Mazda MX-5 RF review

The Mazda MX-5 RF is a small car, so if you fancy one but are over six feet tall, make sure you try before you buy. The fact that you can easily touch the passenger door from the driver’s seat is a good indicator of this, and shoulder room is tight if someone is sitting next to you. 

With that in mind, leg room for six-footers is as tight as you might expect and you’ll likely find your head brushing the roof lining. If you’re below six feet tall, the news is much better because the interior actually feels cosier than it is cramped.

You don’t get height or lumbar adjustment on any trim or as an option. Electric seat adjustment isn’t available, either.

As with the regular Mazda MX-5, the RF’s boot space isn’t affected by whether the roof is up or down because all the gubbins is stored just behind the seats. In fact, even though the RF has a chunkier metal roof, it has nearly as much boot space (127 litres, compared with 130 in the MX-5).

It probably won’t surprise you, but that lost capacity doesn’t make that much difference, and it still has enough space for a weekend car, swallowing two carry-on suitcases. 

You'll struggle with anything bigger, and if you want carry golf clubs, they'll have to sit on the passenger seat. There are a couple of other downsides, notably the boot's high load lip and fairly narrow opening that make loading chunky items a pain.