MAZDA MX-5 COUPÉ CABRIOLET READER REVIEWS

My car

I love this car! Handling is great, its fun to drive and even reasonably practical!

My car

Purchased in April 2011 with significant discount from Lifestyle Mazda in Crawley. The dealership impressed in the handling of the sale albeit a vehicle manufactured in 2010 and sold on a 2011 plate.

The Mazda MX5 lives up to its reputation as being a really exhilerating car to drive. It makes driving a pleasure in itself whether with the hard top up or down. Even driving with the top down on a motorway it is an enjoyable experience. On country lanes the car's responsive nature is displayed to the full.

At six foot tall I find the driving position comfortable but imagine taller still drivers may be cramped a little for space.

The Miyako is well equipped but a small number of observations prospective buyers might like to note: The steering wheel adjusts for height but not rake and unlike the much less expensive Mazda 2 the wing mirrors do not electrically close for putting in the garage and/or parking.

The Roadster Coupe has no rear windscreen wiper and when the roof is down, judging distance when reversing is not that easy. I decided to have reversing sensors fitted by the dealership which I find extremely useful. Thank you Lifestyle Mazda for the suggestion.

The car is stunning to look at, well built and thrilling to drive. It is unsurprising that it has won so many accolades amongst the motoring press and I would strongly recommend test driving the car to experience first hand its impressive qualities.

My car

We purchased our 2.0i Sport RC (08-reg., 20k miles) for £11k, from a private seller in Nov. 2010 and we have had no problems at all. A set of four new tyres cost £500, though that is hardly the car’s fault! My wife is delighted with the MX-5 and relishes the 10-mile drive too and from work each day. She absolutely loves it! The interior is well appointed and the heater/heated leather seats are superb, as is the (optional) upgraded Bose stereo. There is easily enough room for my 6ft 2in frame, although the steering wheel and seats could be more adjustable. The folding electric roof is superbly engineered and very pleasing to use – it is great that the boot space is not compromised with the roof down. The boot space is okay - it can actually hold a fair bit, though not bulky items, as the opening is rather small. On the move, the MX-5 is great to drive, although it is quite noisy and ‘twitchy’ over anything other than perfectly smooth roads. The steering wheel is always very much ‘alive’ and responds instantly to any road imperfections – again, this (along with the noise and the size of the boot) is only to be expected from a sports-orientated car Performance is good (I ride a Fireblade, so I’m hardly going to be blown away by the performance), though it does need to be revved beyond 4000 rpm to really get going. It is certainly more than adequate though and having a 6th gear really helps on motorway journeys. Overall, we are both really impressed with this superb car!

My car

Overall, I don't think you can have a better 'drivers car' for this kind of money than an MX5. It clearly does not have the power, class or price tag of a Z4 or Audi TT but is as much fun to drive.

Things to note if you purchase this car: Pros 30000 miles without a fault so far... The electric hard top is fantastic. I have heard of leaks in lots of similar other brand models e.g. VW Eos, Peugeot 206 and 207, etc. Not so in the MX5. I see lots of other men driving them, despite the tag as a hairdresser's car :) Relatively economical for a sporty car, if you don't thrash it. I'm getting over 40mpg from the 1.8 petrol. Great driving position, accurate steering, excellent gearbox. Servicing costs are reasonable. You can get 2 sets of golf clubs in the boot (just...) Driving is fun, just watch your right foot when the road is wetter than 'mildly moist'.

Cons: Replacing a head lamp needs 2 people and taking off the bumper/spoiler or an hour in the workshop... what were you thinking people? No spare wheel. The standard 1.8 and 2.0 option pack doesn't allow you to alter the seat height only the Sport trim does... My wife need a totally different driving position as I'm 6ft tall, she's nearer 5ft. There's a lot of cabin noise above 50mph. Less if you change away from the standard Yokohama tyres to another brand. The air con smells of damp after it's rained, which is odd.