Mazda MX-5
The Japanese, who generally make the best cars in the world, are often accused of copying not innovating. There have been many theories put forward for this, ranging from their collectivist approach to management (so that individual genius, necessary for revolutionary products, is suppressed) to an acknowledgment that it is better to be second and best, than first and subsequently worst.
This want of innovation is a slur most often thrown by European bosses, usually shortly before the Japanese beat them again. It has, after all, taken the Europeans very much longer to learn from the Japanese than it took the American car bosses, possibly because Americans have always been less headstrong and less set in their ways.
After all, look how long it took the Europeans to realize that there was still a market for inexpensive roadsters? They’d all cleared out, back in the ’70s and early ’80s, certain that the future was in mass-produced tin boxes and that sexy, characterful little sports cars of which European makers were once masters were as passe as mechanical watches and fountain pens.
Where the Copying Ended
Then along came Mazda with the MX-5, or Miata as the Americans call it. Yes, it was a copy of sorts of old British and Italian roadsters, similar in concept and style. But that’s where the copying ended. Unlike cheap British and Italian roadsters, the Mazda was reliable, didn’t rust and didn’t leak. It could play the part of day-to-day transport or it could also be a great sun-days and fun-days car. It was a buzz to drive, as well as to own.
Its success made Alfa, Fiat, MG, Lotus, Porsche and BMW the previous dominators of the genre look silly. They were off making sedans or supercars (or in the case of MG, nothing), convinced that nobody wanted a car like the MX-5. Mazda’s sales clearly showed that people did.
So the Europeans quickly jumped back into the market. The MG emblem was dusted off and affixed to a modern, mid-engine baby that everybody loved, never mind that it never occurred to the company to engineer it for America, easily the MX-5/Miata’s biggest market. Fiat and Alfa raced back in, too, as did Porsche and BMW, further upmarket. So did Lotus although, typical of British companies at the time, it forgot to do its sums right. It turned out that the short-lived new Elan cost more to make than its sticker price.
These new-wave European roadsters didn’t give the MX-5 any sales grief, for the simple reason that the Mazda was still a much better value. But all good things have to change, and Mazda has just unveiled its new and improved MX-5/Miata.
The body is new, although it looks unmistakably like the old one. The cute little chrome door handles have been replaced by everyday mustache-shaped Mazda sedan ware, and the pop-up lights have also been ditched in favor of Mazda corporate-style fixed lights. I prefer the look of the old model, although most of my friends seem to prefer the new one, citing its smoother, more melted shape.
easy to see Everyone will prefer the new rear glass window, which replaces the rear plastic screen. It’s easier to see through, and if you live in cold Europe rather than hot California, it’s simpler to de-mist in winter. Also, unlike the old, you don’t have to unzip it before lowering the roof. That fold-back roof is a brilliantly simple piece of design, an exemplar in the field, and miles better than any manual folding arrangement on European cars.
The greatest improvement is in the driving experience. Now, there was hardly a lot wrong with the old MX-5 on this front. It was light, fast and nimble, aided by that snug cabin and the rifle-bolt direct gear-change. You still wear an MX-5, rather like a hand wears a glove, but the handling is now even better because the body is stiffer. It steers better, rides better and, most noticeable of all, is more responsive at higher speeds. It now feels more like a track car than ever.
The engines and transmissions are much the same, and the Mazda is still the only inexpensive front-engine/rear-drive sports car, a huge advantage in driving enjoyment. All the great old roadsters had the same arrangement and, increasingly, so do the best big-money sports cars.
The new MX-5 confirms Mazda’s primacy in the inexpensive roadster market. It’s also the world’s most commendable open-top sports car. It is huge fun, looks great, is as fast as you’ll ever need to go, handles better than most rivals of triple the price, and is probably the most reliable sports car ever made. Not bad coming from a country where all they can do is copy.
Mazda MX-5 (Miata) 1.8i. About $27,000. Four-cylinder 1839cc engine (1597cc model also available), 140bhp at 6,500 rpm. Rear-wheel drive, five-speed manual transmission. Top speed: 205 kph (127 mph). Acceleration: 0-100 kph in 8.0 seconds. Average fuel consumption: 8.5 liters/100km.
