My first Irish drive in the new Mazda2 immediately confirmed my impressions from the international launch - this is a baby Mazda that's going to do the business for the brand in a real zoom-zoom manner.

Not least because, though built on the same platform as the Ford Fiesta, and on the same assembly line, it is very much its own car. In style, in interior decor, in sheer feel.

It replaces both the Demio and the 121, and for that last, my local Mazda dealer is very thankful. That 121 was simply a rebadged Fiesta, built in Britain, and as far as he was concerned it gave him the headaches of having to service a 3-year warranty for a car built to 1-year warranty standards.

Now both brands are built in Spain. Suggesting that lessons were learned all round.

The first thing about this Mazda2 is its friendly look and feel. This is a car that you buy for its practicality, sure, for the humdrums of school and shopping and commuter runs. But you'd also reckon it to be for the fun days.

My review car was the absolute basic model, but apart from the fact that it had manual-wind windows, you'd not feel it to be a bargain basement effort.

Quite the contrary. The carpets are plush, the seat material snazzy without being brash, the fixtures and fittings up to best in any class, and the smart titanium effect of the centre stack where heating and radio controls live is a true reflection of the standards achieved in the running-away-with-customers big sibling 6.

There are three individual head restraints in the rear, along with all the other safety elements we're now beginning not to notice because they're so ubiquitous: ABS with EBD (someday I'm going to do you a quiz on these acronyms, see if you still remember what they are?), emergency brake assist (EBA), and Advanced Restraint System that includes dual-stage front airbags.

It is a tall car, but doesn't look top heavy. And even though the driving position is also high, I'd no problems with headroom, front of rear.

The storage options are many, from the flip-down rear seats, to the flat position of the front passenger seat in the same format, so that long loads can be carried. There's no danger of bumping heads off rear doors when loading, either, as it is held high on its gas struts ... and I'm particularly impressed with the low loading height.

For the small bits, an extra drop-bin beside the normal 'glove' box is a free present, and another lid in the centre of the dashboard is handy for keeping the mobile out of the way.
And rather than have it only for the more expensive versions, Mazda also gives us remote radio controls on the steering wheel.

Under the bonnet of the review car was the entry-level 1.25-litre engine originally devised for the Ford family by Yamaha and possibly one of the best small engines around.

With just 75hp on tap, it's not going to break any records or tempt you beyond the penalty points barrier, but what it DOES provide is a peppy and happy buzz up through the slick 5-speed gearbox. Even in a car with just delivery mileage up, everything in the power train seemed eager to give and go. It is an engine that wants to be revved, though I rather held back from going all the way because of its newness.

Mazda aren't making extravagant claims for the 2 in any terms, and they suggest that fuel consumption could run to nearly 45mpg. If you want better than that, then there's the 1.4-litre 68hp Ford-PSA diesel. If you want more poke, there's a further choice of 80hp 1.4- or 100hp 1.6-litre petrol. The price range of the car is E15,540-E20,105. The ride is tight, or certainly was in my little black number, but it is probably a testament to the seats that even on a few kilometres of very indifferent roads, there was nothing to cause me to grit my teeth or wince at having punished the underpinnings.

But what really impressed was the overall tough feeling of this car, something again that I felt out in Barcelona, but was curious to see if it still applied on our much inferior roads.

They used to make only Mercedes-Benz cars, and rather later, Volkswagens, that felt as strong as this little Mazda does.

Handling I need to come back to at some time, when I have a car which is a little less new and where even the tyres have bedded in properly (you do know, of course, at it takes at least 500 miles to get a new set of tyres to their optimum performance?).

I didn't want to overcook things much with the car I'd been loaned, because it was too fresh to treat so unfairly. I rather thought that it might be a bit skitty on a tight road, but I'm really wanting to wait until another time.

Which is really saying that I want to go again. Soon.