Mazda MX-5 2.0L 2016 Review

Mazda MX-5 Roadster (2.0L)
Road Test

A fuel-saving SKYACTIV engine to match the power of the previous generation MX-5 four-cylinder delivers the new ND-series model improved driveability and fuel economy. But the new engine detracts not one whit from the character traditionalists demand of their favourite affordable sports car. Lighter than the NC-series model, the 2.0-litre MX-5 joins the 1.5-litre variant in the range with the kind of power-to-weight ratio bound to shame the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ.

Mazda has taken seriously the threat posed by the Toyota 86 and its Subaru BRZ twin. Prices of the new MX-5 are down, equipment is up, and design has found a new balance – more aggressive looks with a roomier interior.

It makes the new MX-5 – now in its ND-series generation – a demonstrably better car all round. There's a 1.5-litre version, but the subject of this test is the naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre model.

The styling of the new car draws its inspiration from Mazda's Kodo principle, which means it shares little, thematically with any earlier MX-5. But it remains one of the more practical soft-top sports cars available in the Australian market. As an example, the MX-5 sits low to the ground for optimal centre of gravity, but the MX-5 can still negotiate driveways without dragging its underbelly.

And if anything, the ND-series is even more practical and civilised than the superseded NC-series model or the earlier forebears. There's better than adequate headroom with the roof raised in the new MX-5, for instance. Entering and leaving the car is easier too, and the roof is really easy to fold down and raise. It's no Skoda Octavia, but the MX-5 does boast a boot that's deep and useful within reason. It might hold a couple of mid-sized suitcases at a pinch.

The driving position seems to have improved in the transition from NC to ND, with soft, snug fitting seats that could only be faulted by being a bit narrow in the squab across my shoulders. Located in the central position in the binnacle, the tacho is a bit of a real estate hog, making the smaller speedo to the right a little harder to read at a glance.

It has to be said, however, the tacho is so large and prominent that you can practically monitor the needle approaching the redline with your peripheral vision – possibly even when you're also watching the track ahead through the side windows – a la the late Roger Clark.

The general presentation in the MX-5 is not as cheap or plasticky as I recall of the Toyota 86 driven during our 2015 running of Australia's Best Driver's Car. Compared with the Toyota the Mazda has soft-damped and precise-fitting controls, plus fewer hard-plastic panels. In the cabin there was a relative lack of storage space. Without a glovebox, storage was limited to a tiny cubby in the centre console and another in the bulkhead between cabin and boot.

The single-point MZD Connect controller in the MX-5 is common to the Mazda3 and is correspondingly easy to use. There was a glitch in the infotainment system that occurred a couple of times, with the system switching itself off each occasion and then restarting. How very unMazda... And warnings in triplicate of approaching school zones and traffic light cameras quickly wore out their welcome [Ed: these can be disabled after navigating many menu steps].

Those minor niggles are quickly forgotten, however, once under way in the MX-5. Like the Mazda3 with the 2.0-litre engine, the MX-5 with this engine develops respectable torque early on and will hold gears down to very low revs (well below 1500rpm) without significant labouring. Its torque curve is also flat right across the rev range, although there's a surge of power from just before 4000rpm. The engine sounds much like MX-5 engines before it, but lacks the charming exhaust note of the 1.5-litre engine. On the overrun with the top down it has a slightly woofy timbre, like a holed exhaust.

But it is healthy and responsive, delivering easily tapped performance, all the while sipping fuel at the rate of 7.7L/100km for the week.

Relatively light, (but built on what feels like a strong platform), the MX-5 is sprightly in a straight line, but the six-speed manual transmission can keep drivers pretty busy while they're enjoying themselves. At 60km/h the MX-5 is revving around 2000rpm in fifth gear, and at 100km/h the engine is spinning at 2500rpm in sixth. So there are plenty of gears available to achieve whatever you want – be it running hard through to redline or exploiting the freely available torque for trickling along at walking speed in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It might be argued that the MX-5 is, if anything, over-endowed with gears. I wouldn't be the one to make that argument though.

The shift action of the MX-5's gearbox is swift, accurate and light. Combine that, and the plethora of ratios with the responsiveness and flexibility of the engine and you have a drivetrain that's a perfect complement to the lively and yet forgiving chassis.

The MX-5 dives into corner with the sort of alacrity we've come to expect of MX-5s generally. There's plenty of front-end grip, and it really doesn't matter whether you drive like Daniel Ricciardo or Jason Day, the MX-5 will turn anything into predictable oversteer. Brake late, leave the power applied on entry or flick the car into the corner, it's all the same as far as the Mazda is concerned – sooner or later the tail will try to swap ends... before the stability control puts the house in order.

Whatever you want to do with the car in handling terms is made so much easier by having power (or trailing throttle) and the right cog available whenever you want it.

Considering the Mazda's small footprint and handy dynamic ability, a hard ride would be forgivable, but the MX-5 is actually quite tolerable on that score.

Everything about the MX-5, including the braking, can be relied upon to place the car precisely where you want it to be on the road. My one misgiving about the braking is the safety system that runs the hazard warning lights as soon as you apply firm pressure to the pedal. The system treats this hard braking as a symptom of an emergency, but the flashing lights become their own distraction.

At night the MX-5's headlights proved themselves to be pretty effective, but there was no auto-on/off facility, which came as a surprise in any modern car priced above $30,000.

It goes without saying that the MX-5 is no S-Class Mercedes when it comes to suppressing noise and vibration. NVH was present much of the time, since the soft top is a poor insulator for sound. At freeway speeds the wind roar drowns out road noise, and the driveline can be barely heard at all over the rest. Sitting in traffic waiting for the light to change you can even hear conversations from the pub across the road, the NVH suppression in the MX-5 is so porous.

But that's a small price to pay – and some would say it's actually a bonus having a raw driving experience in a car like the MX-5. Mazda has certainly improved the breed, but the MX-5 is far from sanitised by that process.

2016 Mazda MX-5 2.0L Roadster pricing and specifications:
Price: $34,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 118kW/200Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 162g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Four-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Mazda MX-5 1.5L Roadster (from $31,990 plus ORCs)
>> Toyota 86 (from $29,990 plus ORCs)