Mazda MX-5

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The Mazda MX-5’s infotainment system sits like an unsightly erection on the dashboard

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So, here it is then. The new Mazda MX-5 – a car I’ve been itching to drive since the last time I saw the sun. Well, now it’s February in England, there’s still cloud and the little convertible is already splattered in mud but I couldn’t wait any longer.

The MX-5 still has novelty value for now at least. It’s turns heads – even in London when I collected it yesterday. Waspish front end and curvy lines, it looks every inch as good as I expected. Without doubt the most stylish MX-5 to date.

I’m looking forward to the next seven days but first there is one feature that isn’t a thing a beauty – the infotainment screen. It sits pert upright on the dash and simple spoils the lines of the interior.

It looks as if it should fold down into the dash but it doesn’t. It’s like an unsightly erection that won’t go away. Oh dear, what can be done about that?!

 

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Wednesday – Fun Guaranteed

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Jeremy  It’s the last day with our MX-5 – so we need an excuse to get another one quick! Problems have been few and far between and I can even imagine living with the Roadster Coupe during the wicked weather of the winter months.

On the negative side, the 2.0-litre engine isn’t the most powerful around, it’s not that economical and the cabin can be a little noisy at high speed. However, you can overlook these niggles when the drive and handling agility are so good.

So while the MX-5 isn’t as cheap to run as some rival convertibles, the trade off is that is it relatively cheap to buy. Build quality is excellent, the interior is an ergonomic joy for the driver and there’s a decent size boot even when the tin top is folded down.

There’s a new model coming out in 2014 but let’s hope Mazda doesn’t change the MX-5 too much – I suspect they won’t. How can they make a great car even better? Well, a rear screen wiper on the Coupe would be useful, as would rear parking sensors and telescopic adjustment on the steering column.

Otherwise don’t mess with a great little sports car Mazda!

 

 

 

 

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Bank Holiday Monday – Buy One Get One Free

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Jeremy The first memorable car I ever owned was an Alfa Romeo GT Junior from 1972. Great machine but like every Alfa of the era, it eventually rusted to my driveway and had to be towed away. I replaced it with an MBG Roadster and that’s when my love of motoring started…

The MX-5 is often compared with the MG – because it is also a sensational, value-for-money, sports car. There are plenty faster, possibly prettier and offering more stylish interiors yet, with cars like the MG and Mazda, it’s all about getting behind the wheel.

If you enjoy ‘enthusiastic’ driving, sportsters the MX-5 usually cost a whole lot more. You could include two-seaters like the BMW Z4, Audi TT and Porsche Boxster in this category. Great cars but considerably more cash.

I’d say the MX-5 is equally as much fun as all of them and the benefits of the folding hard-top roof make it a serious competitor for those three German machines. If £23,000 is out of your range for a new, 2.0-litre MX-5, a two year old model with less than 15,000 miles on the clock will set you back around £12,000.

You could buy a classic MGB with the money you save too…

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Saturday – Metal Fatigue

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Jeremy I thought having the hard-top option of the MX-5 Roadster Coupe wouldn’t present any disadvantages – especially as the folded steel of the Mazda doesn’t eat into the boot space of the car, unlike so many other convertibles.

However, after a fantastic day of driving the two-seater in the sunshine, what I have found is that the MX-5 looks so much better with the fabric roof fitted than the metal one. Not only that, it’s a much prettier and dynamic car with either roof down and stowed away.

I’m looking at the Roadster Coupe parked outside now with the top down, as the sun starts to disappear over the Cotswolds. It’s far and away the best-looking two-seater you can buy for £23,000 – and that’s the top spec model we’re testing. Investigate further down the range and you can snap up a bargain model that looks equally as good.

The revised front end is especially neat, with latest Mazda ‘nose’ and a lower air spoiler in black. Low, purposeful and shapely – just as any sports car should be. I’m enjoying every moment in this great little sportster.

 

 

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Thursday – Don’t Call Me A Hairdresser

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Jeremy Why is it some people still think the MX-5 is a hairdresser’s car? I just told a male friend on the telephone that I was taking delivery of the Mazda today and his first response was ‘hairdresser’s car’. Just because he drives a butch 5 Series BMW – he’s probably never been in an MX-5 in his life.

The MX-5 is probably useless for hairstylists anyway. Drop the folding hard-top and all that coiffure is going to be blown away in an instant. I would imagine that hairdressers would much prefer a Fiat 500 cabriolet, or a Audi TT Roadster…

For me, the MX-5 is something of a legend. I owned one back in the 1990s and it just had that rare ability to always put a smile on my face. It loved being driven hard, especially around corners and along twisty backroads. It just set the benchmark for other convertibles to follow. Although nobody ever made anything quite so good for the same sort of money.

Our Roadster Coupe offers the best of both worlds. You can still buy an MX-5 with a soft top but the hard-top makes for quieter high-speed motoring and safer overnight parking.

Just what Mazda will do to improve the car when it is updated in 2014 remains to be seen. Let’s hope they don’t ruin a winning formula because this current version is still as good as it gets. More words tomorrow when I have had a proper drive…