Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe 2006 review

It is also the world's favourite, after building a showroom total — more than 770,000 and running — that takes it well past any other sports car in any era of motoring.

But there is always room to improve . . . which is why we now see a Roadster Coupe with an electric clamshell roof.

It deliberately decided not to meddle with the winning ingredients, despite aiming to spread the appeal of the MX-5 and give something new to people who might already have owned a car or two.

Mazda says there is almost no difference between the convertible and the coupe, listing everything from its unchanged boot space to a roof that is only 10mm higher.

And the roof is easily the quickest in the business, with a 12-second operation time.

The basic body is unchanged, but the car's rear guards are a little more contoured, the rear end sits a little higher and there is an air guide to reduce top-down turbulence.

Best of all, Mazda says the powered top and other changes add only 37kg to the MX-5's weight. And that is a huge move for people who want a real sports car.

The roof, made from a fibre-plastic composite, weighs only 18kg more than the manual soft top.

It has two pieces and the rear window is noticeably larger than the one in the soft-top.

The Roadster Coupe also brings a few other changes, with the arrival of electronic stability control and traction control as part of a rollout across the whole Mazda family. It also has twin-chamber side airbags.

There is a price rise, of course, to $47,660, but Mazda Australia says this is only an increase of $2930 over an MX-5 with the leather trim and Bose sound system that are standard on the Roadster Coupe.

There is also expected to be a change in the people who buy the car, with more customers looking for practicality, security and safety.

"We view this car as an expansion on the current MX-5 and forecast a changing demographic who will purchase the MX-5 Roadster Coupe, for reasons different to a soft-top MX-5 driver," managing director Doug Dickson says.

"Of course, we will continue to offer the soft-top roof and we are sure it will maintain its popularity."

The mechanical package of the Roadster Coupe is unchanged.

This means a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed activematic with paddle change behind the steering wheel, fully independent suspension and excellent four-wheel disc brakes.

On the road

THERE are no surprises with the new MX-5. It is a mystery why Mazda took so long to produce a more secure roof system, but the rest of the deal — including the tight price — is pretty much what you would expect from a company that knows its cars and is in top form.

The Roadster Coupe drives as you would expect, though perhaps a little softer than we remembered.

No, it's better than that. It's a masterpiece of clever design and packaging.

It is quick and effective, and you only have to lock or unlatch the roof before using the one-touch button to get it up or down.

The 12-second operation beats anything else with a similar system, though we could get the convertible done in the MX-5 in less than five seconds.

Unlike some systems in bigger and heavier cars, it also looks and feels as if it will go trouble-free for the life of the car.

Best of all, boot space is unchanged. And it is the same with the roof up or down. It's still not going to take much gear, and you would never go supersize in an MX-5, but it is good to see that it can be done.

The Roadster Coupe gets along nicely, grips and turns as you would expect of a sports car, and has brilliant brakes.

We have always said the MX-5 could do with more power and a more refined engine, and we stand by the judgment of the 118kW powerplant.

But the gearbox has always been a favourite and the six-speed manual, though it has never matched the rifle-bolt action of the original five-speed, is still first-class.

The Bose sound system really hits, and there is enough luxury equipment. Sound and cruise controls are on the steering wheel in a break from tradition.

There is a lot to like in the Roadster Coupe, though we were disappointed by the noise levels in it. Mazda claims the new top cuts cabin noise, but it is still not quiet.

Then again, we could just open the roof and forget about noise and enjoy the driving and the countryside.

On that front, one of our team is convinced the Roadster Coupe is softer in the suspension. Not a lot, but perhaps something that an MX-5 regular would notice and question.

Still, the car has few rivals and you have to spend a lot more to get a Lotus with a similar driving edge or compromise with a dual-purpose cabrio such as a Renault Megane.

Some of the new-age coupe-convertibles score highly on our ranking, but they are not really rivals to the MX-5 Roadster Coupe, which will definitely stretch the appeal of the MX-5.

We have had a lot of people asking recently about moving into a coupe-convertible and, until now, Mazda did not make the shopping list against Renault, Peugeot or Holden.

It is still not a four-seater, which could be a sticking point, but otherwise it does everything you need. And it is still a real sports car.

The bottom line

THE same successful formula with some new icing on the cake will win more friends for the MX-5.