Mazda MX-5
More power for updated roadster, so is it still a class leader?
THERE have been just four generations of the Mazda MX-5 in the roadster’s near-30-year life. And apart from a tiny camera stuck on the rear bumper, the revised 2019 model looks exactly how it did when the Mk4 was launched in 2015.
Apart from a few minor tweaks, most of the modifications are beneath the bodywork. The flimsy cup-holders are now stronger, there’s that reversing camera to help with parking (it’s standard on a new range-topping trim level called GT Sport Nav+), while Apple Carplay and Android Auto are now available, albeit as a £350 dealer-fit option. Plus, at last, there’s a steering column that can now be adjusted for both rake and reach.
The changes are mostly unsuccessful, though. The tougher cup-holders seem as delicate as before, and the reversing camera is grainy and has a fish-eye lens that makes it difficult to use properly.
Buyers have pretty much the same range of models to choose from as before, albeit with a ‘+’ added to denote the MX-5 is now WLTP compliant. So there’s an entry-level SE+, mid-range SE-L Nav+, Sport Nav+ and a new GT Sport Nav+ trim. The RF targa-style hardtop MX-5 carries on, too, so in GT Sport Nav+ trim, it takes the MX-5 price ceiling to a rather alarming £29,195. But the big news is that the car is now more powerful. A new 2.0-litre engine has replaced the outgoing model’s 158bhp unit and it packs 181bhp, an extra 5Nm of torque and a rev range that’s been expanded to 7,500rpm.
Mazda has also carried over a few of the new 2.0 litre’s improvements to the more humble 1.5-litre unit, resulting in an extra 1bhp and 2Nm of torque.
Fire up the new 2.0 and there’s very little difference initially, but step things up a gear and the new motor’s qualities start to shine. It doesn’t feel much quicker, although the 0-62mph time is improved by eight tenths to 6.5 seconds, but thanks to that extra 700rpm, this MX-5 shoots up to the red line in a manner similar to the 1.5-litre model, with far more enthusiasm and zest than before.
The 2.0-litre version still costs an extra £1,500 over the cracking little 1.5, but while in the old car the smaller engine was the star, the gap is far narrower this time around, to the point where the 2.0-litre could be classed as the better engine. It’s now as punchy and keen to be taken by the scruff of the neck as the 1.5, but it also has added refinement, especially when overtaking.
The rest of the MX-5 dynamic package is still a treat. There’s the deliciously crisp and nicely weighted steering, perfectly positioned pedals, snappy sixspeed manual gearbox and gorgeously
nimble chassis. And despite more power and excitement, the 2.0-litre Convertible claims to return just shy of 41mpg.
Our pick of the range remains the SE-L+ with its limited-slip differential, seven-inch touchscreen and heated seats, but for an extra £2,500 there’s the Sport Nav+ to consider.
The extra cash brings sports suspension, Bilstein dampers, a strut brace and extra luxuries such as leather seats, a BOSE stereo system, plus all the latest 2019 safety kit. Given all that, the price jump isn’t too much to stomach.
“Step things up a gear and the new 2.0-litre motor’s qualities start to shine”