ARE you a motorist who enjoys hurtling along country lanes? Or how about crashing a supermini through huge puddles while grinning like a madman?
If so, the Mazda 2 could be right up your street - especially if you believe the TV advert for the Japanese company's new supermini.
The bright and breezy promo, backed up by the annoyingly catchy "zoom, zoom, zoom" theme tune, does a great job in showing the Mazda 2 as a fun-filled drive.
The real-life experience doesn't disappoint either. The Mazda 2 is nippy, easy to drive, and quite good-looking, too.
In terms of exterior style, the Mazda 2 Sport appears purposeful - thankfully the designers have avoided producing too boxy a supermini with enough curves and lines to make it easy on the eye. Particularly distinctive is the front spoiler with large air intakes, front fog lamps, 15-inch alloy wheels and rear spoiler.
On the road, the Mazda 2 offers a satisfying rather than adrenalin-pumping drive. The 1.6-litre engine produces 100PS taking the car from start to 62mph in more than 11 seconds. While this is hardly the quickest car out of the blocks, it's rescued by the fact that it feels light and nippy.
Around town or on open roads, the Mazda 2 feels comfortable thanks to decent pulling power, sporty dynamics and responsive handling. The gearstick is smooth to operate and you get a good economy figure of almost 40mpg.
There are also plenty of safety features including anti-lock brakes and emergency brake assist.
The interior of my Mazda 2 was both good and bad. Good, in that it is spacious (there's room for up to five people) and the dashboard is well-designed with controls well-placed and easy to operate. Also, for a supermini, the Mazda 2 is well-blessed in terms of storage space with a maximum of 1,044 litres.
Bad, because of the rather nasty colour of the seat fabric - a disgusting blue and black. The seats were comfortable, however, and the driving position also gives a good view of the road.
Overall, the Mazda 2 is a pretty good effort and worth checking out.
FAST FACTS
Mazda 2 1.6 5dr Sport
Price: £11,995
Mechanical: 100PS, 1,596cc, 4cyl, 16V petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd gearbox
Max speed: 112mph
0-62mph: 11.4secs
Combined mpg: 39.8
Insurance group: 6E
CO2 emissions: 168g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 6yrs anti-rust