Mazda MX-5 - long-term review

My love affair with the MX-5 started many years ago, courtesy of my dad, who owned a late second gen (NB) model in silver. Prior to the MX-5 he’d owned a Ford Escort XR3i, Peugeot 205 GTi, an Alfa Romeo 159 (estate), so yeah, he liked his cars. I remember the first time he took me out in it, back when I must have been in my early teens. We weren’t going anywhere specific. We were just going for a drive. I came back grinning from ear to ear.

So when Esther asked if anyone would like the keys to the Top Gear long termer while she was on holiday, which until this point I’d only seen parked in the car park looking resplendent in its Soul Red Crystal paint (though I’d choose silver over black BBS wheels every time) and with it due to be going back to Mazda soon after, I jumped at the chance. But this was a case of third time lucky for me.

See, I first drove an MX-5 back in 2021 at a Mazda heritage drive day. It rained. The whole day. I remember it well, because Mazda had gone all out with the festival vibes. Well, it was June after all (indeed, it was also the day England played that boring score draw with Scotland at Euro 2020). I was lucky enough to drive every generation MX-5, from the MkI to the present day. But I couldn’t help but feel I’d missed out on, you know, that sun in your face, wind in your hair, full experience. Damn weather.

A year later, the opportunity came about to drive one again, for a progress report. For those that don’t know, this is where we pitch a current version of a car against an earlier predecessor. A compare and contrast, if you like. After my previous experience, I was praying to the rain gods. Not just for me, but for the MkI that Mazda was bringing along. Visits to the BBC Weather app were frequent. So you can imagine my disappointment when I opened the curtains on shoot day… to grey skies and lashings of rain. See for yourself in the pictures above. And despite spending a week with it, the weather never really improved.

Which brings us to the current day. Surely, surely, over the course of two weeks, this time I’d get the chance to put the roof down? I won’t keep you, reader, it finally happened. As luck would have it, another pair of hands were needed to help shoot the Shelby Cobra versus Dodge Viper – two more convertibles, as it so happened – and you’d better believe I was taking the MX-5 along. And getting the pictures to prove it if the sun came out.

Which it did. Temporarily. What, you didn’t expect the British weather to play ball the whole day, did you? But let that take nothing away from the MX-5. I’m firmly of the opinion that driving a slow car fast is far more fun than driving a fast car slow. The MX-5 isn’t slow, per se, (and this one gets the more powerful 2.0-litre engine, as opposed to the base 1.5-litre unit), but it’s far from supercar fast. But who needs a supercar when you’re never really going to be able to push it to anywhere near its limits unless you take it to a track?

Nah, far better to get yourself one of these, with its precise steering, sharp-shifting 6spd manual gearbox, and supreme balance, and then give it the absolute beans everywhere. I can’t think of another car that gives you so much bang for your buck. Just a shame that my dad isn’t around anymore, so that I could have returned the favour. You’ll be missed.