As someone who has driven a lot of “green” and fuel-efficient cars, I was anxious to try the Mazda2, the latest in the line that a journalist at USA Today reported will “zoom right into your heart.”

Many auto critics have called the Mazda2 the best-kept auto secret in America, and one drive shows you why. Like its siblings including the red-hot roadster MX-5, the Mazda2 is a handling champ, effortlessly gliding on the highway or over country roads.