Car Trends Magazine

CAR's Mazda MX-5 roadster is such a joy to drive, even in the creeping clutch of winter. It feels so alert, so tail-up and feisty – an engaging effervescence that makes every mile something to be enjoyed, no matter what the road or the weather.

Still fresh and still relevant 20 years after the launch of the original, the MX-5 has adhered tenaciously to its straightforward but hugely effective dynamic recipe of mixing rear wheel-drive, low weight and modest power mantra. Our extended tenure of our 2.0-litre facelifted model is a great reminder of its inherent strengths.

The MX-5 has never been about outright speed. Its relatively modest performance – 158bhp, 132mph and 7.6 seconds to 60mph – belies its ability to make you feel like you are absolutely caning every road. It’s not just alfresco driving that heightens the impression of speed; it’s the way the little Mazda responds with such immediacy and clarity to the smallest of throttle, gear, steering and brake inputs.

The controls are such a delight to use. If only every car had the Mazda’s quick and mechanical-feeling gearshift, instant throttle response, direct and chatty steering and dynamic poise and balance. They easily add a perceived 20mph to your actually speed. Useful in these speed camera-laden times.

Long-term test hello – 28 October 2009

A few months ago Mazda gave its evergreen MX-5 the subtlest of refreshes, which in turn gave us an excuse to get one on to our long-term fleet for six months. Like the rest of the motoring world we love Mazda’s perky little roadster. Over 20 years and three generations – think of this latest iteration as Mk3.5 – the MX-5 has remained unerringly true to its front-engined rear-drive roots. At 1098kg it’s still light, with just 158bhp on hand it’s still about momentum rather than big speeds, and with perfect balance and impeccable poise, it’s still about driver engagement rather than posing performance.

So what has changed? Well, below the intricate headlamps sits Mazda’s new five-point grille (the folding metal-roofed versions, like ours, get theirs framed in chrome) and below that sits a pair of redesigned foglamps. At the back there are new taillights and bumpers front and rear are new, too. Minor changes, but collectively they inject a dash of athleticism into Moray Callum’s excellent design work.

The cabin gets a set of smarter dials, grippier sports seats, a punchier Bose sound system recalibrated for roof-down driving, and the kneecap-killing cup holders in the door panels have been ditched.

Mechanical changes are just as minor - the frisky 2.0-litre engine delivers an unchanged 158bhp, but fitted with a new forged crankshaft and an advanced valvetrain means it now revs even higher - the redline jumps by 500rpm to a wailing 7500rpm. The intake and exhaust acoustics have also been enhanced for an even more engaging open-air soundtrack. Modifying the ball joints in the front knuckles has lowered the suspension’s roll centre by 26mm for enhanced steering feel and agility. The six-speed manual transmission has also been revised for even shorter and more precise throws.

We ran a ragtop version a while back, and this time we’ve opted for the folding hardtop variant in range-topping 2.0-litre Sport Tech guise. It’s priced at £21,570 but before you start getting all shirty about affordability, have a look at what this includes. Lovely 10-spoke 17-inch alloys, snickety six-speed box, Bluetooth connectivity with voice activation, DSC stability control, a limited slip diff, front and side airbags, a superb Bose stereo, uprated suspension with Bilstein dampers, cruise and climate controls, a front strut brace and heated leather seats. What more could you want? All we added was gorgeous £375 Copper Red metallic paint

First impressions are superb. We’ve had a few weeks of sunshine down here in the sunny south and I’ve put on almost 1000 miles, enjoying every single one. I’ll tell you more in a week or so…

(By Ben Whitworth)