Ian Lamming enjoys a family favourite in the latest Mazda sports car
COOL. It’s a strange word in this context but one that has stood the test of time.
It started in the 1960s along with groovy baby but in this instance it has been adopted by Generation Z by way of my teenage son.
“Cool” is how he is describing this week’s test car, the Mazda MX-5 RF, and he is more than happy to be seen in it as I drop him off and collect him from his new college.
In some test cars he speeds away, others he demands to be dropped off around the corner but in Mazda’s tin-top he is happy to loiter, pose and look around for his pals. Does this make me cool by association? Only in my mind.
MX-5 was inspired by a 60s icon, the Lotus Elan, and has become one itself after been launched to the world in about 1990.
It’s been breathed on a few times, losing the Elan’s pop-up headlamps being the most significant revision, and the latest appears as good as any iteration. It is lovely being both beautifully proportioned and sculpted with a neat nose and lights at the front and a shapely rump.
RF, which stands for retractable fastback, apparently, is a hard top version which removes electrically in seconds at the push of a switch leaving flying buttresses just behind the headrests. It is such a quick transformation that you dare risk going topless even when the clouds look ominous and the rewards of open top motoring are boundless.
Lovely BBS alloy wheels and prominent Brembo brake callipers, plus a high quality lustrous paint job, finish off exemplary looks while inside you get fabulous Recaro leatrher and Alcantara seats. No wonder the boy thinks it’s cool.
MX-5 is a car for when you are in the mood, when you fancy a proper drive, though it is so much fun to pilot that it turns an everyday commute into something special.
The interior is snug even for a titch like me, think hand in a glove rather than solitary sleeper in a king size bed. But everything falls to hand and foot so it is impossible to complain. The dinky gearlever fits perfectly in your palm and is well weighted and direct with short throws. The clutch is pleasingly firm and meaty and the brakes boast oodles of feel.
The ride is firm and controlled but not so hard and harsh that it ever becomes uncomfortable and it turns like nothing else. All you need to do is think about moving the steering wheel and the MX-5 is round the bend with confidence inspiring levels of grip.
Even at relatively slow speeds down the back lanes it is a riot to drive. It is totally exhilarating skimming inches from the asphalt while remaining law-abiding and safe. But when you need a bit of performance for safe overtakes there is power aplenty from the 184PS 2.0 litre motor.
When you drive an MX-5 you join a bit of a club. It’s the discerning choice of someone who knows their cars not the practical choice for an A-B commuter and that means you join an exclusive club. Every time I saw another MX-5, either the RF or the canvas-top, I was greeted with a cheery wave and I’m sure if I’d parked up near any of them the owners would have happily chatted about the brand.
MX-5 remains as endearing as ever. My dad had four of them and still loved them into his 90s so it is great that his grandson is perpetuating that affection. It is proof that the MX-5 spans the generations and will always be a cool car to be seen in.
Fact File
Mazda MX-5 RF Homura
Engine: 2.0 petrol
Power: 184PS
Top speed: 137mph
0-62mph: 6.8secs
Combined MPG: 41.5
Transmission: Six-speed manual
CO2 g/km: 153
Price: £37,845.00
