Mazda MX-5 review

Prices start at £28,015 for a basic 1.5 Prime-Line on the attractive 16in rims. The mid-range Exclusive-Line kicks off at £30,015, while the top-spec Homura is £34,835. The mechanical hard top RF will cost you another £2-3k on top of those numbers; jumping from the 1.5 to the 2.0 adds £2,400 or so to the bill.

Go for a monthly leasing option and you could find yourself in a 1.5 Prime-Line convertible for around £380 a month, an entry RF for £400 a month or a Homura 2.0 car for around £480 a month. That’s having put £4k down as a deposit.

What’s the difference between trims?

Base spec Prime-Line can only be had with the 1.5-litre engine, Exclusive-Line can be paired with either the 1.5- or 2.0, and top-spec Homura is 2.0-litre territory only.

Entry-level Prime-Line comes equipped with 16in alloy wheels, DAB radio, cruise control, electrically adjustable heated seats and door mirrors, and an 8.8in touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto.

Exclusive-Line cars get the sportier engineering (front strut brace, limited slip differential and Bilstein dampers) that comes with the 2.0 motor as well as fancy 17in alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, leather seats, nine-speaker Bose surround sound system and reversing parking sensors and camera. 

Top-spec Homura models get fancy BBS alloy wheels, a light stone leather interior, and red front Brembo brake callipers.

What’s the best spec?

Ultimately, the two big choices to make when buying an MX-5 are which engine to go for, and which roof - soft- or hard-top - to protect your noggin from the elements.

The roof choice is fairly simple unless you've really got your heart set on the RF, but the engine comes down to personal taste. Some will prefer the more sedate pace of the 1.5 and enjoy the opportunity to soak up the sun.

We’d likely go for the bigger 2.0-litre engine considering the small difference in monthly repayments. Exclusive-Line trim gets everything you could really want or need.

Watch out though: the bigger engine hits CO2 emissions of 153g/km, and this pushes your first year tax rate up to £680, whereas the smaller unit's lower end of 140g/km means it'll cost you only £270. The one drawback of Mazda not using turbos... Still, after that you'll be paying VED of £190 annually either way.