Mazda MX5-RF

Alanstrainor

Folding hardtop "fastback" MX5. Looks great, seemingly there's no change in the engines with a 1.5 129bhp or a 2.0 158bhp being the only options. I'd love to have a drive in one to see what the fuss is about! What do you all make of it?

Vicxas

It looks very pretty, and that 185bhp in a car that light would put the heart crossways on you.

ShadowHearth

I really like it's design and I sow one on that massive car trailer so obviously someone buy at least one in Ireland, but the engine is a let down. 1.5 129hp is just way less then I expected. We will never see 2.0 versions here.

They had mk2 couple concept back in the day which looked awesome. Its a shame they never did it.

vintagevrs

If they did a coupe with a bit more power and an lsd I think it would sell very well. It's a good looking motor but does seem under powered. I know that was fine in the original mx5 but it's put on a bit of weight since then.

Asmooh

Nice!
Almost like the MX5 NA/NB with fastback hardtop

JohnBoy26

Asmooh wrote: »

Nice!
Almost like the MX5 NA/NB with fastback hardtop

No.

Donnelly117

Asmooh wrote: »

Nice!
Almost like the MX5 NA/NB with fastback hardtop

Awful looking contraption...

New one looks pretty sweet though. But as SH said, engines are a let down...

Notch000

vintagevrs wrote: »

If they did a coupe with a bit more power and an lsd I think it would sell very well. It's a good looking motor but does seem under powered. I know that was fine in the original mx5 but it's put on a bit of weight since then.

apparently this Mk4 is around the sme weihg as the oriignal Mk1, about 1000KG, all the reviews are mental, most say the 130 BHP is load to play round with as you can use 100% of it all the time, if your looking at 0-60 times your missing the point

Nuw

Now that's a nice car alright, me wants!!...

Actually me wants the same but with seats at the back... which would most likely ruin the thing, in every way

Alun

vintagevrs wrote: »

I know that was fine in the original mx5 but it's put on a bit of weight since then.

AFAIK every generation of the MX-5 has weighed in at about the same as the previous one, sometimes slightly less, despite having more toys on board. The Mazda engineers are pretty anal about it all, shaving off grams here and there to make up for it.

Special Circumstances

105bhp ~1600kg fwd TDI tugboat = awesome car, what a driving machine
130bhp ~1000kg rwd mx5 = a bit lardy and underpowered

Is there anything to be said for another mass?

grogi

Special Circumstances wrote: »

105bhp ~1600kg fwd TDI tugboat = awesome car, what a driving machine
130bhp ~1000kg rwd mx5 = a bit lardy and underpowered

Is there anything to be said for another mass?

But the torque of the diesel, My Lord!

vintagevrs

I just assumed it weighed a whole lot more than the first generation as it looks bulkier and that's the way of things these days. I see now it's practically the same weight which is impressive considering all the extra safety stuff required now compared to back then.

I never mentioned 0-60 times. I still think it needs more than 130bhp to be enjoyed. Using a 100% of the engines ability, all the time doesn't sound like fun to me, but each to their own.

Special Circumstances

grogi wrote: »

But the torque of the diesel, My Lord!

And they're so quiet and refined and environmental! :pac:

Here ye go boys, careful don't damage yer goods when ye get a load of this.
http://www.adverts.ie/car/toyota/mr2/1993-toyota-mr2-for-sale/2673987

vintagevrs

Special Circumstances wrote: »

And they're so quiet and refined and environmental! :pac:

Here ye go boys, careful don't damage yer goods when ye get a load of this.
http://www.adverts.ie/car/toyota/mr2/1993-toyota-mr2-for-sale/2673987

I see MR2 there, I am not gonna open it as I know well what it is!

What is wrong with some people!

NyOmnishambles

vintagevrs wrote: »

I still think it needs more than 130bhp to be enjoyed. Using a 100% of the engines ability, all the time doesn't sound like fun to me, but each to their own.

