Mazda MX-5 2009 review

The giant grin already seen on the Mazda3 has been slapped on the world's best selling sports car to mark the change to a 2009 model, but the car drives a long way different from a simple cosmetic tweak.

There is nice new comfort stuff in the latest MX-5, but there have also been some significant — and worthwhile — improvements to the mechanical package. The basic body is stiffer, there have been changes to the steering and suspension settings, and even the carryover 2-litre engine has been freshened and given a sportier note.

Pricing and equipment

The bottom line still looks good, with recommended retail prices from $43,850 through to $51,455, covering the basic soft top through to the loaded Roadster coupe sports that picks up Recaro seats and BBS alloy wheels.

The spread of MX-5 models now gives Mazda buyers more choice against the latest rage of of hardtop convertibles from other brands, from the Mini Cabrio and Ford Focus CC through to the Renault Megane, as well as BMW's raunchy 1 Series droptop. But it is still only a two-seater, and a tight one too.

The move to a folding electric hardtop helped to pull back some lost ground and now Mazda is going softer again with the improvements to noise levels and all-round harshness. But, thankfully, the softer touch is also sharper in the driving.

Changes

The new car is an update to the third-generation body that arrived in 2005 with more cabin space and a look which reflected the thinking behind the then-new 3 and 6. It's still the same in the basics but Mazda points to everything from a 'soft-touch' pad on the centre console and a new storage net on the passenger's side to new valve springs and a forged crankshaft in the engine.

Sales

This year is the 20th anniversary of the MX-5 and the numbers look good, from 855,000 worldwide sales and 15,000-plus deliveries in Australia — no-one is sure of the exact number of 'grey' imports, some even carrying Eunos Roadster badges, which have landed — to 178 worldwide awards.

Mazda Australia is still forecasting 500 sales a year, which reflects the ongoing popularity of the car and the proven appeal of a REAL sports car in a world of hot hatches and soft-stock coupes.

It's still a car people buy to reward themselves and, despite the popularity of CC coupes, has the sort of driving enjoyment that is impossible to match below $100,000.

Driving

To be honest, I really wasn't expecting much from the latest MX-5. Just that big grin on the car and a grin for me after seat time with my favourite baby sports car. I already knew the MX-5 is no straightline match for a Mini S Cabrio and lacks the space of a Megane CC, and the update work on the '09 car looked like the usual bla-bla-bla stuff that's so common from carmakers.

Then I rolled through the first kilometre. And then five. And then ten. And I was won.

The new MX-5 feels like a totally new model after the last one, which was the first model I drove with the folding hardtop. The superseded MX-5 was — to be honest — a bit slow, too noisy, and missing the sparky edge which had been a hallmark since 1989.

Now it's back. The new car has instant-response steering, is a lot quieter and more refined, has an engine which sounds and feels more responsive, and even benefits from things like Recaro seats with better comfort and support.

I had to find out what has happened.

"It's all about the stiffening. They've put a lot more strength into the chassis and that is why you can feel all the other stuff," says Allan Horsley, motorsport manager at Mazda Australia.

Horsley has been responsible for the SP range of upgraded Mazda models, including a rorty little MX-5, and knows his stuff.

For technical types, the tweaks for '09 include a lower front rollcentre, sharper steering settings and changes to the suspension, while the engine has a redline set 500 revs higher, stiffer internal parts and some tweaking to the induction.

The result is a car that feels more like the 1989 original than the 2005 tweak. I still miss the rifle-bolt action of the original five- speed gearbox — lost when Mazda when to a Toyota six-speed — but even the gearshift is a little more direct than before.

On the downside the headlamps are dismal and the engine is still way behind the best 2-litre fours, and I wonder about the need for the electric hardtop. Then again, I don't live in an inner-city ratrace with slash-and-grab thieves who love softtop convertibles.

The driving experience on the '09 MX-5 is sharp and rewarding and the engine has enough pull from 2000 to 6000 revs to make any twisty road fun. The brakes, as you'd expect, are great.

Surprisingly, there is even enough space for a couple of nights away with a partner who is eight months pregnant, although several pieces of luggage had to be tucked down inside the cavity below the folding roof. I also love the Recaro seats in the MX-5 Sports pack, for support and comfort, but have to complain about the boring steering wheel and a system that does not adjust for reach.

But those are little things and, for my money this is the best MX-5 since the first one in 1989. I've driven them all and I like this the most.