I don't envy the engineers who had the task of designing a new version of the modern icon
that is the Mazda MX-5, but I have to tell you, whoever it was, they did an excellent
job. Personally, I wasn't convinced about the look
of the front when the first pictures were released, and there are some angles where
it looks a bit like a open-mouthed shark, but in the flesh, I have to say it works well.
And at night, its combination of DRLs, squinty sidelights and LED headlights - which are
excellent, by the way - give it a low-key but still aggressive profile.
The rear styling is a perfect combination of taught haunches and a kicked-up rear, and
we particularly like details such as the aerial on the rear wing and the funky tail-lights.
For the moment, the fabric soft-top is manually operated, and while that might be counted
as a negative on some cars, the MX-5 turns it into a virtue.
The whole process takes no more than five seconds or so, and you can do it easily from
the driver's seat, leaving it all neatly folded away behind the rollover bars.
The interior has been updated to match the rest of the Mazda range, so that makes it
a quality place to sit, and we particularly like the turbine-inspired air vents and the
body-coloured door tops. All but the base model get Mazda's excellent
MZD Connect system with optional navigation, and this even comes with a pair of speakers
mounted in the headrests, although the sound that comes out of them isn't necessarily brilliant
given their size. If Mazda want something to improve on for
the next model, we think they should include a digital speedo in the otherwise excellent
instrument cluster, perhaps by using the space for the gearshift indicator within the central
rev counter, and offering a choice between the two.
There is one point we have to make about the MX-5's interior, and it's that it is a bit
cramped. The steering adjusts only for height, not reach, and tall drivers will find climbing
aboard made difficult by the handbrake because it takes up space where your knee would go.
On top of that, right-hand-drive models have a rather curious lump in the floor that limits
where you can put your feet when trying to get in or out.
Despite all that, there's plenty of storage space in here, with a lockable glovebox between
the seats, and another pair of spaces behind them, plus a fairly decent boot with about
130 litres of space. Powering the MX-5 is a choice of either a
1.5-litre petrol engine with 130hp, or a 2.0-litre with 160.
While the 2.0-litre model is exactly a second quicker to 62mph, on the road there's actually
surprisingly little to choose between them.
Ok, obviously the larger engine has more torque,
while the smaller unit demands that you wind it up to get the best from it.
But the thing is, Mazda actually engineered the MX-5 for the smaller 1.5-litre unit, only
adding the larger 2.0-litre primarily for the US market.
What that means is, that what the 1.5 loses in terms of raw horsepower and torque, it
more than makes up for with a better balance in its chassis and a finer set of responses.
You see, the 1.5 has a perfect 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution, whereas the heavier 2.0-litre
is slightly nose-heavy, and while the difference may only be 25kg or so, the impact it has
on the car's attitude, turn-in and even braking is quite evident.
They both have the same cheeky exhaust note, and with the roof up, there's a pleasing amount
of intake noise piped into the cabin. While an extra layer of sound proofing in the roof
helps keep wind noise down on the motorway, although we did detect a few whistles during
crosswinds. Over the old model, the steering is slighter
quicker with fewer turns, and as it's now electrically-assisted, it's lighter at parking
speeds, too. Feedback is actually pretty decent, and compared to the old model, this new one
feels slightly pointier. Mazda's engineers have become masters at crafting
gearshift actions, so it's no surprise that the MX-5 has a beautifully stubby lever and
a short throw that matches its well-chosen close ratios.
2.0-litre models get a limited-slip differential and Bilstein dampers, and while the ride is
definitely firm, we'd say it was also perfectly judged. We spent a day trudging up the M1
in our car, and although I didn't enjoy having the handbrake digging into my leg for 300
miles, at no point did I grow tired of the ride.
At least part of that is the fact that the MX-5 is just so much fun to drive on almost
any road and at any speed. While some cars demand that you put your licence at risk before
they reveal their true character, the driver of an MX-5 can be having the time of their
life while bumbling through town at just 30mph. The fact that this amount of fun can be yours
for just eighteen and a half grand is, frankly, remarkable.
No wonder, the Mazda MX-5 is the world's best-selling two-seater sports car.