It seems like just about every year we get a refreshed Mazda MX-5. This is certainly not a bad thing, as every time this happens, we are reminded just how good the MX-5 and has been since the first edition, the NA, first turned a wheel in 1989.
Where do we start? Its mechanical simplicity, the bolt-action rifle gearchange, the legendary Japanese reliability, the “just enough” amount of power and its rear drive layout has meant the Mazda MX-5 has always guaranteed to give big thrills at a sensible speed and price. So, what’s new for 2024?
Well, if we start from the outside, there is very little to distinguish the MY24 MX-5 from the car it supersedes. The facelift has even been described my Mazda as “very mild” however, the new car does sport a set of revised front and rear taillights with integrated DRLs. The new taillight cluster I thing gives an extra bit of character to those rear haunches, but the current MX-5 GT is still very much a handsome wee beastie, especially in that all-new shade of Aero Grey Metallic which contrasts nicely with those blacked out 17-inch BBS alloys.
It’s also great to have a sports car which still manages to be relatively small and petite. Many a time has a sports car been replaced by a new variant which is longer, wider and more powerful. The same can be said of the MX-5 as Mazda’s engineers know better than everyone why people are besotted with this thing and as result, keep the recipe exactly the same as it was in 1989 while still being able to incorporate all the creature comforts you would expect.
The MX-5 GT Roadster sits next to the RF Retractable Hardtop and while the price has gone up a smidgen to $60,490 plus ORC and the RF to $61,990 respectively, it is still very well priced compared to its nearest rivals. Power still comes from a 2.0L SKYACTIV-G four-cylinder engine with 135kW/205Nm on tap. Roadster buyers get the six-speed manual while the RF gets the six-speed automatic with shift paddles. Fuel consumption combined is rated at 6.8L/100km.
While you get some Bilstein sports suspension dampers, Brembo brakes, a dual exhaust and a tower brace for the front suspension, the biggest technical upgrade over the previous car is the inclusion of a new “track mode.” Yes, track-day addicts rejoice, the favourite car for many to “track” now has a dedicated drive mode for exactly that.
Working with the dynamic stability control (DSC), Mazda says it gives the driver a greater threshold before oversteer kicks in will brake a wheel depending on whether hard cornering left or right to keep things straight and planted, rather than simply wrangling the engine’s torque in to counteract things. You also have a new asymmetrical limited slip differential and revised, sharper steering.
Inside you get the latest generation Mazda infotainment system in all its clean, crisp and easy to understand glory. The driving position is just as perfect as ever and the BOSE stereo system is just a peach. You also have a reversing camera, sat nav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, heated leather seats and a suite of Mazda safety gear like blind spot monitoring, lane deaparture warning, traffic sign recognition, driver alert system and rear cross traffic alert.
The MX-5 GT’s boot is still as petite as its dimensions, but 130L of boot space is still fine for a couple of overnight bags. Plus there is ample space to store a few bits and bobs around the cabin. Although any worries of the practical fades away once you pull the lever and ease that fabric top back.
The MX-5 still has a throaty old school burble on start-up. It’s a terrible cliché but it does sound raspy and, well, “alive” to coin a phrase. From idle to high up towards 7000rpm, you won’t be experiencing neck-snapping acceleration but just enough power under complete control.
You sit way low to the ground with 150mm of ground clearance, but speed humps and the openings of driveways don’t phase the MX-5 as you can bound over these no problem. Using the MX-5 as a daily is a time-honoured tradition amongst the faithful and its very much the same with the new MX-5 GT. I would be happy to zip around town running errands with a bit fat grimace in this.
However, it’s the bendy bitumen which is the perfect canvas for the MX-5 GT to paint its prettiest picture. Throw in that bolt-action rifle gear change, sharper steering and absolutely perfect weight balance and you can change direction almost telepathically. This car knows where to go probably before you do.
Activate track mode and you can feel those aforementioned tweaks keeping things stable and neat while you actively wring its neck from corner to corner. From one section of Christchurch’s Summit Road to another, the only noise you could probably hear, aside from that raspy Mazda four pot was its driver cracking up. That is signature after affect of driving any MX-5 and its more of the same in the new GT.
The new MX-5 GT is yet more proof as to why this car is such a cult hero for petrolheads the world over. It just does everything right and there are few cars one can say that about. Driving bliss? Damn straight.
RATING 9.5/10
