Test Drive: the new Mazda MX-5

meninblack

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So yesterday - in the pouring rain - I went for a spin in one of these:

mazda-mx-5-2-0-scotland-2015-(9).jpg


Mazda-MX-5-3.jpg


This is the all-new, 4th-generation (ND) version of the venerable MX-5. If you are in the market for a two-seater sports roadster for around £20k, the MX-5 is currently the only game in town. Audi's TT starts at £29k, BMW's Z4 at £30k and Mercedes' SLK at £33k. The Mazda starts at £18.5k and even the top spec 2.0 litre with all the options only runs to £24.5k. So good value, on the face of it.

Amazingly, the new model is smaller and lighter than the outgoing car. It retains the front-mid engined layout, with all of the engine's weight sitting behind the front wheels, and weight distribution is 50:50 The engines are new, too: out go the Mazda-built Ford Duratec fours and in come Mazda's own Skyactiv-G designs, in 1.5 litre 131 bhp and 2.0 litre 155 bhp versions. Modest power outputs compared to the competition, but this is a light car. In terms of bhp/tonne, the 1.5 is competitive with the 180 bhp Audi TT 1.8. No stinky diesels are available, so penny-pinchers will have to stump up the extra for an Audi. :p Although it beggars belief that anyone would want a diesel convertible, tbh. All models have a 6-speed manual gearbox. All the 1.5s have 16" alloys, all the 2.0s have 17" ones.

The interior is also new: I drove the SE-L NAV version, which looks like this (but with cloth seats):

mazda-mx-5-roadster-2015-dashboard.jpg


The consensus among road testers is that the 1.5 is the engine to go for (lighter and more free-revving) while the SE-L NAV is the sweet spot for trim level. That is exactly the car I tested, and the salesman reckoned it was the most popular choice. No options are available except paint colour!

First impressions: I like the styling. The outgoing model looks like the fat, ugly girl when you park them side-by-side. The pictured red is definitely the colour to go for, all the others are kind of dull. The seats are comfy and it was very easy to find a good driving position even with the roof up (did I mention it was pissing down?) The instruments are clear and easy to read, although I didn't try the radio/CD/nav which looks complex. Annoyingly, all models have air con and all but the basic SE have climate control. In a convertible. :doh:

Speaking of which, the roof is the same single-latch design as before, and it can be raised or lowered from the driving seat in about 2 seconds. With one hand. Eat your heart out, classic brit owners! :p There is no electric option, although a foldy-metal-roof coupe version is certain to come along at some point. Lack of any kind of spare wheel means that the boot is usefully large, although you won't get a big suitcase in there. Or golf bats. :nup:

Which brings me to the first irritation. There is nowhere in the cabin to put anything! The old model's glove box has been deleted. The cubby between the seats - once big enough for a carry case full of CDs - is reduced in size and completely filled by a pair of fold-out cup holders, which you can just see in the pic. Yes, the cup holder is next to your left shoulder. What on earth is the point? :roll: The cubby behind the gear lever - once home to a much more sensible pair of cup holders - can now just about take a phone. A small phone. Your iPhone 7 XXL will have to go in the boot. The can-holders in the doors - which were ideal for sunglasses - have been deleted. There is nowhere in the cabin to put sunglasses. Jeez! :grrr:

So, off we go. Depress the light clutch, press the big STOP/START button and snick it into gear for whizz round the back roads around Burnham Beeches. :close:

The car feels much lighter and quicker than my current 1.8. The engine is a delight, with lovely linear power delivery all the way up to its 7,500 rpm redline (the more pedestrian 2.0 maxes out at 6,500.) The gearchange is lovely, with a precise rifle-bolt action. The six-speed gate is narrow, though - I changed from 2nd to 5th by mistake a couple of times. It is delightfully pointy, with super-sharp turn-in and the line can easily be trimmed on the throttle in sweeping bends. This is about as far from my stodgy, awful Lexus as you can get! :^

Downsides? The new, electrically-assisted steering is not as meaty as the old model, and the feedback through the wheel is not as obvious. That said, even on wet and leaf-strewn country lanes I didn't once get the back out. My car would have been sliding around like mad. It isn't super quick, either: if you get your fun boasting about bhp and 0-60 times, look elsewhere. The fun to be had in this is driving it.

