6 Things I've Learned About The ND Mazda MX-5 After 1 Week Of Ownership

1. "Nice Z4"

After being approached by a number of people in car parks and a fuel station, the general consensus is that “it looks a lot like a small Z4”.

I’m sure this wasn’t the look that Mazda was intentionally going for, but when you do line the two cars up from the back, you can’t deny that there’s a definite likeness. The rear-end of the MX-5 is still growing on me, but it’s admittedly not to everybody’s tastes…

2. The NA and ND are near-identical in dimensions

It really is amazing that two cars separated by two full generations and 25 years are very nearly the same size and weight. To give you an idea of both cars’ vital stats, the 1.5-litre ND that we’ve got until March tips the scales at 1030kg, is 3915mm long and 1735mm wide. My NA MX-5 (Phil) is 3950mm long, 1675mm wide and weighs (roughly) 1000kg; for an old car, that’s already small and light, but for a new 2015 model with a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating, these dimensions are deeply impressive.

Because of the ND’s dimensions, the 130bhp 1.5-litre engine really makes the car agile as hell, and also makes it feel like it’s powered by a 2.0-litre engine. What’s more, the new car is about 30 per cent more fuel efficient than my 1.8-litre MX-5 thanks to its clever Skyactiv technology and short-throw (and amazing) six-speed manual gearbox.

3. The ND is massive fun, but the NA still takes the win

I’ve driven around 200 miles in the new ND through central London, on motorways and on twisty roads where the MX-5 truly comes alive. I’ve loved every second of being behind the wheel, especially the fact that the 2015 car is so much more refined than my ‘95 model (less wind noise and tyre roar, an amazing stereo, an uncluttered dashboard and easy pedal, gearbox and steering weights), but you simply can’t beat the steering feel you get from a hydraulic system (NA) versus electric steering (ND).

In my old car, you feel every lump and bump through the wheel, which is what people refer to as steering feel. By contrast, the ND’s steering smoothes out the road, meaning you’re missing half of the action through your fingertips. Now I’m not saying that the ND’s steering is bad (far from it), I’m just saying that it can’t match the old school. The throttle response in the NA is also more immediate than the ND, which makes it feel keener at low revs.

4. Whoever put those cupholders there was crazy...

Now I get that a car needs cupholders. And yes, I know that the interior of the new ND is small and that space is limited. But surely, there must have been a better place to put a set of cup holders than behind both the driver and the passenger (especially if said passenger is short and has to move the seat forward in which case the refreshing beverage is even more difficult to get to…).

What’s more, the cup holders are really shallow, meaning that bottles tend to flop about while driving. Look at Jason Fenske’s face (aka Engineering Explained)…that is the expression of a physical beast who isn’t getting his pro-gain fix.

5. Even less leg room than in my '95 MX-5

Because I’ve got short legs, I’m able to pull my left leg back in my 1995 MX-5 when I’m not using the clutch (on the motorway, for example). This means that I’m more comfortable because my stumpy excuse for height isn’t fixed in one position. Tall people, however, cannot do this because their knees are already touching the dashboard so bringing their left leg back would mean they’d be resting their knee on the steering wheel. This is not ideal.

In the new MX-5, not even short old me can pull my left leg back for comfort, and that’s because the transmission tunnel spills massively into the foot well, meaning I’ve nowhere to rest my left leg. Now I know what it’s like to be tall, and it sucks!

6. You can fit a Christmas tree in the boot

When there’s a will, there’s a way, and in the case of buying a Christmas tree, I simply chucked it in the boot and proved to people that the MX-5 is practical. However, had I been in my NA MX-5 I’d have been able to look even more baller by throwing the roof down and making great use of the big parcel shelf behind the seats which would have swallowed the tree whole. In the new car, you get zero space behind the rear seats, and that’s a disappointment. There’s also no glove box in the ND.

Stay tuned for loads of written updates, videos, pics and much more on the new ND MX-5. And let us know what you want to see from our time with Junior.