The Mazda hands down, no contest. Why?, well you really should do some research before narrowing your choice down to two. The ecoboost has a somewhat chequered reliability record and there has been quite a few long running threads on the forum discussing just that. But bottom line is that the Mazda 2 is a brilliant little car, one of the best in it's class. No it won't have the same performance as the turbo Ford, but nor is it slow due to its light weight. Also very reliable.

Thanks both. We have a 14 plate FFeco bought before problems started to manifest which our youngest son now has. Now looking for our middle son starting new job and needing to drive a commute and to training centres so will clock up 20k/an.

I'm pretty sure ecoboost problems had already started by 2014, but the fact that you are aware of them makes me curious why you have one on your list of two possible cars?. Anyway the fact that your son will have a long commute means reliability is of primary importance so the case for the Mazda only becomes stronger. The Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz are also both extremely reliable but I can understand if your son would rather the more youthful and trendy looking Mazda!.

Fair enough. Given the amount of Ford's out there using that engine, there must be a lot which experience no problems at all. If buying new and getting rid of, before the warranty is up I might be inclined to consider one, but definitely not if buying used and/or intending to keep long term. When looking for a new car last year I was considering a Mazda 2 myself, but in the end, the greater space, practicality and higher seating position of the Honda Jazz won us over. But I guess your son will have different requirements!.

Which hatchback would you choose and why?

Mazda 2 90 SE-L Nav 5dr Versus Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost 100 zetec start + stop

In this market sector there is a clear winner and its neither of those.

We went through this excercise earlier this year and looked at many and the clear winner for space, value, kit and drivability was the Skoda Fabia 1.0 TSi.

No idea what your budget is or what spec you desire but as an example Carfile.net are currently quoting approx £11500 (after contributions) for a 95 PS version in SE trim. Obviously used will be much lower.

All the car you need but in truth the 110 PS engine is better as is SE-L trim.