MOTORING: Is the sporty Mazda MX-5 RF still the go to for tops down summer fun?
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Summer’s here and hopefully we can look forward to a few months of long, hot, sunny days. But even if the tar isn’t melting on the roads, the better weather gives us the chance to get our tops down and enjoy the freedom of open-air driving.
Britain has long been the best market in Europe for convertibles and while we’re still the biggest enthusiasts for drop-tops, sales have halved in the last few years for a variety of reasons including the rise in the cost-of-living and ironically because our climate is getting hotter.
That’s certainly the case in the south where in recent years – with temperatures hitting 40 degrees - drivers have resisted the temptation to buy a cabrio, preferring instead the cool of an air-conditioned cabin.
But they are fun and one of the best has for years been the world’s top-selling two-seater sports car, the MX-5 from Mazda which I’ve always liked since it first appeared in the late eighties with its pop-up headlights, reminiscent of the classic roadsters of the past.
The latest models come in a range of new colours and the test car had a distinctive paintjob of Zircon Sand which you either love or hate but certainly stands out on the road.
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It had all the appeal of the traditional sportscar with rear wheel drive and the closest thing to a classic MG Midget or Austin Healey Sprite for returning a “seat of the pants” feel on the road.
The basic profile of the car has remained over the years with only slight styling tweaks and advanced technology and it still looks great.
There are now no fewer than 10 models in the latest line-up with a new trim structure of Prime-Line, Exclusive-Line and top-of-the-range Homura, which was the featured test car model.
It was the RF - for Retractable Fastback – which unlike the soft-top Roadster has a three-piece roof which opens and closes in just 13 seconds and folds away leaving a rear section with buttresses.
To reduce weight the roof is made of three different materials – aluminium, steel and compound plastic for the rear unit. It looks good whether the roof is up or tucked away but the best bit is to watch the balletic folding process.
With its Japanese pedigree, it’s a kind of motorised automotive origami. Once all the sections are folded away, there’s no intrusion into the boot, which is just as well, because while it isn’t the smallest in a car of this size, there’s certainly not a lot of space to spare.
The latest models come in a range of new colours and the test car had a distinctive paintjob of Zircon Sand which you either love or hate but certainly stands out on the road. Completing the picture are bright red brake calipers behind the 17-inch black alloys.
But it’s the driving experience which brings this car alive. Mazda has come up with Kinematic Posture Control, a new technology developed for the MX-5. The system recognises a difference in speeds between the back wheels while cornering, lightly applying the brakes on the inner wheel. This prevents lift, enhancing the characteristics of the car’s rear multi-link suspension and supressing body roll. It stabilises the car, especially during hard cornering and on rough roads, making its already legendary handling that much better while also improving comfort.
The car is superbly refined, blending open-air driving fun with the sophisticated cabin environment of a coupe. It has a noise absorption headliner while sound insulation in the rear wheel housings lowers road noise.
There’s also a great premium sound system with nine high-performance speakers including ones in each headrest for crisp audio and phone conversations are possible even with the roof down.
The test car had the higher-revving version of the 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G engine with increased power and torque while tuning of the main silencer delivers a and powerful engine note. In the cockpit, the superb six-speed gearbox is controlled through a delicious short-shift stubby gearlever.
If you have the cash and can stand the heat, it’ll give you drop-top driving fun by the bucketload.
VITAL STATS
CAR: Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 Homura
PRICE: £34,510 (£35,080 as tested)
ENGINE: 1998cc Skyactiv-G petrol 4 cyl inline
POWER: 184 PS
TORQUE: 205 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 137 mph. 0-62 mph 6.8 secs
ECONOMY: 40 mpg combined
CO2 EMISSIONS: 155 g/km
