MX5 test drive

[Jobbo]

I've finally test driven the MX5 which my stepson is selling. It's a 2019 (current shape, ND model) MX5 2.0 in 184bhp form which was launched late 2018 as an update. That was the only engine variant I was interested in. A new one is just over £30k list now, though a pre-reg is about £26k and an unregistered car from stock is £27-28k from a Mazda dealer. There are presumably better finance rates on a brand new one; I haven't checked. This car is up for about £16,200; I know the dealer paid just over £14k for it and has fitted new tyres (all Landsail, doh!) and refurbished the wheels plus some other tidying up. It's a good £2k less than the cheapest other 2019 2.0 on Auto Trader so it looks good value.

I'll leave my decision until the end of this post - partly because writing about it will help me come to it Obviously I have a bit of history with MX5s having owned two different mk1s for nearly 10 years in total. The current mk4 feels like a back to its roots update; lighter than the mk3 at only a tonne, compact and quite funky looking. So my expectations were pretty high.



To sit in it's tiny. My stepson is 6'3" tall and quite big with it; I am honestly surprised he fits at all. I had to pull the seat forward off its rearmost stops but not that far. The seat felt quite narrow to me - it holds you relatively well though I can't help thinking the Recaros in the awful orange special edition version are probably the seats you really want. Even for shortarse me the seat felt a bit high too, and there was no way to lower it. The steering wheel is height adjustable but I had it on the highest setting to fit underneath so god knows who would lower it Despite the seat being an inch or two higher than you'd really like, you definitely feel part of the car though.

The steering wheel is covered in lovely nappa leather, even in this car with cloth seats. The steering is quite heavy; it feels like a much bigger, heavier car as a result which is actually reassuring. The ride over the shocking speed humps leading to the dealership was surprisingly excellent - out on broken lanes and a 70-limit dual carriageway this was also apparent, and it didn't rattle like my mk1s - it felt very solid indeed. That's despite this car having done nearly 42k miles, so it's not factory fresh but felt properly tight.

Traditionally an MX5 is a car which isn't particularly quick but gives you a buzz at any speed. The 184bhp version is actually quick enough now; something near 170bhp/tonne with me on board. The gearing of the 6-speed box allows you to keep it buzzing and 6th pulls about 25mph/1000rpm; high enough to be sensible on a motorway, low enough for the rest to feel close-stacked. While overall it's a pretty refined car compared to a mk1, there is still a raspy exhaust note and a bit of induction noise to encourage you; combined with the heavy steering I bet any bought by hairdressers are sold on fairly quickly. Despite liking revs it pulled 6th from 1500rpm without issue and has decent mid-range for lazily driving round in 4th when you can't be arsed to change gear. The gearchange is rather nice, mind you; solid, mechanical, short-throw and lovely.

The roof is quite amazing; I really don't understand why you'd want the RF. Despite being manual and still having a centre latch above the rear-view mirror it is the work of a couple of seconds to lower or raise, even sitting in the driver's seat. Pop the latch which holds it down and it lifts slightly, give it a gentle tug and it's up just like that. Glass rear screen and it looks lovely and integrated when lowered. This is the MX5's appeal over a GR86 or Alpine A110 for me, and it absolutely delivers in usability.

So will I buy it, or any other MX5? Quite possibly, though I think not this one. Grey with black wheels is not an interesting colour scheme and it has a few stone chips on the front and those Landsail tyres. I think as a toy I want one which is a bit more eye-catching; though my wife dislikes the soul crystal red so much she said she'd divorce me if I got one of those. The most appealing colour scheme I've seen is actually white paint with red hood and red leather seats, with the standard shiny grey alloys, which was a 2021 special edition: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-detail ... 9011416335. Though I do wonder if any special editions might come out with the Recaros again? Not sure I could bring myself to spend over £30k on one either; they definitely don't feel like a cheap car these days (both in integrity of engineering and the quality of materials) but they don't feel luxurious either.

The doubts I have are generally: would I drive it enough, does it feel special enough to just take for a drive and is it special in comparison to an A110? Pros are that it's a relatively common car so I already know I'm going to see plenty of others, so familiarity hasn't put me off yet. And it has a lovely manual box, is quick enough but still not so quick you need to break limits to enjoy it (good thing on the test drive; Gloucester police were out with a SPECS camera) and that great hood. Think I need to drive an A110 next.

[Holley]

Neighbour has a 2019 white MX-5 which I often admire. They just look so right.

But a A110 would for me, be more special. I was visiting St Fillans in Scotland last week and there was a A110 S in orange that looked fantastic. It was owned by a local and would gawp at it every day I walked past.

Client of mine is a track day instructor and has owned various GT3's, Turbo's etc. Called me to say he had a go in a A110 and was properly impressed.

Book that test drive!

[scotta]

Big chunk of change difference to an A110 from the £16200 they are asking for this however.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Big chunk of change difference to an A110 from the £16200 they are asking for this however.

That was my thought! I haven't seen an A110 below £40k yet I think. It seems to be a glass floor.

[MikeHunt]

I sat in an A110 at caffeine and machine and it didn't feel a class above the Mazda in terms of fit, finish and build and they do seem expensive for a 4 pot. I have avoided a test drive as id inevitably end up buying one. Alfa made a 4c spider and I doubt Renault will do the same.

