Mazda MX-5 review

The driving experience might be a pleasing antidote to modern cars, but in many ways the interior is too. It’s easy to find a comfortable driving position, and there are buttons and dials for all the important functions. A haptic-free zone, then. Hallelujah.

The screen has grown into an 8.8in unit as of 2024, running both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Happily you can operate it on the move using a rotary dial in the centre console, or - addressing our main gripe with the old system - as a normal touchscreen. Sometimes a simple point and press will do.

Anything you don’t like?

We get it, you can’t have an affordable sports car that also blows you away with its interior. Still, there’s little about the MX-5’s cabin that feels special. Nor is the execution faultless. And those long-arm, detachable cupholders make it really quite awkward to get at your drink. Come on Mazda, this driving lark is thirsty work.

Oh, and if you’re of a tall persuasion you’ll struggle to get comfortable without the roof down (and your forehead will have an active role in the aero if you do). Wide-shouldered or broad-hipped? Brace yourself, it’ll be cosy.

Is the roof unwieldy?

Nope. One of the nicest things about the MX-5 convertible is the fact that you can open and close the lightweight roof from the driver’s seat practically with one hand. It’s refreshingly easy to use, none of this '18 seconds to close at up to 28mph' nonsense you get with more complicated cars. Although it’s not recommended that you close the roof on the move in this case. You should definitely stop to do that. 

The RF is a different story: that requires you to be driving 6mph or less (you might as well stop) and takes 13 seconds to electronically whirr open or shut. It also gets pretty blustery inside on the move due to the aerodynamics of those pretty buttresses, so choose it only if you prefer the looks. Or have always craved the MX-5 coupe that Mazda’s never put into mass production.