You really don't need more than that to enjoy it

I had a Mark 1 V Special around 10 years ago, it was 15 years old at that stage and it was one of the most fun cars I have ever owned
The handling was superb and even though the engine felt like it had been kicked in the nuts if you turned the aircon on it was still a bundle of fun

Alun

vintagevrs wrote: »

I never mentioned 0-60 times. I still think it needs more than 130bhp to be enjoyed.

It doesn't.

Using a 100% of the engines ability, all the time doesn't sound like fun to me, but each to their own.

You don't need to really, but it is fun, believe me.

ShadowHearth

Special Circumstances wrote: »

105bhp ~1600kg fwd TDI tugboat = awesome car, what a driving machine
130bhp ~1000kg rwd mx5 = a bit lardy and underpowered

Is there anything to be said for another mass?

I would never do such a comparison, but I will still say that new mx5 is under powered.

I owned mk2 1.8 with 140hp, which was not that bad and I still loved car to bits, but you always, always wanted it to be just a bit more powerful.

Its disappointing that with all technology and all newer things out there, they decided to put only 130hp engine in to it. To its defence - yes, it is the cheaper version of mx5 like we had 1.6 versions. The crap thing is, we will never see the proper 2.0 versions here. Even then 2.0 is only 158hp. BRZ still did 200hp out of 2.0.

Its still a fantastic looking car and as much as I love mx5s, I would still go for BRZ or toyota. I know some people will jump in and say: you comparing coupe to cabrio. You are right, but for me mx5 selling point is not cabrio. I want a light, small RWD car, it being cabrio is a nice extra, that I couldn't use most of the year in Ireland anyway.

Notch000

ShadowHearth wrote: »

You are right, but for me mx5 selling point is not cabrio. I want a light, small RWD car, it being cabrio is a nice extra, that I couldn't use most of the year in Ireland anyway.

you can use the cabrio all year round you just need to dress for the occasion & turn up the heat !

ShadowHearth

Notch000 wrote: »

you can use the cabrio all year round you just need to dress for the occasion & turn up the heat !

You can drop a heavy book on your testicle all year every day too, but in both situations it's not much fun.

ba_barabus

Anyone know what the Mazda Ireland press car is?

Special Circumstances

Hmmm, the low power model is the most powerful it has ever been and the "normal" power version is a little less powerful than it has ever been. (CO2 is baaaaad, wooooooooo scary... ahem, sorry, drifted off topic there ;-) )

It has been a winning formula with them for many years, I don't see the current version throwing that away with these specs. To me they were always more about "driving feel" than out and out performance. A throwback to old school roadsters that were not necessarily all that powerful either.

Alanstrainor

Special Circumstances wrote: »

It has been a winning formula with them for many years, I don't see the current version throwing that away with these specs. To me they were always more about "driving feel" than out and out performance. A throwback to old school roadsters that were not necessarily all that powerful either.

The kind of person who would have bought an MGB back in the day, would now get an MX5.

I do feel that it is underpowered in this day and age, and I wonder how much it would take away from the "driving feel" for it to have 150bhp base model, and a 2.0 200bhp upper.

vintagevrs

I agree, don't see why an extra 50 horses is a bad thing if it adds no weight.

Notch000

i have a mk2 1.8 140bhp & regurarilty drve a Mg midget 1500 which has im guessing around 70bhp and both are a similar experience to drive,
so speaking from expierience you dont need 100 / 200 / 300 bhp to have fun in. I guees most people are thinking here that 130 bhp is what an average passat golf / a4 has these days but are forgetting that these are tug boats by comparison to a sharp handliing RWD, lighweight roadster

ShadowHearth

Notch000 wrote: »

i have a mk2 1.8 140bhp & regurarilty drve a Mg midget 1500 which has im guessing around 70bhp and both are a similar experience to drive,
so speaking from expierience you dont need 100 / 200 / 300 bhp to have fun in. I guees most people are thinking here that 130 bhp is what an average passat golf / a4 has these days but are forgetting that these are tug boats by comparison to a sharp handliing RWD, lighweight roadster

As I said before: I owned for about 4 years 1.8 mk2 and it's still one of the most fun cars i owned. I had 400hp skyline and 225hp Impreza. From those 3 I still think mx5 was most fun, but I could see it being even more fun with extra 30-50hp.

