It's been some time since I've wanted to give it a go...
The older model was the first convertible I drove, and it was love at first sight. Since then, I have a lot of respect for the car, and I love convertibles in general.
I was able to leave work much earlier today, so I told myself I'd go have some fun by testdriving a car, and what better car to drive on a sunny day, then a roadster
So, keys in hand I sit down, feel immediately very comfortable. Pull the seat a bit closer to the pedals (the clutch is very far away), take some time to find out how to set the steering higher (need to push a lever, rather then pull it). The seats, as I said, are comfortable, they hug you in well, with the shifter being tucked in a recess, with short precise shifts and much less vibrations then I remember feeling on the older model. There might be a tad less interior space... not sure, just feels like it, but it's been quite a few months since I last drove the older model.
Good engine noise, not too loud, and not too anemic. 160ponies for a relatively light car (less then 1.2 tons) resulted in decent psh from the rear tires. Acceleration is good, short shifts, close gear ratios too, coz whilst driving in 3rd gear, say at 3000rpm, I would shift to 4th, and it would immediately jump almost back to roughly the same rpm levels. It's not a dragster however... you really need to push up those RPM's to get the animal out from the car. At anything less then 3000rpm, it's a very soft ride.
The mini air dam between the security pillars was very effective, since dropping it caused a significant hike in turbulence levels, much more so then if I didn't have such a thing set on my car. Mine's a bit more "calm" inside.
I do find that I was sitting higher up in the new MX5 as well... the wind, just above the windscreen, would caress my (already deplenishing) hair
I think you sit lower in the old car... and I'm not a very tall person.
However, where it really shines is rigidity. Much more so then the older version! I did find a bit of body roll present when taking corners, yet the car had the sport suspension! I think I wouldn't wanna drive it without this suspension, it must be too soft. Anyway, the car in itself is softer and more rigid then the old one, especially nice on granulated road, where my SLK feels harder due to the even stiffer springs and body. However, the MX5 wasn't "soft", it took turns very well, at very good speed, and I was always able to maintain control.
Conclusion: a very good car, good sound, nice maneuverability. Good cabrio driving, one of the best I've driven. I think Mazda needs to release a MazdaSpeed version with over 200hp for the animal to jump out and show you what it's capable of if it had more low end torque.
So, just one problem...
The older model is starting to drop price, and one can purchase it for a very decent price. The MX5 is a very reliable car, lasts very long with very cheap repairs. In Swiss francs, we're looking at a 50,000km car going for roughly 15,000chf, whilst the new 2.0 goes for about 40,0000. And that's where the problem lies. The old model could be had for 32,000 or so if you haggled a bit, and the new car is not "that" much better. It is better then the old one in, say, 80% of the things, but only in very small doses. I think I'd need more then 45 minutes behind the wheel to come to a more definitive conclusion
Test drove new Mazda MX5 (Miata)
Linear Mode
