Mazda MX-5 review - simple pleasures

Back when I was 17 I would have willing sold an internal organ or two for a Mazda MX-5.

Now, a little older and little wiser, my budget would probably allow me to secure a ratty used model or tie myself into a PCP deal on a new one.

But of course being older and wiser means I’ve got to think about things like getting the kids to school – not something a sporty two-seat roadster is much use for.

It’s still bloody good fun to zip around in for a week or two - as I was reminded when Mazda dropped off a demonstrator for me to test.

I drove the hard-top RF model previously but this test car was the more traditional soft-top version and had the larger, 181bhp 2.0-litre engine as opposed to the 130bhp 1.5-litre model I drove previously.

That means an improved, 6.5-second, nought to 62 time and an extra 10mph added to the top speed compared with the smaller-engined car.

Like the 1.5-litre car, you need to rev the 2.0-litre MX5 close to the redline in order to get the most out of it. Even with the larger powerplant the MX-5 is a car built with a focus on exhilarating handling rather than out and out speed, but you do get more power in the mid-range than you do in the smaller car.

It makes more noise than the 1.5-litre version while idling - a suitably throaty sounding rumble - but I actually preferred the noise from the smaller engine when revving. The six-speed manual gearbox is quite simply driving perfection though and while you can spec the RF model with an automatic gearbox I can’t imagine why you would unless you had to.

MX-5 has become a byword for great-handling sports car and when Mazda set out to design the original they took their inspiration from classic British models. Through the generations the 50:50 weight distribution and supple springs have remained a constant with the model and kept the car true to the original vision however much modern tech they cram into it.

Steering is pin sharp via an electrically-assisted rack and pinion set-up and the suspension is supple enough to be comfortable and controlled enough to be sporty. This is a car that’s supposed to be sporty and fun - not hardcore and Mazda have got it pretty close to being bang on.