Have you ever lost money on a horse race? Out of the gates your Nag of choice is rapid and that £10 looks certain to become twenty. But then the pack begin to move up. By the Grandstand they are neck and neck. By the finishing post you have already torn your betting slip up and sloped off to the bar.
The MX-5 is just as energetic out of ‘the gates.’ The short shift gearbox lets you thump up and down the gears as you sprint from traffic lights to roundabout. The neutral steering and tiny footprint allowing you to nimbly swap lanes and cut bigger, more expensive sports cars up.
Unfortunately, if its sunny you will have the roof down, so they can see you and you can clearly hear what they think of you. But that’s by-the-by.
You can accelerate almost all the way to roundabouts, then a satisfying flick into third and a dab of brakes brings everything under control and a few seconds of see-sawing at the wheel gets you to the apex and off at your exit. Then its thump, thump, thump, back up the gears. If you come across a slow moving Ford Focus, you can’t see over it (that’s how small this roller skate is) so you jink out a bit. If the way is clear, third gear again, instant smiles all round and you whoosh straight past.
On long and twisty b-roads, the short gears mean you always have power, you always have a suitable gear. The neutral steering and feedback from all four corners mean you get really involved with this car. You can literally hook the front wheels around cats-eyes as you aim for a specific point on the tarmac. The brakes never seem to be working hard, or require you to work hard. No matter how late you brake.
This is what motoring is meant to be like. This is how I imagine it felt to driving an MGB in the swinging 60s when every day was sunny and no one was sad.
The MX-5 does everything an authentic sportscar should: Sitting in traffic with your hand on the gearshift, it vibrates lightly in your hand. Open the door when it’s been raining and water drips on your seat. At high speeds its noisy.
On dual carriageways it really is a bit draining. I guess the gear ratios can’t be adjusted without the car losing the brilliant b-road performance. So it could really do with about 10 forward gears.
Which brings me back to the horse race. All those cars I passed through Brent Cross swamp round me on the M1 and then just cruise effortlessly past. Coming down slip roads and onto motorways was the same. You start out all bullish, thrilled by the way it handled round the corners, but once on dual carriageway the 1.8 litre engine just doesn’t have the guts to belt past things the way you expect it to. After all the fun on b-roads or about town, you expect a lot of this little car. Its not underpowered, but it can’t just pass anything at will like a Nissan 350Z can. Sadly though, it seems to burn fuel like one.
Personally, I don’t mind losing the odd flutter on a good race. It is still entertaining and with no winnings to collect, you get to the bar a bit quicker. The MX-5 is certainly entertaining.
It is practical too. Despite the powered tin-top roof, the boot will take a very large suitcase. The roof is very quick to open and close and the cabin has air conditioning, electric windows and CD-player. Plus loads of drink holders and storage spaces that can be closed to minimise the risk of break-ins.
The dashboard is classic sports-car, despite the gadgets: 3-spoke steering wheel of aluminium and leather, round wiry air vents, simple speedo, rev counter and oil pressure gauge. Which all adds to the enjoyment of driving this car. You feel like you are driving in classic sport scar chases from films like Get Carter and You Only live Twice.
The design elements are not the only reason you feel like that. The hard top creates quite a blind spot over your shoulder and no one else seems to see the car coming. So you have to make sudden manoeuvres and jink out of the way. A Peugeot 306, Bentley Arnage and Volvo XC90 all nearly drove over me.
Summary
This is the kind of car, that as an old man, you regret not owning as a young man. A brilliant little sports car that handles for the enthusiast but has all the creature comforts. Stretch your budget and get the 2.0 litre engine if you can though as the 1.8litre just falls short of what you need.
Road test car
Mazda MX-5 1.8i
OTR: £15,750
Co2/Km: 174
MPG: 38.7
0-62: 9.4 secs
Words: Matthew Tumbridge