MY neighbours often come up to me when I’m on my driveway to ask about new cars I’ve been roadtesting. Their first question is always the same: “What’s it like, then?” After a polite exchange, they’ll make their second enquiry: “So… would you buy one?”
The latter question’s answer isn’t as long-winded as my first and nearly always ends with a firm ‘no’. In truth there’s only been several cars over the last year which I would actually dig deep to own. Put Honda’s all-conquering Civic Type R, Toyota GT86, Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen’s brilliant Up GTI aside and there hasn’t been much I’ve annoyed my other half about, which sees me attempt to justify its place in our lives.
But this car, the Mazda MX-5 in 2.0-litre RF guise, can now be added to that hallowed list because – in my opinion at least – it is absolutely perfect. Usually there’s at least one issue I find, even in the best. The Type R’s love-them-or-hate-them looks, the GT86’s quite frankly appalling interior, the ST's synthesised noise and the Up GTI’s detached steering, for example. However, no matter how hard I tried to pick a fault with the MX-5, its brilliance always came to the fore.
The ‘new’ MX-5 is a familiar face on the UK’s roads and, across its 30-year, four-generation lifespan, more than one million have been sold around the world. A staggering amount, but one that’s not at all surprising, given it’s one of the only cars I can think of that’s stayed true to its original concept of being light, fun, affordable and reliable. What it stands for appeals not only to people like me, who love driving simple, nonsense-free cars, but also those who want to own a cheap-to-run, easy-on-the-eye roadster.
But Mazda, a marque that’s held back on fitting soulless turbochargers and has instead stayed true to its tried-and-tested recipe which includes rear-wheel-drive, two seats, a manual gearbox and an all-important naturally aspirated engine, brought out a hard-topped, targa-style version which promises to be a little easier to live with. Cloth roofs, whether they’re in place or stowed away, tend to make a meal of motorway journeys and anything over 60mph becomes a tireless mixture of wind noise and buffeting.
The RF – which stands for ‘retractable fastback’ – has an electrically-operated roof which, at the push of a button, neatly removes the roof and in turn transforms the MX-5’s long-distance capabilities at the penalty of a 45kg weight gain. It looks great - the timeless design of the cloth-roofed MX-5 will appeal to the purists, but I think it looks even better in RF form as the buttresses give it a distinct side profile. The handsome front and pretty rear lights remain, but it now looks classy whether the roof is up or down.
As soon as you’re up and running, it doesn’t take long to notice just how well this car is set up for the UK’s roads. Its steering has a good balance of weight – it’s lighter at slow speeds and heavier when you want it to be – and the damping is nothing short of phenomenal on jutted countryside roads. The front end’s tenacious bite is fantastic to witness and, given the RF tips the scales at just 1,100kg, every corner becomes an addictive process which always leaves a giant grin on the driver’s face. The brakes, helped by its featherweight proportions, also absorb absurd amounts of use and are fade-free.
Those buttresses, although attractive, can hamper the view of the driver’s blind spot but Mazda’s fitted a clever warning system which appears on the wing mirror if a vehicle’s strayed out of sight.
So, the RF’s handling, steering feel, looks, brakes and interior all register top marks, but it’s its gearbox that shines brighter than anything else. This side of a Porsche manual and possibly a Civic Type R, it’s the best six-speed manual I’ve ever used. Its short-throw action is an absolute joy and you find yourself exploring it more than is really required, just so you can feel its precision again.
MX-5s, because of Mazda’s applaudable dedication to its ethos, have sometimes felt a little sluggish in 1.5-litre guise but the 2.0-litre, which has 181bhp, remedies that. It needs to be revved to access its full performance, which is headlined by a 6.6-second 0-60mph sprint, but it’s worth hanging on for the 7,500rpm simply because of its insatiable appetite to be grabbed by the scruff of its neck.
It’s a car that implores its driver to take the longer route home. It’s one that wants to veer off the monotonous commute in order to find winding countryside lanes and if you do that, if you love driving simple, nonsense-free cars, it’ll come alive. The MX-5 remains a simple motoring pleasure – a rapidly reducing pastime – and the world’s a better place for it as it sticks two fingers up to lane-keep assists and pre-collision warning systems.
The 2.0-litre RF is the best version yet and I cannot stress the importance of trying one enough. You’ll love it.
