Reviews
Gallery 1
The program manager for the MX-5 Retractable Fastback points to the half-hexagonal line where the hard-top’s flying buttresses meet each rear quarter panel, explaining that it was inspired by the closing door of a Star Trek spacecraft.
But there’s more than trivial trickery at play with this tin-topped ND generation.Having to stow two of the three parts of the folding roof mechanism results in the Mazda’s boot space falling by just three litres, now 127L.
Nakayama-san admits that compared with the larger 2005-era NC there was 70mm less stowage length to work with, so if all three pieces were to drop it would have meant culling the boot or stretching the wheelbase – and neither were desirable options, so therefore some sorcery was required.
The rear glass acrobats into the same cavity where the manual soft-top is stowed, the final roof piece bunkering just above it. When the buttresses are brought back into place, it means the glass window behind occupants’ heads has vanished like magic.
An electric roof mechanism that can operate at up to 10km/h, and lower in 13 seconds, adds back some of the weight that ND engineers flushed from the NC.
Particularly given there are no changes to the 2.0-litre engine, it’s no surprise that the MX-5 RF drives the same as the Roadster. Perhaps on really rough roads there is less steering rack rattle – although some remains – and the tin-top is decently quiet on smooth surfaces, only raising decibels on coarse-chip and with slight wind noise at speed.
Thankfully there is a perfect manual shifter and a surprisingly intuitive and slick auto option. It’s the start of what remains a vehicle that is highly enjoyable to drive, delivering a supreme feeling of lightness, a sharp front-end that joins with excellent throttle response to enhance balance, a fabulous single-setting stability control setting and a beautifully resolved ride.
Mazda estimates that 60 per cent of Mixxer buyers will choose the tin-top despite only being available in pricier 2.0-litre guise and for around $4K above the equivalent soft-top.
The $38,550 MX-5 RF sits some distance above the $33,340 1.5-litre MX-5 Roadster, yet it will snare 18.0 per cent of sales (versus 10.0 per cent), while the $43,890 RF GT will poach 42.0 per cent. Around 70 per cent of buyers will pick a manual, too.
For absolutists – and perhaps the Bang For Your Bucks scorecard – it’s the cheaper pricetag and lightweight purity of the soft-top that still leaves it as the more spellbinding MX-5.
4.0/5
Like: Brilliant ride, handling, ESC calibration and gearshift Dislike: Driving position, steering not perfect, dull engine note
Specs Engine: 1998cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Power: 118kW @ 6000rpm Torque: 200Nm @ 4600rpm Weight: 1080kg 0-100km/h: 6.6sec (estimated) Price: $38,550
