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IF there was ever a car that went wheel to wheel with the old adage, ‘Less is more,’ the Mazda MX-5 would be right on that saying’s tail.

The MX-5 was only bounded by global safety and legal requirements, everything else was either deemed unnecessary or unwarranted, unless it made the car handle better.
Right from the first generation MX-5, the NA, the front wheels were always pointed towards automotive anorexia in a well toned body.



Essentially, the third generation NC still offers the same riveting wind-in-your-hair, pin-point handling experience minus all the electronic mumbo-jumbo that more than often brought the fun to a halt.

The only difference is that now, much like the sports car’s of its generations, the winding road of time has revealed its mature side. Some semblance of sensibility now resides in its lightweight body in the form of safety features previously unmentionable in the same sentence as its first two generations.



To the naked eye, the exterior seems to have received a shot of steroids over its predecessor, the NB, with its bulging wheel arches. However, the current NC model shares no components with the previous model except for the side-panel signal lights.

Although tipping the scales 165kg over the ton mark, the MX-5 still maintains lightweight features with an aluminium hood and boot lid. The muscular bulges added at the four corners give the car that much needed masculinity that was previously missing.

With the hardtop up, the silhouette is slightly aft of pretty because of the roof’s rear lines that are too upright. However, like all true roadsters, the MX-5 shows all the right curves when you drop the top.



As the retractable hardtop fold into a defined space just under the 15-second mark, the boot remains unmolested but can only swallow 150 litres of stuff.

As you contort yourself into the driver’s seat, the first thing to hit you is undeniably, the driving position. The tilt-adjustable steering wheel, tan-wrapped leather seats and pedals are all perfectly placed for the driver.



Arguably, the best feature of the interior is the lack of buttons to fiddle with. Normally a trademark of the Japanese, the MX-5 however sees it fit to keep the button count down to a bare minimum, inline with its less is more theme.

The MP3 and CD-capable radio and air-conditioning only require the necessary pushes with the air-conditioning even lacking the automatic cooling function. Thankfully, power windows are standard.



One thing worth griping about is the unfathomable location of the fuel cap release lever. Missing-in-action from its usual habitat below the side of the driver’s seat, it took us a good 20 minutes to find it nestled in the storage compartment located between the two seats.



Pop open the hood and you will find the two-litre MZR aluminium-alloy engine nestled longitudinally far back into the engine bay, behind the front wheels. This front mid-ship layout has been synonymous with the MX-5 and the cardinal culprit behind its notorious 50/50 weight distribution.



Understandably, power will bring about the urge to light a cigarette but then the torque should have been bumped up instead, as the car is not meant to be a weekend plaything. The 190Nm of twisty force was caught being asthmatic on several occasions in town driving.

Mated to a six-speed slushbox, the transmission was the biggest letdown of the car. Even using the steering-mounted paddle shifters in manual mode, the transmission had a mind of its own and would react treacherously late to driver inputs.



However, not being deterred by it, we dropped the top, slapped on some shades and took off towards the hazy sunset. Hats off to the engineers at Mazda for keeping the MX-5 so pure and unadulterated after all these years.

Even with the additions of traction control and stability control, the option to switch it off completely is present. As the roadster’s rear suspension now sports a multi-link set-up with the front still on double wishbones, the neutral handling was even more apparent.



When the back stepped out around bends, it was easily jostled back under control and never left us too anxious. On the highways though, scuttle shake was apparent towards the top end of the speedometer, expected in a car that had its roof chopped off.

As the sun set and the roof came up over our tenure of the roadster, we handed it back with nothing but a grin and a mop of tussled hair on our faces, convinced that the MX-5 is still as pure as its jinba ittai credo, which is Japanese for horse and rider as one.

The MX-5 then does not look like it will be relinquishing its title as the world’s best selling roadster anytime soon, as this is one home-made recipe Mazda has mastered.

SPECIFICATIONS

Mazda MX-5

Engine: MZR DOHC 16V inline-4 VVT, 1,999cc
Max power: 166hp@6,700rpm
Max torque: 190Nm@5,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Safety features: Dual front and side SRS airbags, ABS, EBD, side impact beams
Price: RM220,000.00 w/o insurance

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