The boot. I'm a recent convert to golfing and it's almost impossible to get my clubs in the boot with them all in the bag. That might seem unnecessarily critical, but it's something I can do in my 17-year-old 205 GTI with ease. I guess that's the price you pay for additional crash protection at the rear - I'd much rather crash the robust 2 than my ancient, flimsy 205. Given Mazda's impressive weight saving with the 2 I'm still a little disappointed in the fuel consumption, which steadfastly refuses to budge above the mid 30s mark. I'm probably a big contributor to that though, but even so I'd expect better. Like most of you I'm not the biggest fan of filling up, which makes it rather annoying that returning to the 2 after seemingly filling it to the brim has the last little blob on the digital fuel gauge still missing. It has happened several times, so I've now taken to rocking the 2 a bit when I'm filling it up. It seems to do the trick, even if I do look like a berk doing it.

We're looking forward to -

Taking the 2 on a proper trip. We've only got it on a short loan, and I want to take it for weekend epic. Perhaps a run up to Scotland to visit friends and family, as there's no greater test than doing big miles in a short time to really see if a car's up to scratch. I don't doubt it'd do a great job.

Kyle Fortune