Fun in small packages (Mazda MX-5 1.8i)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Mazda MX-5 1.8i
Date:	08/11/01 (879 review reads)
Rating:

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After 4 years driving 2 Vitaras, my brother has just bought himself a new car.
He went for the MX5 1.8i.
I was suprised by this as he was drawn towards a new mini but would you believe that a New MX5 is actually cheaper than a mini???
well it is.
So the car has now belonged to him for 3 days and I have been both a passenger and pilot of this little roadster full of fun.

Here is my experiences of driving it along with some background with regard to the actual car.

Looks.
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From outside of the car, it looks magnificent. Until now, I have mainly seen it in the dark.
The colour of his car is a brand new colour out.
It is called Metallic Crystal Blue.
the paintwork seems to shimer in all lights from sunlight to street light.

The contours of the car remind me of several other cars that exist in the market place. From the back, it reminds me heavily of the TVR series such as the Chiamera and the Griffith. Dont know what it is but there is definitely something. Perhaps it is its high rounded rear wings or the squarish light clusters.
From the side, it still looks very similar to the older model MX5. The only difference being the boot. A bit more space as it is a slightly longer car.
The bonnet? Wow! So many curves. With it being a small car, it needs to pack a lot of that 1.8 engine into a small bay. Because of this, the bonnet has a large lump in the middle that covers the top of the casing. It makes it look like a Dodge Viper!
Standing at the front and looking back at the car you notice it resembles an animal...
With the narrower headlights burning brightly and the rain steaming from the hot lenses, the car takes on a new persona. I much prefer thes to the pop up ones that came on the older MX5s. They were always going wrong and the replacement mechanisms were expensive.
Its pale paintwork,sharp features and gaping front air scoop at the bottom of the front bumper, the
car looks like a marauding shark, ready to take a bite our of the slower cars that gets in its way.
I did not notice this until My brother told me to have a look. Now every time I see it, I try and swim for my life!

Wheels and Tyres.
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Ok. So your car looks great with its lovely body but one bad thing about the standard MX5...It comes from the factory with STEEL WHEELS!
Alloy wheels are a luxurious extra on this car but they are a must. What is the point in a super sports car with steel wheels?
You get 2 choices at the dealership.
14 inch 5 spoke Mimo rims with 185/60/14 tyres on them. These look good and are the ones my brother opted for. However, if you want to go to town and want the car to look that little bit special go for the ultra low profile 195/40/17 tyres and the huge Aker rims. The difference?
£399 will get you the 14 inch rims while the 17 inchers and their bigger boots set you back a cool £1000! thats a lot of extra.

Roof.
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The roof is a soft top on this car and it folds away behind the seats.
That is cool but it is a manual operation. No switch to hit in the rain. You are going to get wet if you need to put it up in a hurry.
An electric hood would make a lot of difference.
For the winter, there is the option of a colour coded hard top roof for £600. Again, another extra to pay for.

Brakes.
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Stopping is not a problem even in the worst weather. ABS cuts in and out like a well oiled and effect machine that Mazda have made it. My Father in laws 323 is the same. Never a problem getting it to stop.
It is helped out on the MX5 by having discs all the way around. When you need to stop that 1.8 lump in a hurry, drums at the back would be a pain.
Sharp and Crisp is how I describe them.

Interior.
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Warning. Big people need not apply. Me and my brother are similar in height at 5'11". We fit
in it comfortably. The seats have limited travel when putting them back so you 6 footers should steer clear.
The seats are figure hugging to say the least but I do tip the scales at 13.5 stone so that may be I need to reduce my muscular mass to ride it nicely.
The interior is black with cloth a beautifully sculptured dashboard. The dials are all white and the illumination is based in Orange.
Luggage space has replaced a back seat (it is a 2 door after all) and you can easily get a couple of bags of shopping in there. A dinky little parcel shelf folds up and down.
Airbags adorn the passenger side of the dash. Drivers heads are protected by the steering wheel bag. The wheel itself makes you know you are in a sports car as it is in your face and very small.
The doors have got to be the fattest things around. When open, you truly appreciate how thick they are. Full of circuitry, airbags and padding.
The layout of the gearstick makes you feel like you are driving a racing car. A short little knob raised high in the centre console. Very unusual to ger used to. The handbrake is equally high and can be an annoyance to your passenger.
The boot is quick shallow but quite wide.
Room for a small case or a limited shoppin spree.

In Car Entertainment.
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A big thumbs down. OK, it has a radio as standard but that is what it is. No CD player. Not even a tape player. Just a radio. Surely Mazda could have solved this one?
Suprising is exactly right as the speakers are built for sounds. At the bottom of the doors are 2 huge pods with Woofers filling them.
The tweeters are flush mounted in the top of the doors.
The Radio itself is a huge contraption. A replacement unit to align it with modern cars will require a blanking plate (around £35) and a new CD player.
Optional extras include a multichanger that plugs into the existing unit at £165. Thats how they make their money!

Safety
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A little prang in this low runner will be ok. You are protected by the airbags on the doors and dash.
However, flip it over (which low runners can do easily) and you are in trouble.
There is no roll hoop or head loops. These can be bought and fitted by your dealer for £160. He has enquired about this already. They are finishe din Chrome. Very nice but you would think these would be standard for safety's sake?

Performance.
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The good bit. How it behaves!
Getting behind the wheel was somewhat a dissapointment. With My brother as a nervous passenger I felt less inclined to give it a hard squeeze. I did anyway and it responded. Not as quickly as you might imagine with a 1.8 injection engine. Ive owned a 1.8i Zetec RS1800i and that flew. This however doesn't.
Maybe it needs bedding in with only 700 miles on the clock.
Handling is superb. It sticks to the road like glue. I gave it some stick into a roundabout to see if it would "lean" around the corners. It didnt. It was solid throughout. The suspension is just so hard it does not give the car chance to lean. This is great for handling bur bad for ride comfort.
This does suffer. You can feel most bumps in the road, particularly as a passenger. I much prefer my comfortable Primera.
Changing through the gearbox feels very lumpy. The box is hard work to change and you feel like its is very tight and stiff. This despite a very light clutch under foot.
Wheelspin is not going to be a problem even in the wet. It just does not feel like it will respond quick enough for that.
Fuel economy might also be a problem. Its a thirsty engine despite what my brother says. Town driving this car will hurt your pocket, as will speed on the motorway.
Then again its built for posing rather than speeding.

Overall.
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Its a nice little car. Its small flaws are made up for in its beauty. You dont buy a ca
r for its faults. You buy it for its strengths and lose the problems with the pleasure it will give you.

Insurance? Well, Fully comprehensive on a 22 year old driving it with 4 years no claims and garaging it at night costs you £643 a year.
Not bad. For me to drive it and garage it would cost £375 a year.

Purchase Price? £15,000 is a lot to pay out for but if you have no mortgage and you want a fun car, go for it!

Summary: