Mazda MX-5 is Medicine for the Mid-Life

It’s 6 am. As your phone’s alarm clock yanks you from your pleasant dreams, you fumble for the snooze button. After pressing it three times, you eventually exit the warm and loving confines of your bed. You stumble into the cold kitchen to make yourself a strong cup of coffee. Later you’ll have breakfast - something convenient and uninteresting like cereal, and while you’re catching up on the latest crime and corruption on www.news24.co.za, you’ll shout over your tablet at the kids to stop fighting immediately. Then you’ll brush your teeth and your thinning hair, kiss your other half goodbye (who is still in her dressing gown), and get into your average family saloon. If rush-hour traffic allows, you will then continue to drive to work which you only do to enable yourself to keep paying the mortgage, the creche fees, the wife’s Edgar’s account and your Mastercard, to name but a few. In short, you work so you can keep doing the same thing over and over every day. Does that sound familiar? It was Paulo Coelho who said “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal.”

So, if it is only a matter of time before that early mid-life crisis hits, maybe it’s time to consider a crotch-rocket or roadster to make you feel better about being taken for granted by your boss, your family and your dog. Nobody says you have to buy one. But you can delight yourself in your thoughts about buying one. But what if your imaginary (or real) budget only stretches to R 420 000?

Perfectly (un)practical

29 years ago, the very first one rolled off the production line in Hiroshima. It was the epitome of everything that routine isn’t. It wasn’t at all practical - it only seats two people. Ridiculously small and low to the ground, safety wise you’d have been at the wrong end of the jaws of life if you connected abruptly with a Range Rover Defender. Now it’s four generations later, and AutoTrader is driving the brand new Mazda MX-5 2.0 Roadster Coupé, so you would know what routine does NOT feel like.

Resolute record-holder

Even though the critically acclaimed MX-5 (aka the Miata) holds the Guinness World record for the best-selling open-top two-seater sports car, the previous generation MX-5 wasn’t selling quite as well as Mazda had hoped, and the all-new route was the only way to go. Gone is the electrically operated soft top of the previous generation, which only added extra bulk. Collectively, almost 100 kilograms have been shaved from the new MX-5 by clever use of materials such as aluminium. Purists will be pleased that Mazda is not following the turbocharging and downsizing trend either, and the tiny MX-5 has a 2.0 litre, naturally aspirated heart beating in its little bonnet. In overseas markets you will also find the 1.5 litre engined variant of the Miata, which we unfortunately won’t be getting in SA.

Inside the MX-5

The no-nonsense cabin is predominantly black and sporty, with the tiniest amount of glossy piano black subtly woven into the dash. The infotainment system touchscreen sits upright towards the top of the dashboard, which can also be controlled by a large rotary dial underneath the short-shifting six-speed gearbox. Red topstitching decorates the gear lever and seats. It’s all very Mazda: simple, smart, functional and fuss-free.

The MX-5 has always been low, but it’s even lower to the ground than before. So instead of climbing into it, you end up falling into it which takes a lot less effort. The low-slung driving position takes some getting used to. When I stepped inside it for the first time, I just couldn’t get comfortable. The seat felt too upright, my legs were straight out in front of me, and as far as real life application is concerned, one has to stretch very far to insert a parking ticket into a boom machine. But by the next day it was as if I’d been driving the MX-5 my whole life, and nobody was going to make me get out.

Driving Topless

As I mentioned, the soft top is now manually operated and it took me all of 5 seconds to stow the roof with just one hand: You open the latch, pull the roof back, and click! It’s warm sunshine, the wind in your hair, jealous looks, freedom, and zero responsibility, at least for now. The MX-5 is not clinical and aloof like an automatic Audi A3 Convertible (from R474 500), so you have to have your wits about you when you drive. Forget about adjusting the base of your speakers or quickly reading a Whatsapp while you’re making your way around Cape Town’s Nelson Mandela Drive. The MX-5 is like a jealous lover or a Jack Russell Terrier: It demands your undivided attention. With feline agility the MX-5 carves the sides off those corners. It’s so nimble and reacts to steering input so quickly, you had better be wide awake. Using the standard cruise control and auto headlamps is the laziest the MX-5 will allow you to get. But if you’re feeling particularly exuberant, there’s traction control which can be switched off. A limited slip differential helps you power out of corners.

As for ride quality, there was a fair bit of scuttle shake (a phenomenon where an open-top car wobbles and shakes), especially over less-than-perfect road surfaces, regardless whether the roof is up or down. Then again, other colleagues with access to different test cars did not have this problem, so it could be that it was only on ours. This also led to some vibration on the steering wheel, especially at speeds higher than 100 km / h. And yet again, on the smooth and well-kept N2 there was almost none. Of course the road surface always makes a big difference, especially in little sports cars, but it shouldn’t be quite as noticeable. This something to look out for when you go for a test drive. I doubt very much that a car that has won so many awards (including World Car of the Year 2016), will have issues such as these.

Also, when someone is trying to call you via the Bluetooth in the MX-5, there is so much wind and road noise that you can’t really hear much when you’re travelling at highway speeds, regardless of the Bose speakers integrated into the headrest. The infotainment system itself is excellent and easy to use, and I successfully streamed music via my iPhone through an Internet music app. When you’re just happily cruising along in town, the sound quality is good.

Will your girlfriend’s hairstyle survive the ride?

I have long, straight hair, and there was minimal turbulence to upset it, that is if you keep the windows up when the roof is down. A wind deflector in the back helps to keep things quite tidy and composed. Windows down, and that salon blow-dry is a thing of the past. Better yet, wear a hat, and don’t forget the sunscreen. Skin cancer is not attractive, whether you drive a convertible or not.

What if it starts to rain?

Stop the car, pull the latch to release the roof, pull the roof towards the front, fasten the other latch, and voila! Another 5 seconds, with my left hand.

Space for two, or even just you

The shrewd designers over at Mazda anticipated that the future owner of this car would probably have a fashion conscious girlfriend or wife who’s not used to travelling light. When the roof is stowed, it doesn’t impinge on the 130 litres of boot space at all. The boot opening is smaller than the boot itself, so you’ll fit much more in there than you’d imagine at first. It fits two carry-on suitcases easily, and some loose items like jackets and hand luggage. I fit a week’s worth of groceries in there. If you have golf clubs, better hang on to that family sedan.

Fuel economy?

Frankly, I was amazed. Fair enough, the MX-5 is a lightweight, but 5.4 litres per 100 km on the combined cycle? Pretty amazing. In town it never went over 7 litres/100 km. That means you’ll get about 550 km on a single tank, making dirty weekends away that much more accessible.

If a minibus taxi hits me, will I live?

With cars this size there are always compatibility issues, so it will be better to collide with an Opel Adam than a Toyota Quantum bus. The MX-5 scores 4 stars in the EuroNCAP crash test, with adult occupant safety score of 84 percent. Pedestrian safety scored 93 percent. If in doubt, watch the video on www.euroncap.com . Every vehicle’s safety rating can be checked on the site.

The final say

The Mazda MX-5 is fun with a capital ‘F’. If I was a well-heeled, childless person living in congested Cape Town, I can’t imagine anything more suitable, except maybe a MINI Cooper Convertible (prices start at R 368 000 before you add extras). R413 800 for the MX-5 is a fair amount of money, but cabriolet driving has never come cheap. If you don’t care much for driving without a top but you want a small coupe, a car worth considering is the Toyota 86 (R 382 300).

Facts and Figures