All NDs share the same Recaro seat frame, however the bolster, foam and trim do differ. The leather seats are slightly more forgiving for longer journeys. Don't forget that the headrest mounted speakers mean you can take a phone call at motorways speeds with the roof down.

I think that soul red is the best colour on these by a country mile, given the cost of a divorce a 100th is a good compromise. I think there are 96 in the uk, would be funny to have 2 of them on the forum.

For circa £15k a 184 ND2 is very good value, Id be confident of a good few years of driving without a big bill cropping up and Im unsure how many drivers cars that would apply to without increasing the budget by some margin.

[Jobbo]

Big chunk of change difference to an A110 from the £16200 they are asking for this however.

This is a mass produced 42k, 4yr old car for £16k. A more fair comparison would be a 2023 MX5 for £26k. Still a fair bit cheaper than an A110, but perhaps that difference in cost is justified? The A110 is a car that I wanted to buy before it was launched; I just ended up buying a house instead and getting married again.

For the Timculator, I'd be after a new or pre-reg Alpine since they don't seem to depreciate much. It's not just about how much it costs to buy, it's about whether it's good value. The extra cost vs lack of a folding roof and auto gearbox may well sway me to the MX5 irrespective of price.

Mike, I didn't realise yours was a 100th version; did you come to the same conclusion as me that it's one of the nicer colour schemes? Soul crystal red is the right colour for an ND but most of the ones on Auto Trader are that colour so I'd rather go for something different.

[MikeHunt]

Mike, I didn't realise yours was a 100th version; did you come to the same conclusion as me that it's one of the nicer colour schemes? Soul crystal red is the right colour for an ND but most of the ones on Auto Trader are that colour so I'd rather go for something different.

I remember it was sat in the showroom at Hagley, ex Aston Martin hq. I had driven past a few times as the pub nearby is a good meeting point for one of the businesses and at the time we were meeting outside every week. I made the mistake of popping in and just looked stunning the flesh. As you'd expect with a special edition, it does include a lot of extra toys and spec.

[Jobbo]

I drive past that dealer most days now - only sometimes to go to the pub though. Haven't popped in yet. Alpine Solihull will have to be the next visit...

[speedingfine]

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15164508 seen this Jobbo? Wrong colour again tho!

[Rich B]

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15164508 seen this Jobbo? Wrong colour again tho!

that's the best colour imo - really good looking cars.

The A110 is tiny but lovely though.

[John]

I bought the RF as I prefer the look of the coupe over the pram hood To be honest I would still have bought the RF even if the roof didn't lower.

[Jobbo]

The stone chips on the one I test drove aren’t very visible in my picture but they are in the flesh. So I won’t be going for Machine Grey because the white primer looks awful when chipped, apart from the fact that I think it’s a bit dull for a sports car.

That 2017 car doesn’t look such great value; £2k more than today’s, based on the less desirable 160.

[Swervin_Mervin]

I'll be genuinely interested to hear what you think of the Alpine. I've wanted one since the first concept was released. Have sat in one at The Late Brake Show Live and was smitten - fitted like a glove. I remember the same feeling when sitting in the E84 Z4 at GFOS many moons ago.

[John]

If you like grey then Polymetal Grey is nice but very rare. Also, Soul Red is different from Soul Red Crystal although I don't think Soul Red is available on the mx5 184.

[KiwiDave]

Mate of mine here has the bright orange special edition one which I drove recently on some hill roads. I'm 6ft 4ins and the airflow over the top of the screen hits me straight in the eyes, which almost immediately means if I bought one I'd never be able to drive it with the roof down. Great little car though and lots of fun. Great gear shift and the engine is lovely and encourages you giving it the beans.

The only real benefit I'd give the GT86 over it is that their damping control over potted bumps etc. is better by a noticeable amount, meaning you feel like the car is there with you when you try to push it harder, whereas the MX5 felt like you needed to hold something in reserve as you expect it could move around. Whether that's something you could learn to adjust to and drive through knowing it's always there on the other side I don't know - would need more time. Owner has had it for about 18 months and said he hasn't fully trusted pushing it yet and is considering putting some KWs on it. I haven't had chance to try a GR86 to compare.

[John]

The handling is a bit roly poly as standard so I had the Mazda/Eibach 30mm lowering springs fitted to mine. Much less roll and of course an improvement in the looks too.

[MikeHunt]

The handling is a bit roly poly as standard so I had the Mazda/Eibach 30mm lowering springs fitted to mine. Much less roll and of course an improvement in the looks too.

Ive also lowered mine and added uprated anti roll bars, I think it does take away that extra movement that Dave refers to at higher speeds.

[JonMad]

Hmm, MX-5, GR-86 or A110?

Neither of the latter will depreciate (if you can get a GR).
Only the Alpine is quicker than the MX-5.
But neither of the latter give you the open top.

I think it comes down to whether you want the roof down part of it.

That white 100th Anniversary edition does look good.

[IanF]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305065477223

[Shlergen]

Hmm, MX-5, GR-86 or A110?

Neither of the latter will depreciate (if you can get a GR).
Only the Alpine is quicker than the MX-5.
But neither of the latter give you the open top.

I think it comes down to whether you want the roof down part of it.

That white 100th Anniversary edition does look good.

Latest batch of GRs were 35k and there are a fair few low milage examples starting from 32 on trader. I reckon they will drop into high 20s in the not so far future.

Mx with bbr kit look good value, how do the 4cs compare price wise to an Alpine ?