The terrifying fuel hikes of recent months - and that they seem likely to increase further - could just be the trigger that fires small car sales into the big time in this country.

In the October 2007 edition we referred to the Mazda2 as a Super Little Zoomer, which was a slight Mickey-take on their Super Little Model advertising campaign.

The end of this rather interesting year of sporting mishaps, fisticuffs in the Beehive and so on, is nigh. And hasn't it zoomed by!

What's the most sought-after quality in a supermini? In these environmentally conscious times, you might be tempted to say compact size or fuel efficiency.

Even though it is almost 100kg lighter than its predecessor the Mazda2 is a stronger, safer and quieter vehicle.

The box is about an efficient container as you can get - straight sides, no awkward angles to get things stuck on, maximum space inside.