Mazda MX-5 Icon

Special edition adds raft of kit to 1.5-litre roadster

UNLESS you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past year, you’ll know that the new Fiat 124 Spider is a Mazda MX-5 in a sharp Italian suit. You’ll be aware the cars are very closely related, using a long list of identical parts, and you’ll also realise they are built in the same factory in Japan.

The Fiat is just starting to arrive in UK showrooms, after the MX-5 appeared over 12 months ago. With perfect timing, Mazda has now brought out a special-edition MX-5 to make you sit up and take notice.

The MX-5 Icon is a typical limited-run model. There are just two colours on offer – grey or white – contrasted by a bold red front splitter, mirror caps and spoiler on the boot. You also get red chequered decals along the skirts, while gunmetal wheels replace the silver-coloured rims on mid-range MX-5S.

Inside there are heated leather seats, as well as red-stitched leather on the doors and across the dash, rear parking sensors and automatic lights and wipers. Oh, and there’s the obligatory ‘special edition’ plaque glued between the seats.

As the Icon is based on the mid-level SE-L, these extras come on top of sat-nav, Bluetooth, climate and cruise control, DAB and LED daytime running lights. Mazda will make just 600 Icons, each costing £800 more than the SE-L. It’s a reasonable jump, as the extra kit isn’t available on the standard car. To add to the exclusivity, it’s only available in the UK.

Beyond all the trinkets, it’s a regular MX-5. Mazda isn’t offering the higher-powered 2.0-litre engine, but the 1.5 is arguably the purer version anyway. Although it’s down on power (129bhp vs 158bhp), the 1.5 car is more agile and even more precise, due to its lower kerbweight. Turn into a corner and the MX-5 offers a fine mix of chassis dynamics and handling fun. The body rolls and leans just like the standard car, but the beautiful steering lets you trim your line. It’s all backed by a closeratio manual box that snaps between gears with a stubby, short-throw lever. A fabric roof that can be lowered and raised with a flick of your wrist only adds to the back-to-basics thrills. Exclusivity will be key, however. Mazda UK has offered an Icon version of every MX-5 since 2000, and the limited production run will mean this new car is the rarest of the lot.

PRACTICALITY You can’t get much in the 130-litre boot, while the two-seat cabin is hardly versatile. But hit the road and such concerns will be forgotten

EQUIPMENT Based on the midlevel SE-L, the Icon gets sat-nav, as well as Bluetooth, climate control and DAB. Heated leather seats are also included

STYLING Soul Red boot spoiler, mirror caps and front splitter set the Icon apart, as do chequered decals on the side. The car comes in white or grey