So: will I buy one? £212 a month on a PCP deal with my car plus £3k deposit and a final payment of just under £9k makes it certainly affordable. But no. It doesn't do enough more than my current car, and it's a bit less practical for touring. However, I will be watching with interest for the forthcoming FIAT Barchetta version, and when 3-year-old second-hand ones appear, who knows? :D

 
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browellm

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Nice review. It certainly looks appealing from the shots above. There's a certain F-Typeness to the lines at the rear - a good thing.

Nothing wrong with climate control though :)

I suppose that despite not being a convertible, it's nearest competitor will be the Toyota GT86 thing.

 

Hornucopia

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Your 'stodgy Lexus'? Surely not an LS400? (Which, anyway, is for cruising, not B-roading.)

This looks nice though.

Just in from b-roading in a 2002 Micra!

 

meninblack

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Nice review. It certainly looks appealing from the shots above. There's a certain F-Typeness to the lines at the rear - a good thing.Nothing wrong with climate control though :)

I suppose that despite not being a convertible, it's nearest competitor will be the Toyota GT86 thing.
Yep - Car magazine tested it against the GT86 and the TT roadster. The MX-5 won.

 

browellm

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I don't care how good the GT86 is to drive, the interior is an abomination. The MX-5's looks far nicer.

 

Ozexpat

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Cheers for that Mibby.

I'm looking at one of these for Narelle. The dealer where I got mine has said that a deal can be done.

It would look quite nice alongside my 6 :^

 

rabski

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I think it's lost the design purity of the earlier ones. Nice from some angles, but the front overhang looks too big in that picture (hard to judge from one pic, of course) and the back looks like a Japanese design team have loaded traditional styling cues and the necessary bits into a scatter gun and pulled the trigger.

Most important for me would be the total lack of any stowage space inside. Are they mad?

Almost everyone has a map, phone and oddments. It sounds daft, but that actually would be a deal-breaker for me. It's utterly stupid and seriously takes away from usability.

The SAAB is probably not long for this world. A few financial bits come to fruition next year and I'm starting to vaguely look around now. The scary thing is that I have not yet seem anything whatsoever that appeals. At least, not within what I would term a reasonable budget.

I need four seats, I want a cabrio. Put those factors in and the list finishes before it starts.

 

gsrai

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Nice write up, I did a similar test drive a few weeks ago in the 2.0 litre and I walked away very impressed by it :)

the he quality of the interior is a real step up and possibly on par with the German ones and I love the styling and how low you sit (agree the red is the one to go for).

im waiting to see what engine mods come out as I still feel the car do with some more horses and there are some good tuning outfits out there - I just want it to sound more fruity LOL

The GT86 interior is just a complete let down for me.

 

meninblack

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The 1.5 sounds lovely: much louder than mine. Most road testers pick it as the engine of choice, with the 2.0 being for the motorway cruiser types. More power isn't always what you need: have a drive of the 1.5 before dismissing it.

 

gsrai

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I'll give it a go :^

its part art of my search for the car I reall want, really enjoying the TT but as you guys know I have a soft spot for the megane and the 911 so I'm trying out cars to work out what I really want next.

 

Samantha

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I suppose that despite not being a convertible, it's nearest competitor will be the Toyota GT86 thing.
Or a used Elise ...... Car magazine did a review comparing the new MX5 vs a used 111s Elise. Rock hard residuals, more driver involvement etc from the Lotus, but new car reliability from the Mazda. I do like the fact they have gone back to being lightweight, and agree - the red is nice, but it is also the most costly premium paint.

Did you get chance to drive both the 1.5 and 2.0 to compare them?

 

meninblack

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LOL, I would need a hoist to get in and out of an Elise! I only drove the 1.5, and I didn't listen to the radio. The engine sounded way too nice. You get a Bose system with lots of speakers if you go for the Sport, but also a lot of pointless gadgetry.

 

tryant

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Speaking of pointless gadgetry, the oil pressure gauge of the previous version was a bit of a joke. Fooled the punters though. Hope they've gone back to a proper job.

 

meninblack

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Yes, mine has the fake oil pressure gauge. :roll: Don't know about the new one.

 

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