Road Test: Mazda MX-5

By Feann Torr - 6/June/2006

Sometimes it's called the Miata, other times it's referred to as the MX-5, but whatever name Mazda's iconic roadster goes by, it always seems to impress. Whenever I showed friends and colleagues the car, everyone seemed to be overly awed at the diminutive Japanese drop top, running fingers longingly along rear quarter panels, shooting admiring glances along its flanks, touching the stubby gearstick and backing away slowly to admire the car's proportions from afar, supplying comments like "It looks exotic, like a Ferrari."

I have to tell you though, I was initially a little worried. Worm your way inside and the cabin and if you're a bit over 6 feet tall, it's cramped, and some of the plastics are average and I initially failed to see what all the fuss was about. Sure, it is an altogether neat car, and the interior is fairly well equipped too. But exotic? Looks more like a Murray Cod to me.

First impressions aside, and the MX-5 is an important image model for Mazda, the epitome of its Zoom-Zoom marketing campaign in Australia, and one of the world's most popular convertibles to boot. Indeed, it's an iconic vehicle that's been around for more than 16 years, enough time to make indelible impressions on many drivers, and seeing as this is only the third generation model in that time, it's quite clear that Mazda has been on to a good thing with its affordable roadster.

The MX-5 legacy began in 1989, and has since graced the pages of the Guinness Book of Records as being the world's best-selling roadster ever. That's right, more people have purchased an MX-5/Miata than any other convertible. And while being the world's best-selling roadster isn't quite as cool as showing off a 41kg beard of bees, it says a lot about Mazda's ability to create desirable cars. Vehicle's like the RX-8 are fast becoming legendary vehicles in the motoring world, suggesting that Mazda still has the magic touch. But in regards to front-engined, rear-wheel drive, 2-seat convertibles that are affordable, is the new MX-5 still the king? Let's find out:

Drive: 4/5

Mazda's MX-5 is a neat looking motor, and can carve it's way through a corner with the greatest of ease thanks to its tight chassis

Hunkering down in the MX-5's comfy seats reveals a few things about the popular convertible. One, it's low to the ground. You feel like you're getting into a go-kart with windscreen wipers and a 6-stack CD as soon as you've adjusted the mirrors and taken a second to acknowledge how far your body is from the road.

Two, it even handles like a go-kart. Once you've fired up the engine and realised there's not enough power here to do a burnout without melting the clutch, it doesn't take long to realise how nicely the rear-wheel drive setup combines with the direct steering.

This is a very tidy car, and needs little steering input before it begins to turn its nose. The car's 9.4 metre turning circle ensures all manoeuvres are an absolute doddle, from parallel parking, to lane changing, and the direct steering feels customised perfectly for slinging your way through a twisty section of road.

It weighs 1105kg (dry), which means it's 118kW of power isn't greatly blunted, and though it can sound contrived, believe the hype - this is a fun car to drive.

It's not the quickest roadster in the world, but the steering and chassis setup combine to create the kind of vehicle that won't intimidate the captain when the revs rise. Moreover, it's the kind of car that can truly reward even the most jaded of sports car drivers. It's got such a confidence-inspiring chassis; it feels sharp and responsive and the direct steering combines well with the car's short footprint, grippy 17-inch wheels, rigid springs and limited slip differential. It's very handy though a corner, let me tell you.

The rear wheel drive nature of the Mazda works tremendously well with the vehicle's tight steering and under various throttle applications makes for a very sporty, very agile and enormously rewarding car to drive. There was a touch of of scuttle shake at times, as the frame flexed slightly, but generally speaking this car is a very impressive little sports car.

Indeed, there's very little wrong with the way in which Mazda's MX-5 tracks through a corner. It steers well, accelerates at a decent enough rate and because of its light weight, even it's puny 290mm/280mm front/rear disc brakes feel quite strong, allowing you to dive deeply into corners before hitting the anchors, turning the tiller, snatching a lower gear and then jumping back on the throttle as you focus your attention on the next corner; rinsing and repeating ad infinitum.

