Size does matter: Small is better

Mazda MX5 packs fun, practicality and reliability into a perfectly proportioned little sportster

My first encounter with the Mazda Miata was about 15 years ago when I had no money and crashed at a bachelor pad in Damansara Heights. the guys who rented the place were Malaysia Airlines pilots. They were in their early 20s, made more money than they need so they bought cars and one of the cars parked in the yard is a Mazda MX5.

It was dark green and gorgeous. It was not a fast car but everything felt connected to the driver and you are grinning ear to ear when rounding a corner at 60km/h.

The Miata was progressively improved throughout the years and thankfully it never grew too much in the process.

Styling

To be honest, I much prefer the styling of the original with its super clean lines and subtle detailing but I suppose with the new generation cars, they needed to widen the track so that means flaring the fenders to accommodate the new rubber positions.

Apart from the wider wheel arches, I love the design.

The slim capsule-shaped headlamps sit perfectly on the face and the chrome trimmed under breather is shaped just so to give the MX5 a happy face.

The subtle front spoilers look purposeful and adds to the car’s sporting credentials like ripples through spandex.

The rest of the body is uncluttered and this allows the eyes to concentrate on the proportions which is near perfect.

With the roof up, the MX5 looks taut, and ready to run, with the roof down, it takes on a more relaxed cruising persona. Everything boils down to the proportion and the shape of the electrically retractable folding hardtop.

The 10-spoke wheels may not be the most exciting alloys in business but it fits perfectly with the MX5’s subtle and understated character.

Outback, they did very little to the design of the original, even the tail lamp shape and divisions are very similar to the first-generation Miata, except that the current design features a clear outer lens and diamond reflectors for the reverse lamp and turn indicators.

The Interior

Mazda kept it simple the first time and they did not change their mind this time. The MX5’s interior remains one of the best in terms of its simplicity and design purpose. There are no unnecessary buttons and frilly gadgets.

all buttons are logically laid out and within easy reach, you may think this is easy within a small cabin where all corners are reachable by the average-sized person but the truth is, the cabin can feel cramped if improperly organised.

For example there is little room for the power window switch on the doors, where they are usually found, so they put it on the centre tunnel, just behind the gearlever.

If you rest your hand on the centre tunnel, the switches fall almost exactly where your fingertips would be. Switches in the right place makes the cabin feel cosy, if it is any closer, the operating adjective would be cramped.

In front of the driver is a collection of clearly marked dials that tell you everything you need to know about the car’s mechanical operation.

You can see how the rev-counter starts at the six o’clock position and returns tot he vertical as the engine hits its sweet spot at around 5,000 rpm.

Actually you don’t really need the rev-counter to swap gears because the engine note is crisp, clear and tells you exactly when the engine starts to run out of steam, as it hits the redline at 6,500rpm.

The six-speed automatic is a sweet little basket of ratio, each gear has been carefully chosen to keep the car going in quick bursts. The close ratio makes for a sweet drive when you find the right type of roads.

It is so easy to keep the engine on the boil because the ratios chosen feel so natural when you drive energetically. When you want to enjoy a quiet cruise, just leave the ‘box in one gear higher or click left to invoke the full-auto mode.

There are four paddles on the MX 5’s steering wheel, the lower pedals for upshifting while the top tabs are for choosing a lower gear. Give yourself a few minutes and everything becomes second nature.

I suppose they could have chosen a two paddle arrangement with upshift on the right and downshift on the left or something similar but the use of four paddles means that whichever way the steering is pointed, it is a bit harder to get confused.

This remains one of the best seat in the automotive business. While the side bolsters are not aggressive , it does just enough to keep you in place even during hard cornering. Well the thing is the MX5 doesn’t have to be worked that hard to be enjoyed because the steering tells you everything that you want and need to know about what is happening at tyre level.

The low-set seats helps bottoms and backs settle down more firmly onto the seats and this helps the driver from sliding around, even with such conservative side bolsters.

Driving

As far as sporstcar goes, this little Mazda is hard to beat. It may not be as focused as the Lotus Elise but then again nothing is and at least with the Mazda you get all the comforts of civilisation and then some.

What you have to keep in mind is that this is a simple front-engine rear-wheel drive layout and you get a car that is obedient and forgiving at the same time.

MX 5s do not boast fantastic level of lateral grip but they offer progressiveness so that you can feel an oversteer coming well before it actually snaps your neck.

This has something to do with the fact that you sit almost at the centre of the car’s rotational axis and this allows drivers to feel any minute shift in yaw and the information package is completed by the communicative steering wheel that keeps you updated on front tyre grip.

You can feel the lateral grip loading the front tyres as you power the car into corners and as the car reaches the limit, the steering starts to lighten just a smidgen and when combined with the yaw information that comes through the seats, you get plenty of early warning.

When you know the car will tell you well in advance if you are going to get into trouble, then it is easy to push it hard. Just remember to listen to the car and you will stay out of trouble.

Just like the original Miata, the grip level is moderate and you can induce a gentle four-wheel drift into corners by balancing the throttle and because you do it at a reasonably low speed and have a fast accurate steering as your partner, things rarely get messy or out of hand.

The MX 5 epitomises everything that is right with the automotive industry. They found a successful recipe, don’t over  embellish it and  kept it simple so that most drivers can enjoy the car.

If there is any complaint it is the nearly RM220,000 price tag.

My pilot friend bought his for less than RM90,000 as a reconditioned car and today his car is still worth around RM50,000. somehow I don’t think the new car will hold it’s value that well, not because it is a lesser car but because it started with a much higher price tag and has a lot more value to lose.

Anyway, I was really sad to give the keys back to Mazda but am thankful that they still remember that the most important thing about a sportscar is the fun that you get out of driving it and not top speed or most grip or anything like that.