Everywhere SUV and electric drive? Not quite. With the Mazda MX-5 there is still a car from the old school at the dealership. If you accept a few disadvantages, you can be very happy with the little Japanese.
It occasionally happens that a successful car model sets a trend that numerous imitators follow. The fact that it survives this is really extraordinary. To the Mazda MX-5 succeeded. With the Japanese roadster started the comeback of the connoisseur convertible for a wide range of buyers in the early 90s. Today the two-seater is alone again in the open. Nothing has changed in its advantages over the past 36 years, as a trip with the current, fourth generation shows.
It was big Mazda roadster never. Parked next to an ordinary SUV, it looks like this MX-5 but meanwhile it looks downright tiny. An impression that continues when you get in: you fall deep into the chairs, the door and center console enclose you tightly. And from above the roof presses. So quickly up with the top, which is still exclusively manual, but runs at lightning speed. Open the hook, throw the fabric backwards, press down once and off you go. A little more fluid than before, but basically the same as almost four decades ago. At that time, the MX-5 revitalized the classic roadster segment, which was dominated by English models in the 60s to 80s. In addition, the Japanese was also the harbinger of a new convertible trend that brought topless driving back into the mainstream of society. Before and now again, the open car was more of an expensive luxury.
A bit of modernity has of course moved into the cockpit in the meantime. However, on giant displays and experimental touch control system Mazda continues to refrain. Instead, there is classic good workmanship, decent materials and a timeless, sporty interior design. The space for luggage (the trunk has a capacity of just 130 liters), odds and ends (shelf space is sparingly distributed) and your own body is limited. Even the parting of the average Central European comes to the upper edge of the Windshield pretty close. You don't even want to think about a rollover.
On the other hand: Hardly any other convertible is so nice to sit in the fresh air. Not so close to the street either. Both together make up a good part of the unbroken fascination of the little Japanese. Drive and chassis contribute to the other part: Alone the not exaggeratedly powerful, but all the more high-revving naturally aspirated engine ensures driving pleasure. On one Turbo In contrast to the almost complete competition, Mazda continues to do without the petrol engine, which strengthens the connection between driver and vehicle in the MX-5. Anyone who quickly clicks through the six forward gears in the wonderfully mechanically crisp manual transmission keeps the four-cylinder safely in the comfort zone and is rewarded with driving performance that feels much faster than the rather moderate paper values suggest.
The lively engine is flanked by a very binding chassis. The steering is tight and precise, the dampers keep the light Body safely balanced and the rear-wheel drive boldly pushes the small two-seater around the curve. All of this combined – engine, handling and seating position – give the driver a feeling of involvement that is rarely found in modern cars. At least below the real sports car class. The Mazda with its manageable horsepower and the mainly subjectively strong driving performance does not really make it into them. However, this is also reflected in the price. At 31.300 euros for the basic model, the MX-5 also suffers from general car price increases - compared to similarly fun cars, or even Convertibles, but it's almost a bargain. Since the sister model Fiat 124 Spider was taken off the market and the Audi TT Roadster is nearing the end of its life, you have to buy more than one price class higher to get a comparable roadster. In general, the range of convertibles after a boom around the turn of the millennium has recently shrunk sharply.
In the age of SUVs, turbo and electric motors and superficial technology rationality the MX-5 is an exception: not particularly practical, comfortable or equipped with any form of utility, the roadster celebrates driving as pure joy. If you can get something out of it, you won't find more fun for the money anywhere else.
Parked next to an ordinary SUV, however, the MX-5 now looks downright tiny 
With the Japanese roadster, the comeback of the connoisseur convertible started in the early 90s for a wide range of buyers 
The cockpit scores with good workmanship and a sporty ambience There is not much space in the MX-5 
The Mazda also cuts a fine figure when closed 
If you don't want a fabric roof, you can get a hard top 
There are hardly any cars like the Mazda MX-5 these days
Holger Holzer / SP-X
Specifications - Mazda MX-5 Skyactiv-G 1.5:
Two-seater roadster, length: 3,92 meters, width: 1,74 meters (1,92 meters with exterior mirrors), height: 1,23 meters, wheelbase: 2,31 meters, trunk volume: 130 liters.
1,5 liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, manual six-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive, 97 kW/132 hp, maximum torque: 152 Nm at 4.500 rpm, 0-100 km/h: 8,3 s, Vmax: 204 km /h, average consumption: 6,1 liters, CO2 emissions: 138 g/km, test consumption: 7,5 liters, emission standard: Euro 6d, price: from 31.290 euros.
Brief description:
Why: puristic convertible driving pleasure
Why not: little space, small trunk
What else: Audi TT
