In an effort to give its UK range of cars an additional sporty accent, Mazda has come up with the idea for a few uniquely trimmed and finished “Sport Venture” models (in grey or blue Mica paint).

These are based on the MX-5 (from £18,995 with standard Mica paint), Mazda 5 (it’s the MPV in the range; costs from £20,295) and Mazda 2 (the new pack raises it up to top spec trim from £13,395) – there are three versions of the first, two of the minivan and one of the city car.

The MX-5 can be had with either the base 1.8-liter petrol engine, or a larger 2.0-liter one. The former is only available as a soft top, but the more powerful variant can also be had as a Roadster Coupe. All come as standard with stone leather sports seats that are electrically heated.

In the case of the Mazda 5, the two distinct versions on offer with the new pack are only differentiated by the engine you go for: there’s either a 2.0-liter petrol engine or a 1.6-liter diesel to choose from. Both come with a “Brilliant Black front grille”, power-folding mirrors finished in silver and black leather seats with contrasting grey stitching on the inside. The price mentioned in the first paragraph is for the petrol model, and the less powerful diesel is more expensive, starting at £21,695; in this case, Mica paint costs an extra £500.

Finally, there’s the old Mazda 2, a Ford Fiesta-based car that’s really starting to show its age. In its case, they’re trying to keep appeal high with 16-inch Bright alloys, fog lights and automatic headlights, rain and parking sensors, plus a leather-clad steering wheel that uses the same grey stitching technique as the larger Mazda 5. Nine colors are available.

By Andrei Nedelea

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