Is The New Mazda MX-5 A Return To Mk1 Miata Glory?

Probably the most interesting part of Mazda’s launch of the new MX-5 in wet and windy Scotland occurred when I reached the hotel after a long day of driving. After exiting the once gleaming 158bhp 2.0-litre ‘ND’ fourth-gen Miata I’d been sampling all day - now splattered with a few hundred miles worth of grime from the sopping wet conditions - I was greeted by a green mk1 ‘NA’ MX-5.

Sure, there was also a Mk2 and Mk3 on display, but this low-mileage first-gen car was the only older MX-5 we were allowed to drive. Why? Because this new MX-5 is being touted as a return to the glory days of the mk1. The third-gen machine is by no means a bad car, but always felt as though it’d moved away from the MX-5’s original ethos.

Things are different this time around. It’s a simpler (no electric roof option this time), smaller and more nimble machine designed with the keen driver in mind. It’s actually 55mm shorter than the mk1, and 100kg lighter than the outgoing ‘NC’ third-gen car, with a 1090kg kerb weight (inc. driver) for the lightest version. Certainly promising on paper, but in the real world, has Mazda successfully reincarnated the much celebrated original?

Hours earlier, I was heading through the utterly spectacular Scottish highlands and towards the mother of all rain clouds (with the roof down) keen to find out.

Unlike the cutesy looking MX-5s of old, the ND has been given an aggressive face with squinting, almost devious eyes. Is it pretty? Perhaps not, but I like it. The rear is a little more conventional, but attractive in a neat, well-proportioned way. The cabin is nicely put together and far plusher than Mazda’s previous roadsters, but if you do buy one, for the love of God don’t trust the hopeless cupholders. Not unless you want to risk showering your new ND’s interior with the morning’s cappuccino.

But, you haven’t landed on this page to hear about rubbish cupholders and interior trim: you want to know how the new MX-5 drives. And after the constant interruptions of slow moving caravans began to subside, I started to find out.

It doesn’t take long to work out the engine and gearbox deserve a big thumbs up. Amidst the growing trend of turbocharging for the sake of economy, Mazda has stuck with a good old naturally-aspirated four-pot, and the MX-5 is all the better for it. Modern four-cylinder engines - even when they are N/A - rarely make an appealing sound, but Mazda’s 2.0-litre SkyActiv (yes, the lack of ‘e’ infuriates me too) belts out a brilliant growl from around 3000-5000rpm. And while it’s mostly a linear old thing, you do get a noticeable little boost in the upper reaches of the rev range.

And the gearbox? Well, if you try one of these and don’t immediately fall in love with the shift, there’s something wrong with you. I want every car I drive from now on to have this gear change. I want to dump an MX-5 gearbox on my desk (I’m sure Adnan won’t mind) just so I can feel that oh-so satisfying short and utterly precise shift whenever I’m feeling blue. It’s the sort of change that makes you want to spout sickening cliches such as ‘it’s like a bolt-action rifle’.

Like the outgoing Miata it has 40mm throw, and along with the six-speeder in the new Honda Civic Type R, it has one of the best shifts of any new car. The short ratios are well-judged, too.

It never feels shockingly quick - official figures put the 0-62mph sprint at 7.3 seconds - but it’s only on more open stretches of road where you feel like you’re running out of puff. It’s these open, winding stretches of road I hit first though, and they exposed a few of the NC’s shortcomings.

Our Bilstein ‘sport’ damper-equipped car rolled a lot more than expected in higher speed corners, dissuading me from pressing on too hard. We’d recommend sticking with the standard suspension, as all the Bilsteins seem to do is make the ride more uncomfortable and unsettled.

“Shedding weight and shrinking this roadster has made it such a joyful thing to hurl around”

More disappointing, though, was the steering. Mazda has placed the steering system closer to the front wheels, and bumped up the stiffness below the steering column, but it doesn’t deliver as I’d hoped it would. It’s certainly not bad compared to most modern setups, but it’s much too light, and lacking in feedback. Sure, it is now electric rather than hydraulic, but the Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ have much more natural feeling steering despite going down the much-bemoaned ‘leccy route.

But, after peeling off onto small, much more curvaceous roads, something happened. A smile began to appear on my face. A big dopey one, too; and that’s a good sign. Here, the MX-5 felt at home, and bloody good fun. No, the steering isn’t the most feelsome, but you can really trust the chassis. Yes, it is a little soft, but the weight transfer is so predictable that it doesn’t matter. Oh, and when you do reach the limits of grip - not the most difficult thing to do with the modest levels on offer - there’s no understeer you need to push through to get the rear to be playful, as is the case in the old NC.

It’s just a happy, fun car to experience, this. Shedding weight and shrinking this roadster has made it such a joyful thing to hurl around; on the right road, few cars can rival it for entertainment.

Having tried that green NA (not the best example, it turned out, but that’s another story) for a good few miles after finishing with the 2.0-litre ND, it’s clear that the latter is an apple that hasn’t fallen far from the tree. The simplicity, the low weight, snickety gear change and jolly personality; it’s all present in the new car, but this time around, you’ve a far more refined car you could live with every day.

At £18,495 for the 130bhp 1.5-litre version - which isn’t the one I’d get, but certainly isn’t as sluggish as you might expect - it’s a bit of a bargain too. It’s just a shame that the steering isn’t a little better. If it was, this might just have been Mazda’s masterpiece.