BY far the busiest sector in the UK car market is that of the supermini.

Buyers face an embarrassment of riches including the likes of the Ford Fiesta, the Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, SEAT Ibiza, et al.

In addition there are a number of relatively unsung heroes, one of which is focused here, the Mazda2.

The Mazda2 is the Japanese brand's best selling model in the UK and comes in both three and five door versions with a generous standard kit level including air con on every model.

Considered to be an excellent all rounder, the Mazda2 has been an unsung hero but now is being rightly feted as a neatly put together, very desirable family motor.

When the Mazda2 was introduced back in 2007 it was pretty clear that Mazda's engineers had been asked to put on the style, the car proving to be a much more standout vehicle than the model it had replaced.

Gone were those boxy MPV lines to be replaced by the sleek supermini body of today which has all the attributes of a small car that is good for driving in and around town and is powered here by a 1.5-litre petrol engine which, when driven sensibly, is well capable of delivering an impressive average of 48.7mpg.

The interior is miles away from the old car, plenty of style and character having been added to a cleverly designed cockpit that, sensibly,  puts the important bits well within reach of driver and passengers.

I found the dash mounted gear lever to be an absolute boon while the instruments are decidedly clear and all in the right place.

There is a reasonable amount of space while the five door model driven here helped to make rear side access more manageable.

While boot space could perhaps be considered a little on the tight side at 250 litres, folding the rear seats can help to triple the usable stowage area.

The outward and visible signs show the Mazda2 to be dominated by a large air intake sited below the grille. The general shape of the car is curved and the roof does start to become lower towards the back of the vehicle as it drops to meet the boot door.

Out on the road the handling experience in general is one of the main reasons that many buyers will enjoy the Mazda2 Sport.

Handling is light and nicely responsive and there was plenty of grip when doing the corner work which tended to give this driver plenty of confidence in the chosen steed's abilities.

Despite ride quality proving a little on the firm side it didn't take away the joy from, what turned out to be, an enjoyable experience.

And, while Mazda2 Sport may appear to be a relatively small car, the driving position provides some pretty good all round visibility and, unlike some vehicles, I found the pedals to be well in tune with the driving position.