I still don't understand why that tdi is still being thrown in here. If what, roadster still should have more hp then family car. When you buying a roadster, you expect extra on car ment for speed and fun. And yes, 130hp will feel different in roadster and family saloon, but it's still underwhelming.

As fun and good balanced car mx5 is, there is a reason, why it has such a big performance parts market out there. I am not even saying about a very popular upgrade of V8, turbo or supercharger.

Take my opinion for what's it's worth, but I think that mazda missed opportunity on new mx5 with engine selection.

Notch000

im sure there was good reason to why they decided to stick to 130bhp & no messing wiht forced induction etc after 25 yrs of making them

davycc

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Folding hardtop "fastback" MX5. Looks great, seemingly there's no change in the engines with a 1.5 129bhp or a 2.0 158bhp being the only options. I'd love to have a drive in one to see what the fuss is about! What do you all make of it?

looks like mazda copied an old bmw z4 ,the lazy barstewards:o

JohnBoy26

130bhp is pretty poor for a 1.5 these days. Honda was getting that out of a 1.5 back in the mid 90's.

It still should be adequate enough though but what a great car it would be if it had something like a b16 Honda engine fitted or something with a turbo nearing 200bhp.

grogi

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

130bhp is pretty poor for a 1.5 these days. Honda was getting that out of a 1.5 back in the mid 90's.

It still should be adequate enough though but what a great car it would be if it had something like a b16 Honda engine fitted or something with a turbo nearing 200bhp.

From a N/A engine with current emissions?! It wasn't that difficult to get power from a 9k rpm drill - but those days are over...

noelf

MX5 World car of the year 2016 .. Autoexpress it's all about the handling and light weight ..

galvo_clare

vintagevrs wrote: »

If they did a coupe with a bit more power and an lsd I think it would sell very well. It's a good looking motor but does seem under powered. I know that was fine in the original mx5 but it's put on a bit of weight since then.

It's not much heavier than the original and well lighter than the previous version.
The 2.0 litre comes with a lsd and is a good deal faster than the outgoing 2.0.
The 1.5 is around the same performance as the outgoing car given its lighter weight. I drove both at a European pre-launch.

Dartz

I want it.

Can never afford it, but if there was one car to replace the 8 it'd be the RF

Interslice

Plenty of power for the road Imo. Just be a bit flat on a track I'd say. If you want to drag race diesels on the motorway buy another car!

RobAMerc

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

130bhp is pretty poor for a 1.5 these days. Honda was getting that out of a 1.5 back in the mid 90's.

It still should be adequate enough though but what a great car it would be if it had something like a b16 Honda engine fitted or something with a turbo nearing 200bhp.

You could get more out of a 1.5 for sure but then you'd might not get the characteristics that they were clearly after.

I wouldn't like a 1.5 180bhp engine I had to rev the nuts off of to get anywhere with. I'd much prefer a lower bhp engine that had a more even power band and lower end torque.

I absolutely applaud Mazda for building a car with a certain ethos and sticking with it - now that is something no one else is doing, certainly not in the motor industry !

CianRyan

You can all probably guess what I think of it but I'll say it anyway.
It's absolutely beautiful.

I haven't driven one yet but I've sat in one and had a good poke around with a Mazda sales man. The car is tiny, it looks smaller than my own but somehow manages to feel much wider on the inside.
The driving position is perfect and the interior is well styled, modern but without distraction. Your attention. Is focuses forward, where it should be.

