2015 Mazda MX-5 1.5l Roadster GT Manual Review – Astoundingly Simple, Incredibly Enjoyable
The skinny: It’s now safe to call the MX-5 an icon. Mazda’s little roadster is in its fourth generation - something few sports cars from mainstream manufacturers can claim in the modern age.
And, in a brilliant feat of engineering this newest MX-5 loses weight, gains equipment, maintains driving enjoyment, and, most impressive of all, has had a price trim.
While it may not convince hoards of young Aussie’s to ditch their small hatchbacks and opt for a drop-top instead, this latest Mazda roadster has all the right elements to spark a minor sports car revival.
Vehicle Style: Two door roadster
Price: $37,990 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 96kW/150Nm 1.5 litre 4cyl petrol | 6sp manual
Fuel Economy claimed: 6.1 l/100km | tested: 7.9 l/100km
OVERVIEW
How do you measure a sports car, is it kilowatts, 0-100km/h sprint times, by the number of lap records and race wins it holds? It would be nice if were that easy, but a sports car can be any number of those things, or even none at all.
On paper you may not rate the Mazda MX-5 as groundbreaking. Certainly a peak power output of 96kW isn’t the stuff of legends (for the time being, the skin atop your rice pudding seems safe).
But you don’t drive an MX-5 ‘on paper’, you drive it on roads.