It wasn't until I passed over a thin runnel of water making its way across the road on a cold and cloudy (but dry) Monday morning up in the hills that I realised there was something I could find fault in. And if there was no runnel of water, I probably wouldn't be complaining at all. By and large, the MX-5 is a very predictable vehicle to drive, but it has no ESP or traction control - the only electronic driving aid is ABS. So, back to my story, as the car was reaching 6000rpm in second gear, the rear end of the car broke traction round this mild corner as the MX-5 passed over the rivulet of water, which made me grimace somewhat.

But if this is the only quibble to be found with the way the car behaves when driven in a Zoom-Zoom manner (I’ve been brainwashed by the advertising), then Mazda is doing lots of things right. The MX-5 is very easy to drive in the city due to its size and, again, the direct steering is a boon in such environments. The car is very low to the ground and while this gives it a very nice sportster/roadster appeal, when you merge with traffic be prepared to be utterly dwarfed by utes, 4WDs and even the odd Kingswood.

And though it's suspension is a little stiff around town, you can't really look at something such as the MX-5 and expect it to be tailor-made for Grandma's weekly journey to the local canasta bash. You feel some hits through the suspension and chassis as the car attempts to ride smoothly over larger blemishes in the road in and around town, and if not forewarned, your single passenger may make mention of such intrusions. But one thing that usually shuts them up quicksmart is dropping the top. Indeed, all complaints are forgotten when the wind-in-your-hair feeling arrives, and even on wintery days, it's exhilarating to drive the MX-5 with the top down, all rugged up with the heater powered up to maximum.

Though manually operated, the MX-5's folding roof system is very easy to use. It features a cloth roof secured to the reinforced windscreen frame via a central catch when the roof is extended, and can be opened by either driver or passenger from the inside, and latches into place once folded back behind the headrests. When the weather turned nasty, the roof did a good job keeping us dry: the thing seals up nice and tight and wind noise isn't too bad for a cloth-topped convertible either.

Engine: 3.5/5

Powered by a larger 2.0-litre engine, superseding the previous model's 1.8, the third generation MX-5 we tested was paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, though a 6-speed auto is also an option.

Mazda reckons it's lightweight car will do a sub 8.0 second 0-100km/h dash, which is six tenths of a second quicker than the previous model. And while I don't doubt the new MX-5 is quicker than it's precursor, the model we tested felt a bit tired.

The clutch felt good, nicely worn in, and the engine isn't too bad at low revs, able to coax the thing along, but it did feel a bit slow to reach the top end. I was expecting the 118kW engine to be quite a rapid revver, what with 4-valves per cylinder and DOHC with variable valve timing, but it wasn't.

The engine didn't feel like it was in top form, but the 6 speed manual certainly makes the most of what's on offer. It'll spin up to 7000rpm and the gearing is pretty short, with the engine doing about 2600rpm @ 100 kilometres an hour in sixth.

Thanks to the lovely 6-speed gearbox, with its short throws and positive feel, the car feels very sporty, but it never quite reaches it's performance potential. The chassis could easily deal with another 20kW of power, but then costs would have risen, one supposes. Our test model had more than 10,000 kilometres on the clock, so it's fair to say that the driveline had seen plenty of action, which could have contributed to it's sluggish throttle response. Either that, or I should lay off the double bacon burgers...

When all things are considered (including the peachy price point) you get a pretty good powertrain. It may not keep up with a Porsche Boxster down a long straight, but it is fairly frugal, and I reckon you'd probably get 600kms out of a tank, which isn't too bad for a 50 litre reserve. Mazda claims the MX-5 will drink 8.5l/100km on the combined city/highway cycle, which matched up with our figures.

Exterior: 4/5

I wouldn't call the MX-5 an exotic looking machine, but more of a futuristic trend-setter, and for all the best photography in the world, this is one car that looks noticeably better - and different, to a point - in the metal.The design appears to have drawn on the original first generation model, with a stubby, and largely simple front end punctuated with compact but technical-looking headlight clusters. It's cheery face is relatively simple and almost toy-like, where the front wheel arches and the sleek power bulge on the bonnet hint at the vehicle's sporting character.

Fitted with 17-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels shod with 205/45 R17 tyres, the MX-5 has an eye-catching profile. Even with 16-inch alloy wheels the previous model looked chunky, and this is a step up. They fill out the extended wheel arches comfortably, ensuring the car has a strong on road stance, giving it a suitably more muscular look than before.

