2015 Mazda MX-5 Auto Review – Fun Factor Intact!
The Skinny: Mazda has rocked the market with the pricing on its new MX-5. Kicking off at $31,990, the new ND Mazda MX-5 resets the benchmark for affordable, open top fun. But it’s also brilliant with thread-the-needle steering, masses of grip, and, in this model tested, an alert smooth-shifting automatic.
The new MX-5’s light weight, built to a true ‘sportscar formula’, comes with some compromises to the interior feel however, which has some cheaper-feeling surfaces in the cabin. A reversing camera is also optional, and boot-space is tight.
It’s also not especially powerful, but does it matter? There are few cars that deliver such pure unadulterated fun at the wheel as the new MX-5.
Vehicle Style: Two door Roadster
Price: $33,990 (automatic; plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 96kW/150Nm, 1.5-litre petrol four cyl | 6spd auto
Fuel Economy claimed: 6.4 l/100km | tested: 7.8 l/100km
OVERVIEW
This is it - the cheapest roadster you can buy, Mazda’s new MX-5. And it’s a gem.
Its formula is absolute simplicity: two doors, quick-fold fabric roof, low weight, front engine and rear-wheel-drive. Based on lightweight European roadsters, the original MX-5 was a revelation, and this new one plays straight from the same handbook.
And while the manual MX-5 is a cracker, Aussie buyers prefer automatics for their cars. A no-brainer for Mazda then to launch an automatic version for a couple of grand more on top of the MX-5’s low asking price.