Civilised drop top that is fun . . . rain or shine

MX-5 is more popular here than in other European markets around half of the cars sold in Europe are bought in the UK.

Mazda says the latest fourth generation MX-5 has returned to its original formula and offers a genuine sports car thrill for buyers who can’t afford a Porsche or an Aston... and it won the Auto Express 2016 Roadster of the Year.

Now you can buy the MX-5 RF (which stands for Retractable Fastback) with that amazing folding metal roof (see below) and, for the first time since the launch of the current MX-5 you can opt for a sixspeed automatic gearbox (although it is not as good a set-up for a true sports car driver as the six-speed manual).

Our 2.0-litre is quick (0 to 62 in 7.4 seconds) but needs plenty of revs to get the best out of it... and to also enjoy that raspy exhaust note.

The RF’s solid roof sections make it 45kg heavier than the soft-top, but Mazda has tuned the handling so It feels just as good on the twisty stuff as the convertible with the same quick, accurate steering for B-road fun.

Road noise is much improved over the convertible thanks to that tin top, but there is still a bit of wind roar compared to a standard saloon car.

New for 2017 is a 4.6in colour screen with DAB radio and sat nav (our car was the Sport Nav version) but it is not a touch screen - being controlled by a rotary centre console dial arrangement which can prove a little fiddly.

Even with the roof down there is no loss of boot space thanks to an ingenious system which folds up the roof and stores it behind the seats, so rain or shine you can get a couple of travel-size suitcases in the 127 litre boot.

Standard kit includes heated leather seats, 17” alloys, Bilstein dampers, rear parking sensors, keyless entry, a premium Bose sound system (including speakers in the headrests) lane departure warning and adaptive headlights.

Price wise the RF range starts with the 1.5 SE-L Nav at a very reasonable £22,295 on the road and our 2.0-litre RF Sport Nav is £25,695,. Fuel consumption is a shade over 40mpg combined for the 2.0-litre and a little better for the 1.5.

Meanwhile, the rag top 2017 MX-5 starts from £18,798, which seems ridiculously little money for so much driving fun.

More info at www.mazda. co.uk