There’s only one word to describe our new Mazda2 long-termer – green.

Apart from its looks – our long-termer is decked out in a striking ‘spirited green’ – the Mazda2 can consider itself green because of its low CO2 emissions and high fuel economy.

And that certainly makes it appealing to fleet managers, as initial findings from our Fleet Confidence Survey suggest that just over half intend to choose greener vehicles this year.

The two diesel models in the range each emit only 107g/km of CO2 while our five-door 1.3-litre petrol TS2 has emissions of 125g/km.

The diesels return 68.9mpg while our petrol records an average of 54.3mpg.

So why have we opted for a petrol when the mantra is that diesel is almost always a better bet for fleets?

The answer is simple: the petrol will cost less to buy and run. Our 1.3 TS2 five-door costs £1,360 less at the front-end so the equivalent diesel model will – on fuel costs – have to cover 85,127 miles to recoup the extra front-end price and diesel premium, according to the parkers.co.uk petrol v diesel calculator.

That’s seven years at 12,000 miles per annum – beyond the natural life of most superminis on a fleet.

So, cost-wise our test car is the pick of the range, and in general terms the Mazda2 impresses. It scores well on safety with a maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating.

Our TS2 model also has side and curtain airbags as standard.

The Mazda2 also impresses on the practicality front.

There’s a reasonable sized boot space of 250 litres although both the Vauxhall Corsa (285 litres) and Ford Fiesta (295) offer more luggage space.

There’s also adequate room for passengers.

I’d give it the thumbs-up for security too as it has a Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser as standard, unlike the majority of superminis which do without an alarm, as research by CAP’s Martin Ward revealed (Fleet News, May 28).