the Mazda mx-5 is a breath of fresh air and not just because it is a convertible you see in recent years we’ve become accustomed to hot hatches and even two-ton SUVs that can cover naught to 62

miles an hour in less than four seconds but the dinky mx-5 instead of focusing on outright speed goes for pure driver excitement and aims to put a smile on your face with every journey the mx-5

follows a tried and tested recipe it’s been out since 1989 has a cult following all over the world and is now in its fourth generation rivals are few and far between sure there are cheaper wind in

your hair alternatives including the Fiat 500c and Citroen ds3 Cabrio but it’s really only the four seater MINI Convertible and the Fiat 1t for Spyder that are true competitors and the fee is

based on the mx-5 anyway so does the latest mx-5 continue because much-loved legacy or has the mx-5 s winning streak finally ended in this review will tell you what it’s like to drive and live

with and ultimately whether we think you should buy one and if you are interested in buying one go to the new car buying section at what car comm and find out

how much money we could save you it could be thousands but first let’s take this dinky mx-5 out for a drive

if you feel bamboozled by engine choices in many cars from the class with the mx-5 because there are just two to choose from a 1.5 liter and a 2 liter they’re both four-cylinder and they’re

naturally aspirated as opposed to turbocharged which does mean you have to explore the rev range to get the best out of them but that’s no bad thing with

a sports car even the 1.5 liter despite being relatively small still feels at plentifully our recommended engine choice is the 2-liter because it’s got

more mid-range power and it also doesn’t run out of puff when you get to its top end in fact you’ll find yourself getting close to the redline rather frequently because it’s just so much fun to do so

there’s 181 brake horsepower on offer which is about the same as a fairly lowly hot hatch however it is plenty enough to have a lot of fun both engines

come with a 6-speed manual gearbox which has fantastic Snuffy gear changes if you’d like to go for an automatic you can get this with the folding hardtop

Mazda mx-5 RS with the roof up road and wind noise is acceptable for its class although do expect it to get a little bit noisier when you get onto the

motorway as you can see with the roof down it is not too blustery and it does give you an opportunity to listen to the engine which does sound

pretty good when you get it into revs the mx-5 features soft suspension which means it’s a surprisingly comfortable car over most road surfaces it copes

well over speed bumps and isn’t too unsettled by awkward cambers either go for a sport nav plus or GT sport nav plus version and you get stiffer sports

suspension for a more focused setup but it’s never uncomfortable handling is where the rear wheel drive Mazda mx-5 really comes into its own

it also has well weighted direct steering so you can thread it from corner to corner with absolute confidence in fact compared with most

front-wheel drive hot hatches the mx-5 feels like a much more involving and playful car our only criticism in fact is that because of that soft suspension

the mx-5 can lean heavily into corners but that’s not something which will bother most people versions of the feet one two four Spyder and MINI Convertible

maybe slightly quicker but neither are as entertaining as the Mazda you sit low down inside the mx-5 which is no surprise given that it is a sports car

you can’t adjust the driver’s seat up and down but you can tilt it and the steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake so you should be able to find a

comfortable driving position unsurprising given that it’s a small car all of the controls are within easy reach we really like these chunky rotary

dolls for quick access to things such as the air conditioning settings and you do get a marginally padded armrest here and the dashboard is logically laid out

entry-level cars miss out on this 7-inch color touch screen so we’d suggest upgrading because it’s really very good it gets apple carplay and android auto

smartphone mirroring as well as sat-nav a DAV radio and Bluetooth connectivity what’s more it can be controlled either by touch or by this rotary dial and

shortcut buttons on the center console Mazda has really upped the ante with interior quality there’s an array of different textures the buttons and

switches feel nicely damped the plastics don’t feel cheap and it feels overall well screwed together but a MINI Convertible is still

even more special now in terms of visibility you can see out of the front really well and if you’ve got the roof up that tiny rear window does hinder

rear visibility so we’re cheating with from the roof down and you don’t get parking sensors are standard unless you go for the top two models and a

reversing camera is reserved for the GT sports now Plus model there’s no getting away from the fact that this is a small car you can even touch the door on the

other side and a 6-footer probably wouldn’t even need to stretch and no matter who your passenger is you will be sitting in close proximity to try and get on in terms of storage

there’s no glovebox and no door bins banana storage is not possible here or there you could probably put a lipstick or your phone in there it’s a little bit of storage there and two cupholders so

it does score some practicality points and there’s no rear seats I’m very limited storage either in fact your struggle to fit a jumper behind this seat even with me driving the good

news is that with the roof down at boot space is unaffected the bad news is that it started off quite small you’ve got a high load lip and small oval opening as well so it’s not hugely practical but

it’s to be expected for its class if you play golf you may have to leave a passenger at home and put the golf clubs on the passenger seat aside from the more expensive Fiat 1/2 4 spider which

itself is based on this car there is no other two-seater sports car in this price range even Toyota’s GT 86 is pricier and it doesn’t come with a soft

top option and the MINI Convertible it’s also more expensive but at least you get two rear seats it’s lightweight with fuel-efficient engines so the mx-5 won’t cost you a lot to run either

both the 1.5 and 2 litre petrol promise over 40 miles to the gallon which we have experienced in real-world fuel tests PCP finance costs a competitive two with cheap monthly payments

depending on how much deposit you can put down even entry-level se+ cars come with air conditioning alloy wheels two USB connectors

and LED headlights still we spend the extra cash to upgrade to SEL nav plus trim which gets you a more comprehensive infotainment package including sat-nav

and smart phone connectivity sport nav plus models get more kit again including automatic emergency braking rear parking sensors and automatic lights and wipers as well as stiffer suspension it’s

certainly worth it if you value your equipment or fancy sharper handling the mx-5 holds a four star safety rating from your end cap which isn’t

particularly impressive but at least it matches its rivals the Mazda mx-5 is a terrific two-seater sports car we love the outstanding ride and

handling balance and the performance is best suited to UK roads overall we think it’s one of the best convertibles on sale today for plenty more on the Mazda

mx-5 including our full online review.