2017 Mazda MX-5 RF First Drive Review | A More Mature Freedom Machine
Traditionally, sports car sales follow a set pattern: All-new models tend to ride waves of hype and publicity, recording strong initial sales to feed initial demand before interest - and sales - recede into the shallows.
The pattern can be picked up in the sales charts of the Toyota 86, the same is sure to occur to the Ford Mustang, and it has happened to the Mazda MX-5 for more than two decades.
Mazda intends to keep interest in its roadster buoyant by introducing a new model that isn't a roadster at all. Meet the new MX-5 RF, a folding hardtop version of Mazda’s iconic rear wheel drive convertible that should give the model a vital sales boost.
Vehicle Style: Two-door hard-top convertible
Price: $38,550 - $46,890 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 118kW/200Nm 2.0 litre 4cyl petrol | 6sp manual, 6sp automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 7.0 l/100km manual, 7.4 l/100km automatic
OVERVIEW
The fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 arrived locally in August 2015, so the timing seems right to introduce a new model. Based on the available 2.0-litre MX-5, instead of the less powerful 1.5-litre version, the RF swaps the standard car's manual-folding cloth roof for a powered powered hardtop alternative made from metal and glass.