What is it?
Cars that engage their drivers rarely if ever achieve it with power alone, and that’s a song Mazda has always sung heartily with the MX-5.
Too heartily, perhaps. Until now, the most powerful factory car touted just 158bhp from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and so companies such as BBR GTI, whose sympathetically fitted turbo kits provide power enough to properly exploit the perfect weight distribution and rear-driven handling, have thrived.
That hasn’t gone unnoticed in Hiroshima, and for 2018, Mazda has revised this larger Skyactiv engine. (The 1.5-litre remains largely unchanged.) Mechanical modifications – including lighter pistons and conrods along with revisions to the camshaft, injectors, throttle valve and air intake – have increased its output to 181bhp and yet emissions have fallen with the adoption of an engine stop/start system.
Mazda has made no changes to the chassis – not publicly, at any rate – and the MX-5 retains its double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension with a passive spring and damper set-up at each corner. All 2.0-litre cars use a mechanical limited-slip differential, while those in range-topping Sport Nav+ and GT Sport Nav+ specifications also benefit from Bilstein dampers and a strut brace.
We’ve already driven this latest MX-5 on the legendary Transfagarasan, where it fared superbly, but now we have the opportunity to try the more versatile hard-top RF on UK soil.
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I test drove the MX-5 for the
I test drove the MX-5 for the first time in my life 2 days ago... and, whilst I am a serious type who would never do it even when alone at home, I felt like singing happy songs from after 30 seconds I was driving it — something that never happens to me.I had tested more expensive, more powerful cars that same day... and none had persuaded me to shell out the cash for it and turn my back on my 22-year-old beloved vehicle. But this one... changed everything.
There is one sad "stain" in a joyous picture [note: this refers to Mazda's offer in Italy. It may not be the same in the UK]:Mazda gives you its security technologies suite as an optional only on the 1.5L and 2.0L Sport: you can't buy the "vehicle and pedestrian detecting and auto-braking" feature with the non-Sport 2.0L: I think these astute listings maneuvers, which are legitimate generally, should leave out security equipment, and I didn't expect this from Mazda.
As for the limited-slip differential, it was included in the "additional features of the Sport trim" in the 2018 printed brochure; it is marked as "stock" for both 2.0L trims in the 2019, last updated, listings. Nice one Mazda.
Have I missed something
Sundym wrote:
I don't think you've missed anything, you're right, all the previous reviews classed the RF as the poor relation to the standard mx5, the hard top didn't bring extra refinement and cost a lot more iirc, but, to my eyes the RF looks stunning and is worth the extra. A moot point though as I can afford neither.
Wow. Just wow.
There is a reviewer on
There is a reviewer on YouTube (savagegeese is the channel name) which lifts the cars in a car shop, so as to see the quality of their underside, which of course tells you a lot about how serious a maker is because I don't think doing a good or great job with the underside of a car will ever make a company sell one more car than not doing it.The MX-5 has the quality of some (not all!) cars that cost from 50% up more, even where no-one is going to look before buying it.