Mazda 2 1.5 Sport Black Edition Review

This limited-edition supermini looks the part. But is it flattering to deceive?
Mazda 2: the latest of many special editions
John Calne14 October 2015

This version of the Mazda 2 is the latest of many special editions from the Japanese manufacturer.

It adorns the standard Sport Nav model with 16” alloys, black spoilers, enhanced sills and a chrome exhaust finisher.

It’s powered by the familiar 1.5-litre petrol engine, whose 89bhp is channelled through a sweetly shifting five-speed manual box.

That helps if you want to wring the engine’s neck, and as well as being nippy around town it’s pleasingly capable on the open road – though it’ll raise its voice at you for going in search of all its power.

It’s powered by the familiar 1.5-litre petrol engine

You need to deal with a bit of engine noise on a fast cruise, too. And while they do look the business, the lower-profile tyres wrapped around those big alloys do their bit to upset ride quality on bumpy roads.

None of these things will add to your enjoyment of the car. And they won’t do much to placate your rear-seat passengers, either, who’ll hardly be feeling overwhelmed by the space they have.

Nonetheless, the cabin is well made and tidily laid out. And you get a decent set of toys, including a very fine 7” display, auto lights and wipers, rear parking sensors and privacy glass.

The cabin is well made and tidily laid out

What you don’t get is climate control. This has been rather cheekily deleted from the base model and replaced with more basic air-con.

You also don’t get the option of black paint. What’s this car called again?

Oh, and the graphics and black mirror trims on the vehicle in the picture? You don’t get those, either, at least not without stumping up an extra £394.

None of this points to the Black Edition being where the smart money will go. And sure enough, when the SE-L nav version of the same car would save you a grand and cost you little in the way of A-list kit, it looks too much like one of those special-edition models that comes on strong but flatters to deceive.

Mazda 2 1.5 Sport Black

On sale: Now

Price: £15,395

Engine: 4 cyls, 1496cc, petrol

Power: 89bhp at 6000rpm

Torque: 201lb ft at 4000rpm

Gearbox: 5-spd manual

Kerb weight: 1050kg

Top speed: 114mph

0-62mph: 9.4sec

Economy: 62.8mpg (combined)

CO2 rating & BIK tax band: 105g/km, 16%

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT