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Mazda MX-5 vs Toyota 86

What's the difference?

VS
Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5

$41,990 - $51,990

2022 price

Toyota 86
Toyota 86

$35,990 - $43,990

2020 price

Summary

2022 Mazda MX-5
2020 Toyota 86
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Inline 4, 2.0L

Inline 4, 2.0L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol

Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
7.1L/100km (combined)

7.1L/100km (combined)
Seating
2

4
Dislikes
  • Impractical
  • No 1.5L engine option
  • High noise levels

  • Lacking equipment that should be standard in 2020
  • Cramped ergonomics
  • Hot hatches offer better value
2022 Mazda MX-5 Summary

The Mazda MX-5 convertible is arguably the best new mainstream sports car available today, but the fourth-generation, ‘ND' model was released in Australia all the way back in August 2015, meaning it's now nearly seven years old.

So, how does Mazda go about making the ND MX-5 even better, especially in the face of the new Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ coupes? Well, the MY22 version on test here isn't a late-life facelift - its face is exactly the same -  but it does introduce something called Kinetic Posture Control, which promises an improved drive.

Oh, and the MY22 MX-5 also spells the end of the enthusiast-friendly 1.5-litre engine option, with the 2.0-litre alternative now standard range-wide,  alongside the full safety package. That said, has Mazda managed to improve the breed? Let's find out.

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2020 Toyota 86 Summary

Cast your mind back to 2012, Carly Rae Jepsen’s super-catchy Call Me Maybe single was at the top of the music charts, the first Avengers movie had just hit movie theatres and Toyota’s 86 sports car finally arrived in Australian showrooms after a lengthy teaser campaign.

Fast-forward eight years to 2020, and Carly Rae Jepsen is still releasing bangers, the Avengers have become the zeitgeist of 2010s popular culture and... the Toyota 86 is still available in local showrooms.

Sure, Toyota has tweaked, fiddled and updated the 86 a little since then, but the formula for an affordable, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe is still the same.

But the 86 now competes in a market that has moved ahead in leaps and bounds, and while direct competitors like the Mazda MX-5 are few and far between, it now has to fend off competition from some light-sized warm hatches.

Does the Toyota 86 manage to hold its own in 2020? Or is it better off relegated to the annals of history?

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Deep dive comparison

2022 Mazda MX-5 2020 Toyota 86

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