Mazda's MX-5 is has an altogether smooth design, punctuated with technical styling cues such as the wheels, brake lamps and headlights

Mazda's third generation MX-5 is a wider car, giving occupants plenty more shoulder room

From the rear, new twin exhaust pipes give the rear a wider appearance, and though the rear deck is fairly flat, it integrates well with the rest of the car, not trying for anything too radical that would upset the traditionalists.

The rear brake light clusters provide a lot of interest at the rear as well, an evolution of the previous model's items, and with perhaps a hint of the RX-8's sculptured brake lights. As a whole, the MX-5 is a good looking rag top, leaving behind some of the previous model's 'hairdresser' appeal and adding a bit more muscle to proceedings, but not so much so as to alienate more conservative buyers.

Interior: 3.5/5

Measuring just under 4.0 metres (3995mm) from bumper to bumper, the MX-5 is not a long vehicle, so if you're a really big person, best to grease yourself up first. For most drivers though, the MX-5 will accommodate quite nicely, and it's a considerably larger car than its predecessor - it's wider, for more shoulder room, and now features a tilt and reach adjust steering column.

Though the cabin might be a little cramped, I was surprised by the comfortable driving position and the soft seats, and I will say that my first impression of the new interior was very positive, and everything felt good to touch (leather is a $1760 option).

I’m not exactly a short driver (almost 6'1") but after my initial misgivings it worked out quite well for me. With the seat pushed back to its bump stops, I didn’t have any huge problem with leg room, and while there's precious little room to move as you hunker down in the low-slung seats, they fared quite well on longer journeys providing good body support.

The dials/instrument cluster in the MX-5 dash are good looking, with a tacho on the left and a 240km/h speedo on the right, and like most Mazda's they are back lit with a red hue, and look very snappy at night. The interior in general was really quite nice and the dashboard trim (a glossy black plastic) managed to add style to the cabin, however the plastics used in the door inserts weren't quite up to the high standard of the rest of the interior and the grab handles felt a bit 1994. Below these grab handles are two cup holders, which are good for holding cups, but tended to rub on the outside of ones lower thigh during high speed cornering.

The Bose stereo does a good job of keeping the tunes clear, but with the top down at 100km/h the stereo competes with wind noise for volumetric supremacy. Very nice steering wheel, very small, very direct steering, very responsive. And the controls on the wheel are really good - you’ve got on/off cruise control plus volume, mode and channel/CD selection.

For someone with size 11 feet, the pedals were too close together and this can be problematic if you wear fat shoes, as it can lead to pedal overlap, sometimes catching the brake as you ply the clutch. But otherwise it's very nice being in the driver's seat. Obviously rearward vision isn’t brilliant because of the small rear window (its glass though) and the cloth roof, but then you can always drop the top and rearward vision becomes absolutely sensational.

There's not a lot of luggage space, about 150 litres in the rear compartment, but there are a number of conveniently sized storage cubbies behind the front seats that come in handy for maps, CDs, and other worthwhile driving accompaniments, such as fruit, drinks and newspapers. By the end of our test, we had covered about 750 kilometres in the MX-5 and I during that time I couldn't find too much to complain about in regards to the ergonomics. Bums, backs, and everything else fared well during longer drives and it compares well to the MG models out there, with plenty of leather and decent fit and finish.

Overall: 4/5

Perhaps I was in a bad mood the day I picked up the MX-5 and decided it was overrated, but after spending seven days in the saddle, I must say that I'm now officially converted.

Impractical it may be, but this car is surprisingly cool, and loads of fun to boot.

I still agree with my opening comments that the interior is tight and some of the plastics are average, but these things tend to fade into insignificance when you find an open road on a sunny day. The direct steering is one of my favourite aspects of the MX-5 as you can throw it into corners willy-nilly and, assuming it's not raining, the chassis is happy to oblige; the sticky 17-inch wheels biting the road and the car's short length making it fleet of foot.

And whatever you want to call it - the Miata or the MX-5 - this little tacker is a very impressive entry-level sports car for less than $42,000, with the added bonus of a convertible roof. Indeed, the new generation roadster from Mazda has all the markings of yet another cult hit, as it improves upon it's predecessors without relegating them to has-been status - no mean feat, that. If you want a convertible car that won't break the bank (only Guinness World Records), you can't go past the MX-5.