2017 Mazda MX-5 RF puts style first

Mazda’s new, hard-roofed MX-5, the RF, is so attractive that it will steal sales away from more expensive, premium convertibles offered by Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, according to the company’s European CEO, Jeff Guyton.

Speaking at a sparkling, star-studded unveiling of the slick-looking RF with its snappy folding hard lid as part of the Rome Film Fest, Mr Guyton told CarsGuide the new version of the already hugely popular MX-5 was designed as a style statement from the start.

“With the last version of this car, we really just concentrated on giving it a hard roof, and that car was obviously a huge success, because the hard top ended up taking 80 per cent of sales of the past generation MX-5 in Europe,” he explained.

“But this time we've really worked on the styling of the RF, on making it something different and something more attractive. It’s got a different look, particularly around the rear deck, and I think that will attract a different type of buyer to this car, not just one who wanted an MX-5 but was worried about being protected from the elements.

“And I think that stylishness, the way it looks with the roof up, or down, will win us sales from the sort of people who might otherwise be looking at convertibles from Audi, or BMW or Mercedes. It looks that good.”

Style was very much the substance of the Rome event, where a cavalcade of more than 100 MX-5s were driven through the city’s ancient streets, surrounded by a police escort and fumed at by thousands of Roman motorists who seemed less than pleased by having their chaotic roads shut down.

The destination for the Mazda cruise was a special drive-in theatre set up purely for the pleasure of the assembled media, and selected MX-5 fans who drove their old cars to the event.

The RF was eventually unveiled, amid a flurry of dancing girls who seemed to have been flown in direct from 1980, and its new look was much admired, despite the disappointingly dark grey of the chosen “hero” colour.

European drivers prefer manual, particularly in a sports car like this. It makes sense.

The targa-like look of the new roof structure really does give the MX-5 a striking, straked look, and adds a new dimension to what is already a hugely attractive, and almost manly looking sports car.

Interestingly, all of the MX-5s that took part were fitted with manual gearboxes, because in European countries, where automatics are still seen as a soft option for less enthusiastic drivers, there is zero demand for a self-shifting version (in Australia a shameful 40 per cent of MX-5s sold are fitted with auto boxes).

“It’s not that we’re opposed to the idea of automatic versions of the MX-5, and if someone wanted an auto in this new RF, I’m sure we could make that happen, it’s just that there’s no demand for such a thing,” Guyton said.

“European drivers prefer manual, particularly in a sports car like this. It makes sense.”

Guyton believes that the number of people who insist on having a soft top for their MX-5 because it is the more pure option - lower weight over all, lower centre of gravity - is very small.

“I don’t think a ‘purist’ or an ‘enthusiast’ would have a problem at all with having the RF, I think it’s just a choice that people make, and I think that 80/20 breakdown shows that,” he said.

The harsher weather in Europe is definitely a factor in buyers’ thinking, however, because Mazda Australia predicts the RF will only take up around 50 per cent of sales when it arrives down under early next year.

Mazda Australia says the more coupe-like version generally appeals to an older buyer, and in some cases to city dwellers who have to park on the street and are worried about the security of a soft top.

While the RF will be offered in Europe with both the 1.5 and 2.0-litre engines, only the bigger power unit will be an option for Australian buyers, due to concerns about the extra weight of the roof. An official kerb weight has not yet been released but it is understood it will be around the 1150kg mark, a jump of around 140kg on the soft top.

There will also be a premium to pay, of course, with the RF versions sitting at the very top of the MX-5 price list. That final price is yet to be announced, but Mazda has hinted at around a $4000 to $5000 premium over the basic car, so around $40,000 for the entry-level and $45K for the GT.

Compared to any convertible you might shop against from the premium Germans, it will still look like an absolute bargain.

Would you prefer the RF over a soft-top MX-5? Tell us what you think in the comments below.