The Third Generation Mazda MX-5: A New Era of Fun and Handling

With over 34 million units sold across 16 years, the Mazda MX-5 has established itself as one of the most beloved sports cars on the market. And now, with the introduction of its third generation, the Masterda MX5, we're excited to see how this new model lives up to its predecessors' reputation for delivering a thrilling driving experience.

The first thing that catches your eye about the new MX-5 is its subtly more aggressive design. The chunkier wheel arches, toned lines, and shark-like front all contribute to a look that's both toughened up and still distinctly Mazda-esque. There's even a hint of Honda S2000 influence in the design, which is no bad thing given the MX-5's own history of drawing inspiration from other iconic sports cars.

However, while the new MX-5 looks more aggressive than ever before, it's also been designed with weight reduction in mind. Mazda has implemented its "gram strategy," a deliberate effort to shave off excess weight wherever possible. The result is a car that's 10 kg heavier than its predecessor, largely due to its increased size and solidity. But despite this added weight, the MX-5 still boasts a remarkably even weight distribution, thanks in part to a precise realignment of the engine by about 10°.

The track where we tested the new MX-5 was certainly not ideal for pushing it to its limits - and indeed, that's never been the primary purpose of the MX-5 anyway. Instead, this car is all about delivering exceptional handling at lower speeds, with traction control on board to help keep things stable even when cornering hard. Turn off the electronic aids and give the MX-5 some proper driving, and it'll happily indulge in a spirited romp - but be warned: without the safety net of the traction control, the rear end can step out a bit predictably.

One of the most pleasing aspects of the new MX-5 is its feeling of quality inside. The cabin has been significantly improved from its predecessor, with hip-hugging seats that are particularly comfortable and a plethora of racy finishing touches that make this feel like a much more special car than before. And while it's not trying to be anything other than a sports car at heart, there's still plenty of wholesome entertainment on offer - after all, who needs super-fast acceleration when you can just enjoy the thrill of driving?

There are two engines available for the new MX-5, with the smaller 1.8-liter unit starting at £15,200 and capable of 122 mph with a 0-62 mph time of 9.4 seconds. However, if you want to experience the real thrill of this car, we'd recommend opting for the 2.0-liter engine, which starts at £19,000 but delivers a blistering 0-62 mph time of just 7.9 seconds. The six-speed gearbox is on the longer side, and could benefit from shorter ratios to give it an even more spirited feel - but overall, the shift has been improved significantly for all the developments.

Perhaps most impressively, however, the MX-5 has managed to retain one of its defining features: the ability to be enjoyed without needing to drive fast. This car may still have a reputation as being a bit of a "girly sports car" (although it's hard to deny that this is far from the case!), but it's still an absolute joy to drive at lower speeds, with sweet handling sensations that can be had even at relatively modest speeds. And while it may not be the most powerful sports car on the market - or perhaps the most substantial either - it's one of those cars where you'll definitely want to take your friends out for a spin and share the fun.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso now with 34 of a million sold over 16 years we've got a new one the third generation the masterda MX5 the first thing you notice is the subtly more aggressive design it's got chunkier wheel arches more toned lines a shark-like front there's a hint of Honda S2000 about it which is no bad thing it still isn't matcho but it's certainly toughened up a bit and Mazda have been truly itical about saving weights they call it gram strategy and they've examined every inch of the car to try and shave off the excess fat and the result of this obsessive ding compared to the old one this car is 10 kg heavier do that's largely because the car is now a bit bigger and a bit more solid should you ever come to crash it but because they've very precisely realign the engine by about 10° the weight distribution is still supposed to be 50/50 so it should be as well balanced as ever the cart track master rented for the launch wasn't exactly the place to push this Roadster to its limits but I suppose carts like handling is what this car is supposed to be all about with the traction control on it you'd be hard pushed to get into any sort of trouble but turn it off give it some Welly and the rear end steps out of line predictably and without fast there's not a blanket of electronic AIDs that dull the driving experience as there are in so many other cars but this MX5 has definitely grown up as it has grown bigger but fortunately into nothing more than an adolescent so wholesome entertainment is still fully available inside there's a very welcome feeling of quality the hip hugging seats are particularly comfortable and there are lots of racy finishing touches that make this feel a lot more special than the old car's pretty basic cabin there are two engines on offer the smaller 1.8 starts at 152 Grand does 122 mph and gets to 62 in 9.4 seconds which is slow which is why I'd recommend the 2 L it may be more expensive at £19,000 but not to 62 in 7.9 seconds is more like it the six gears are on the long side and it could do with shorter ratios to make it feel more sprightly the change though is good and solid for all the developments the MX5 is best feature has been preserved in that you don't need to drive fast to have fun all the sweet handling Sensations can be had at lower speeds it may still be a bit of a girly sports car but it's one your fell definitely won't mind borrowingso now with 34 of a million sold over 16 years we've got a new one the third generation the masterda MX5 the first thing you notice is the subtly more aggressive design it's got chunkier wheel arches more toned lines a shark-like front there's a hint of Honda S2000 about it which is no bad thing it still isn't matcho but it's certainly toughened up a bit and Mazda have been truly itical about saving weights they call it gram strategy and they've examined every inch of the car to try and shave off the excess fat and the result of this obsessive ding compared to the old one this car is 10 kg heavier do that's largely because the car is now a bit bigger and a bit more solid should you ever come to crash it but because they've very precisely realign the engine by about 10° the weight distribution is still supposed to be 50/50 so it should be as well balanced as ever the cart track master rented for the launch wasn't exactly the place to push this Roadster to its limits but I suppose carts like handling is what this car is supposed to be all about with the traction control on it you'd be hard pushed to get into any sort of trouble but turn it off give it some Welly and the rear end steps out of line predictably and without fast there's not a blanket of electronic AIDs that dull the driving experience as there are in so many other cars but this MX5 has definitely grown up as it has grown bigger but fortunately into nothing more than an adolescent so wholesome entertainment is still fully available inside there's a very welcome feeling of quality the hip hugging seats are particularly comfortable and there are lots of racy finishing touches that make this feel a lot more special than the old car's pretty basic cabin there are two engines on offer the smaller 1.8 starts at 152 Grand does 122 mph and gets to 62 in 9.4 seconds which is slow which is why I'd recommend the 2 L it may be more expensive at £19,000 but not to 62 in 7.9 seconds is more like it the six gears are on the long side and it could do with shorter ratios to make it feel more sprightly the change though is good and solid for all the developments the MX5 is best feature has been preserved in that you don't need to drive fast to have fun all the sweet handling Sensations can be had at lower speeds it may still be a bit of a girly sports car but it's one your fell definitely won't mind borrowing\n"