Going topless this summer (Mazda MX-5 1.8i)

Member Name: huddro

Product:	Mazda MX-5 1.8i
Date:	05/06/01 (6427 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks great, Fantastic Drive, Soft Top

Disadvantages: Not much luggage space

As the sun shines and the cold English winter fades to a distant memory what can be better then a sexy topless ………….. car!

Well this year I finally decided that it was time to move from sports coupe to a full on two-seater convertible but not being what would be classed as the upper income bracket no chance of a Porsche Boxter or Mercedes SLK for me so the choice came down to three cars: The MGF, the MR2 Roadster or the MX5 Roadster.

Following initial test drives we decided that the MR2 was ruled out as it had absolutely no storage space whatsoever so was not a practical option, but the handling and driveability nearly swung it. The MGF looked too dated inside, and that plastic rear window just makes putting the roof up and down a long-winded process. So it had to be the MX5.

The main difference the MX5 has to the MGF and the MR2 is that it has a front mounted engine and rear wheel drive rather then the mid mounted engine, this gives it a classic sports car look.

The current version of the MX5 is the Mark II a change in body style from the Mark I, the most noticeable feature change being the move from pop up style headlights to the glass teardrop, with a number of interior and safety specification upgrades.

There are currently three main varieties of the Mark II a 1.6i, a 1.8i, and a 1.8is. The only noticeable external features to tell them apart are the 1.8is has an electric retractable aerial, mud flaps and sprayed alloy wheels as standard. The 1.6i and 1.8i look identical at a standard equipment level.

On a technical note the 1.6i has a top speed of 118 mph and a 0 to 62 time of 9.7 seconds. The 1.8i and 1.8is share a top speed of 127 mph and reach 62mph from a standing start in 8.0 seconds. The major technical difference is that the 1.8is is the only car in the range to be fitted with ABS.

Well I placed calls to a number of dealers for a used MX5 and drove a variety of
the cars then came the call. A black MX5 with so many optional extras it was untrue, leather, air conditioning, wood trim, custom alloy wheels, a hardtop for winter use and a full Mazda service history and at the right price. Well to say I was tempted would be an understatement, there followed a test drive, and I now believe in love at first sight!

As a word of advice, never buy one of these cars without a full UK Mazda service history. There are a lot of imports on the market beware! Those built to British specification and imported from Northern Europe are fine but those built for Spain, Japan, and the Far East have slightly different specifications, for example you won’t be able to fit the nozzle from a UK petrol pump into the filler on the car and the conversion costs about five hundred pounds!

The only downside to this particular car was that it is the 1.8i rather than the 1.8is model. As an ex demonstrator this car was so well equipped I decided to forego the ABS, having never used it on my three previous cars.

The MX5 is a true drivers car, the accelerator is responsive to the slightest touch, the gears precise, and the short shift makes for quick changes through the gearbox. The low centre of gravity and the stiff suspension set up allow the car to be pushed with late braking entering, and fast acceleration exiting a bend. The steering wheel feels precise with good feedback from the 195/50 tyres sticking the car to the road. Not that I have driven this car hard at all!

If you do not want to push this car the suspension although solid gives a smooth ride and, though noisier than a hardtop, the road noise with the roof up is better than most of the cars in this class. With the roof down and the air dam up to protect your neck the sensation is that of wind through the hair rather than the usual sandpapering of the ears, even with the windows down the shape of the car deflects the wind round and over the drive
r and passenger rather than directly onto them.

The interior of this particular car has the leather and wood trim option giving black leather sports seats with a white piped trim and a lovely deep oak burnished wood trim around the centre console and air vents.

Everything has been designed with the driver in mind, the switches are all easily reachable, the stereo well positioned so that you do not have to take your eyes too far from the road and the heater controls on two dials set at the flick of the wrist (no comments about wrist action thank you).

Storage inside is provided by a lockable glove box which is massive, a lockable centre box that houses the remote boot and petrol flap release and doubles as an armrest for your passenger, a pocket behind the passenger seat, door pockets either side, and a pocket on the wind deflector. This car even provides two cup holders, but I’ll let you find them.

I have mentioned the wind deflector or air dam a couple of times, this only comes as standard on the 1.8is model and is an expensive option from your Mazda dealer but believe me it is worth every penny. Drive any soft top vehicle without a dam and the wind whips the back of your neck causing it to ache and stiffen, put the dam up and you still feel the pleasant effects of a cool breeze but without the aches and pains.

My car also has air conditioning. Now why do I need air conditioning on a soft-top car? I hear you ask, well, some days when stuck in traffic you need to put the roof up as the sun is just too hot and you can feel yourself frying. By the way suntan cream is an essential part of soft-top driving even on cloudy days with the roof down. On warm wet days and rainy winter days getting in the car with wet clothing on causes it to steam up pretty quickly as you will find with all cars of this size.

Mazda provide several safety features: driver and passenger airbags, side impact door beams, and an in
tegrated roll bar. The dealer showed us some pictures of cars that had been involved in horrible accidents and in all cases the cockpit area remained the same size and shape as before the accident. An immobiliser is fitted as standard but you may wish to think about locking wheel nuts for your alloys and an alarm to scare off would be thieves.

The storage on this class of vehicle is negligible at best but the MX5 has the biggest boot of all. We have managed to squeeze two good size holdalls into the boot with a couple of big coats, sorry golf fans your clubs will just not fit.

As I said this model is the 1.8i and I really wanted a 1.8is so we decided on some cosmetic extras. We added the mud flaps and the nice chrome scuff plates along the top of the sills, an electric aerial was already fitted, along with central locking and voila the car now looks just like the 1.8is.

If you want to personalise your Mazda there are unlimited accessories available from companies such as Moss International or Scimitar but I recommend you check out the MX5 owners club for their recommendations at http://www.aesthetica.com/ukmx5/

My next improvement will be a grill to cover the massive air intake below the number plate as this big hole makes a lovely target for stones to fly through and damage the car radiator.

Well the first thing I did on buying this car was to go home and take the hardtop off, drop the roof and enjoy the sunshine, after covering myself in suntan cream. Driving along I noticed another MX5 approaching and what was that? a flash of the headlights and a wave, this was not an isolated incident either MX5 drivers are a friendly bunch it takes me back to my days of driving a Beetle.

We have owned the car for a couple of weeks now and driven nearly a thousand miles, unheard of in the Huddro household and the one factor that makes me love this car more than anything I still cannot stop grinning when I drive it.


For more technical information you can visit the Mazda website at http://www.mazda.co.uk/

Update 8th August
Well worth joining the owners club as you can make all sorts of useful contacts. I was advised to get a grill to cover the air intake in front of the radiator as Mazda don't fit grills (how strange is that?)

Anyway I was recommended a company called Scimitar and picked up a lovely chrome grill at a very reasonable price.

www.mx5parts.co.uk

Owners club is
www.mx5oc.co.uk

Car is still running with no problems despite covering 3000 miles already !

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