THE new Mazda2 follows much the same formula as the last, except that Mazda has moved away from a ‘tall-boy’ body and replaced it with a lower-riding, sleeker hatchback form. It has the same wheelbase of 2490mm, is wider, but is not as tall or as long. Surprisingly, the new 1.5-litre engine has less power than the previous model, while torque is down slightly. These changes can be attributed to Euro IV emission adjustments. Fuel consumption is down by between 0.2 and 0.4L/100km, with manual models using a combined average of 6.4L/100km and autos consuming 6.8L/100km. Efficiency is helped by the fact that the new Mazda2 is 60kg lighter than the previous model. It all adds up to a car which is better in a lot of ways but still feels like an affordable light car.