As for the engine, the car has never been about going fast and I think the ones looking for more power are the ones coming from cars which are much more powerful. This could cloud your vision, Mazda's vision even of building a modern sports car with the soul of a classic.

No one else in the general consumer sector has as much focus on striping weight and tuning the chassis instead. To me, that's what a sports car should be.


That's a lot of rambling anyway, I am in full support of the new RF and I REALLY want one.

Ardennes1944

I will be living in Switzerland for at least another 2 years waiting for the missus to finish her PhD. Which means I'm stuck driving the Grande punto sporting until then (cars here are ridiculously expensive) .
When we move I'm treating myself and this looks ideal. Love the RF version

noelf

Have you seen EVO twin test of Toyota GT86 and MX5 on YouTube .. despite 40 less bhp it was a tenth of a second faster on a lap ..

vintagevrs

Here it is for handiness:

I get the whole concept, and really like the look of the MX5 and what Maxda have done. But even in that video he says it doesn't have the power to maintain a slide, where as the GT86 does. He talks about having fun is the main thing, and not going faster at a track day, and it looks like the GT86 is doing that for him. He can maintain the slides more in the Toyota, and if the MX5 had a bit more poke he would be able to do the same in the MX5. That's why I think 180 - 200 bhp would make it better.

The fun part of a car is getting it on it's limit and getting the rear to move about a bit. To do that in the MX5 you really need to be pushing it hard and committed which would only be possible on a track day. Maybe it's a bit easier in the wet, but who wants to drive a convertible in the wet.

JohnBoy26

RobAMerc wrote: »

You could get more out of a 1.5 for sure but then you'd might not get the characteristics that they were clearly after.

I wouldn't like a 1.5 180bhp engine I had to rev the nuts off of to get anywhere with. I'd much prefer a lower bhp engine that had a more even power band and lower end torque.

I absolutely applaud Mazda for building a car with a certain ethos and sticking with it - now that is something no one else is doing, certainly not in the motor industry !

Nothing at all exciting about that 1.5 Mazda engine though. Something like a honda b16 or b18 needs to be revved to get the best out of it but it's an engine that likes being revved and it's what makes it exciting and the car it's fitted to exciting to drive.

It's just my opinion but I think the mx5 would be better with a more powerful unit. Not that there is anything wrong with the 1.5, I'm sure it will be a very reliable unit. I just don't think it will get the best out of the mx5's chassis though.

Drummerboy08

I've driven many high powered cars around Mondello park, but the best craic I had was behind the wheel of a 1.25 Fiesta Zetec Race car.

Power isn't everything ladies.

Alun

I've no idea what the current 1.5 engine is like, but I have owned a Mk 1 1.8 and currently have a Mk 3 1.8 and they also both love being revved. In fact with the Mk 1 1.8 you had to because it had virtually no low end torque, but the Mk 3 is a lot better in that regard.

Dartz

RobAMerc wrote: »

You could get more out of a 1.5 for sure but then you'd might not get the characteristics that they were clearly after.

I wouldn't like a 1.5 180bhp engine I had to rev the nuts off of to get anywhere with. I'd much prefer a lower bhp engine that had a more even power band and lower end torque.

I absolutely applaud Mazda for building a car with a certain ethos and sticking with it - now that is something no one else is doing, certainly not in the motor industry !

Try an RX8.... 1.3l, 220bhp. Brrrrrraaapppp!
Same chassis as the last-gen MX5 too, with more rigidity

RobAMerc

Alun wrote: »

I've no idea what the current 1.5 engine is like, but I have owned a Mk 1 1.8 and currently have a Mk 3 1.8 and they also both love being revved. In fact with the Mk 1 1.8 you had to because it had virtually no low end torque, but the Mk 3 is a lot better in that regard.

I bought a mk1 1.8 after driving a couple of 1.6s because it was waaaayyyy torquier. Its was a cracking little engine you could drive round the city like and auto - by just sticking it in 2nd.