Do you know what a Ford Fusion is? It has been on sale for a few months and I have yet to see one outside of motor shows, test tracks, motoring magazine car parks and its maker’s press fleet garage.

The Fusion is what is referred to these days as a “crossover” vehicle. In this case it means it attempts to combine the practicality of a spacious hatchback with the style and image of an off-roader. The result is the most poorly judged Ford since the appalling Escort of 1990 and a car with even less desirability than it has off-road ability, which is none.

This does not bode well for the Mazda 2 that, under the skin, is all Fusion. Equally inauspicious is the fact that I truly cannot remember when, if ever, Mazda last made a remotely memorable small car — certainly its most recent efforts have proved utterly forgettable.

Except there is a certain something about this new offering. The stylish lines make you feel better disposed towards it at first glance than you do after a week with a Fusion. Unlike its Ford cousin, the five-door Mazda hatchback doesn’t pretend to be anything else and is all the more appealing as a result.

The 2 is offered with three petrol engines, from 1.2 to 1.6 litres, and a 1.6 litre diesel. There are four trim levels — S, TS, TS2 and Sport — and prices range from £8,760 for a 1.2 S to £11,995 for the 1.6 that is only available in Sport trim. Compared with its Vauxhall Corsa, Skoda Fabia and VW Polo rivals, these prices are competitive even if the Mazda is by no means a bargain.

The most popular 2 will be the 1.4 that will set you back £9,995 in TS guise, a sum that includes antilock brakes, a CD player and electric front windows but not air-conditioning. Its 80bhp Ford motor returns 43.5mpg on the EU official combined cycle with emissions low enough to incur company car tax at 15% this year, the lowest rate.

The cabin is a little disappointing and certainly the Mazda’s smart exterior style has not been carried through to the inside, abundant cheap plastics undermining those good first impressions. It’s only when you climb in the back and discover just how spacious it is that you realise this car has something different to offer the class. I’m 6ft 4in and I could sit behind a 6ft driver in comfort with adequate knee-room and acres of spare headroom. It’s not often that happens to me in any car.

Where the 2 does lose out even to the Fusion is in the driving. Mazda has probably decided that its typical customers do not care about handling but it is a shame that Ford’s ability to inject real driving enjoyment into even its most mundane models has not been carried over from the Fusion. The Mazda rides reasonably well but attempt to hurry along a quiet road and it soon starts lurching through bends enough to tell you it doesn’t relish such treatment.

Driven more gently the 2 provides quiet and efficient transport. It’s refined enough at 80mph to be an effective long-distance traveller, though unexceptional outright performance — 0 to 62mph in 13.9sec and a top speed of 102mph — combines with its modest handling to make it feel unsuited to more strenuous demands.

Even so, Mazda should be congratulated for doing as much as it has with the Fusion raw material. The 2 is one of the best-looking cars in the class — only the Honda Jazz and Citroën C3 are more attractive — and its capacious cabin is a good enough reason to push it further up your shopping list than its limited dynamic abilities might otherwise suggest.

Overall I’d place it near the middle of the competition, outclassed by the innovation of the class-leading Honda, the all-round ability of the Skoda Fabia and the driving pleasure of the Ford Fiesta. But unless build quality is all, I’d have it over a VW Polo and place it a mile ahead of the Peugeot 206 and Vauxhall Corsa. As for the Fusion, I didn’t think the unlovable Ford could be made to look even more pointless. Having driven the Mazda 2, I realise I was wrong.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Mazda 2 1.4 TS
Engine type Four cylinders, 1388cc
Power/ Torque 80bhp at 5700rpm / 92 lb ft at 3500rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Tyres 185/65 R14
Fuel/CO2 43.5mpg (combined)/ 154g/km
Top speed 102mph
Acceleration 0 to 62mph: 13.9sec
Price £9,995
Verdict A welcome addition to the class and, at last, a decent small Mazda