DOWNSIZER’S DELIGHT

Mazda2 is comfortable, solid and sprightly

THE first time I went to Barcelona was on a school tour in 1978. I turned 15 half way through the fortnight away, and that’s an age at which a place can leave a lasting impression; I still love it and the surrounding area.

In the years since, I have been back many times, but usually only to the beach resorts in Catalunya. That’s why, last week, it was a pleasure to explore the hinterland in a bit more depth, this time in the latest Mazda2 Hybrid.

We were based in Calafell, about an hour south of Barcelona, and the driving route first took me into Tarragona, where massive yachts, some seized from Russian oligarchs as part of the Ukraine war sanctions, dot the harbour.

The real fun came afterwards, though. Once away from the urban streets and the motorway, you enter the real Catalunya, a landscape of jagged mountain peaks, and endless vineyards basking under relentless sun. What a joy it was to see deep blue skies after the miserable greyness of the first few months of the year here.

My test car was the top-ofthe-range Mazda2 Homura Plus variant, which comes with a sunroof, all the better to see that lovely sky. The car, as you probably know, is a joint venture with Toyota, so there’s the unmistakeable feel of the Yaris about it, though both are equally pretty in the metal.

THAT means there’s a certain familiarity about the 1.5-litre petrol engine matched with a 59kW electric motor and a continuous variable transmission (CVT). I’ve never been wild about CVTs, because they often feel a little bit wheezy even on relatively unchallenging gradients, but the Mazda2 leapt up the hills if not quite like a gazelle, then certainly like a mountain goat.

On the straights, it felt solid, despite a sub-4m length, and where that matters is in the assured handling, not just on the country roads but on the motorways too, where outside noise was no match for the good insulation. This is a very quiet car when you’re touring.

Irish pricing has yet to be announced, but expect an entry-level model to cost around €28,000, with Homura Plus more expensive. To the basic spec, it adds a 10.5inch infotainment display — compared with 9-inch basic — a 12.3-inch digital instrument screen, satnav, headup display, and voice recognition. You also get 17-inch wheels, over the 15-inch on the standard model, and that sunroof.

There are four grades — Centre-Line, Exclusive-Line, Homura and Homura Plus — and, depending on which one you opt for, you’ll get the likes of keyless entry, parking sensors, wireless phone charging and so on.

All variants come with air conditioning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, speed assistance, emergency steering assist, and so on. It’s a very comprehensive safety package.

As for looks, well, Mazda always does the business for me in that department, and here it’s done enough to make it look different to the Yaris, no matter how marginally. You get a distinctive Mazda grille, cats-eye headlights, and a nicely weighted balance between front and rear. The large hatchback reveals a cargo space that feels more generous than the advertised 286 litres — 935 with the rear bench folded — and while passenger legroom is just about fine for tall people, the width is more suited to two adults than three.

At 97g/km, emissions are low enough to attract annual motor tax of just €170, while fuel consumption of 4.2 litres per 100km is not going to break anyone’s bank.

This also is a very comfortable car. I spent a solid threeand-a-half hours tootling around all sorts of roads and surfaces, and never once felt a sharp jolt, or felt tired behind the wheel.

Classy cloth upholstery helps, and the unfussy fascia feels like everything is where it should be.

My only regret is that I stopped for a coffee at one stage, at a restaurant with a terrace overlooking vineyards and at the mountain in the distance. There was a lovely bit of heat, even in March, and the sound of birdsong everywhere.

As it happened, the restaurant was closed, but I sat on the terrace for ten minutes anyway, contemplating what it would be like to wander up here in the afternoon during retirement, sip a lazy glass of one of the local vintages and just watch the world go by.

At all other times of the day, I certainly would be happy to be back in the Mazda2.

It’s a lovely piece of kit, and certainly should be on your shopping list if you too are thinking of downsizing.