Kentish Express Ashford & District
It’s so downright happy
Weighing 100kg less than the old one, the fourthgeneration MX-5 is all-new from the wheel nuts to the folding fabric roof, and there are new SkyActiv engines of 1.5 and 2.0 litres. Even the 1.5 has 129bhp and in a car that weighs as little as 975kg without the driver the signs are promising. The little Mazda’s visual appeal depends on the angle from which you’re looking. At one or two angles the bonnet looks odd, but from most viewpoints it’s a fantasticlooking thing; lithe and small, tightly-packaged around a chassis no larger than that of its great-grandfather. The back lights are a mix of old BMW Z4 and new Jaguar F-Type, but the light signature at night is unmistakably unique. It’s shorter than before, so unsurprisingly the boot is smaller. But it’s more evenly
Matt Kimberley shaped than before and it’s deeper, with a narrower rectangular recess at the bottom. The cabin is small and six-footers may feel cramped. You can remove the slightly flimsy central cupholders, or shift one of them to a slot beside the passenger’s legs. Handy. No other sports car feels so responsive to throttle inputs through corners or so downright happy. Bilstein dampers on this 2.0 Sport model keep the tyres on the Tarmac without sagging in the corners, so a briskly-driven MX-5 flows beautifully over and along the road rather than crashing through it. The 1.5 is higherrevving, with about 500rpm extra versus the 2.0’s 6,600rpm limit, but the torquier 2.0 gets up to speed much faster. It’s a rear-wheel drive joy machine, whereas the 1.5, although sweet and revvy, lacks muscle for overtakes. It’s not a huge jump northwards from the entry model, the 1.5 SE, to a mid-spec 2.0 SE-L – and it’s the latter you should go for. It’s much easier to enjoy and feels more like a true rear-wheel drive sports car should. At a little over £20,000, it’s just about the best value proper sports car on the market. And it comes with a soft-top! This is as good a car to drive as you’ll find below £50,000. If you need more space or four seats you’re clearly looking in the wrong place, but if your lifestyle allows, you know you want to (and you really do).