Road Test: Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe

By Damien Tomlinson - 22/Nov/2006

There’s a lot to be said for small-capacity, small-footprint, two-up cars – they’re snug, zippy and handle brilliantly, with excellent comparative fuel economy. Guessed yet? Well no, I’m not talking about the Smart ForTwo. I mean the other highly underrated two-seater, Mazda’s MX-5 or, more specifically, the MX-5 Roadster Coupe, which I’ve just had a brief-but-passionate love affair with.

This sexy new coupe/cabrio is what Mazda calls “the art of folding metal”, a reference to the Japanese art of folding paper – origami. This car has been a sales phenomenon since its initial release in 1989, but the car has suffered from developing an image as a hairdresser’s or real estate saleswoman’s car (no offence, I’m just the messenger!).

Mazda’s tried to counter this in the latest, third, series by upping the engine capacity to 2.0-litres and swanking up the exterior styling with muscular bulges and gifting the vehicle withfat 17-inch rubber for improved visuals and grip. Whether this will change people’s first impressions is still yet to be seen but, if not, I’ll seriously consider a career change.

The formula is fairly simple here: front engine, rear-wheel-drive, two seats, convertible roof and priced reasonably ($47,660) – everything that has made those fun drop-tops from MG and others so appealing for 40-odd years. While I would urge everyone thinking about an entirely impractical, totally self-centred purchase to road test the car and form their own opinions, I’m happy to pass on my impressions. Read on:

I might get a couple of bugbears out of the way before I get started on this largely impressive roadster. First, entering the car. 

Now, this is a small car, and I’m a large bloke, but having the handbrake engaged made it almost impossible to get in, as the room between the wheel and handbrake reduces markedly when engaged.

But once you're in the cockpit, the driving position is phenomenal. Low! Your feet are just centimetres below your butt, and you're about a foot lower than most other drivers. This can pose a few problems, such as everyone’s headlights dazzling you, but believe me, it’s worth it.

I don’t know about you, but I prefer to drive in bare feet where possible, mainly because of paranoia at jamming the wrong pedal or having a thong caught on the floor when I’m in a sticky situation. Feann’s review of the soft-top was accurate, as far as the footwell goes – it’s pretty cramped.

New for the hardtop is the addition of DSC and traction control, which is a welcome inclusion, mainly for the fact that you can turn it off. 

In default "on" mode, you’ll perform effortless launches without a hint of wheelspin, and the system only really gets confused during lift-off directional changes, such as fanging through a roundabout (not that I’d do that!).

The handling of this little 2-seat convertible is incredible, and the addition of DSC means that you can push it to the redline and rarely be rebuked if you underestimate a corner. The steering is very direct via the small and sporty steering wheel and the chassis is so impeccably balanced that it's hard to keep the smile from your face when punting it hard through twisty coastal environments.

It was my pleasure to take Mazda’s little beastie on a fairly long journey up to central Queensland and back, and I can tell you, it impressed every step of the way. 

Despite the hint of the dreaded “numb-bum” after a few hours in the saddle, and a hint of harshness on the sub-standard road they call our national highway, the Coupe is an effortless cruiser.

Sitting in top gear at about 105km/h (doing 2900rpm) resulted in a range of a good 600-odd kilometres from the 50-litre tank, which is almost Brisbane to Rockhampton in one hit. 

That day in the cockpit included a fair few sixth-to-third overtaking manoeuvres, a great chance to tap the potential of this little rocket. Torr’s concerns about the stereo's performance during top-down motoring were spot-on – the 7-speaker system struggles to maintain clarity at speed and with the roof down.

Feann also questioned the quality of the materials, and while I agree with his assessment, I must say Mazda’s done a good job on an interior that needs to withstand the elements. You could almost hose the car out; such is the use of plastic and minimal carpet, so it’s perfect if you get stuck in a freak shower. 

Mind you, with a 12-second roof mechanism, you won’t be surprised often. It’s the quickest in the world, and the simple operation means you can put the roof up at the lights without being caught out when they change. It's very impressive.

Knowing we would be travelling in a two-seater, we packed lightly for our long journey, but nothing could prepare me for the miniscule boot cavity. Of course, the difference with this convertible is that the roof takes up no boot space when retracted. Instead, it has its own special compartment between the seats and the boot. Mazda's engineers deserve a pat on the back for the idea, as it's a long-running annoyance among the convertible-driving public. 

However, I’d happily forgo boot space when the roof's down if it meant I had more than the 150 litres supplied. You see, the compartment that houses the roof is empty when the roof’s up, but is unusable (note massive warning sticker), so it’s dead space in my humble opinion.

The obvious argument is that, if you're buying a 2-seat convertible, don't come crying about practicality. And that’s a good point, but when you’re packing a week’s worth of Christmas presents and clothing for the other half, you start to get picky about these things...

The car turned heads wherever I went, it makes a massive impression for something so small. It’s great to think $47,000 will attract more attention than some Porsche drivers get.

That’s basically where the MX-5 is most appealing – bang for your buck. This is the only folding-hardtop 2-seat convertible available in the country for under $90,000. And that's something. Its fit and finish is superb, its performance is more than adequate for such a small engine, it handles bloody well and won’t hurt you at the bowser.

Overall: 4.5/5

If you ask me, Mazda nailed it back in 1989, and now they’ve nailed in again. I would be keen to try out the inevitable turbocharged SP version of the car that the Australian arm of Mazda created for the second generation MX-5 a couple of years back, but, until then, I’d have one of these any day. 

It's a joy to drive, it grabs attention, and the addition of DSC (dynamic stability control) and the metal folding roof makes the vehicle safer, more secure, and even better value for money.  According to Mazda, the new Roadster Coupe MX-5 will cannibalise much of the soft-top's market, making up 60 per cent of MX-5 sales, and that prediction could be spot on, as this is a great car.

If you can’t afford a Lotus Elise and wouldn’t dream of driving a roofless Astra, the MX-5 in hardtop guise might just be for you.