Road test review: Mazda MX-5 Anniversary Edition

Friday, 11 December 2020

Mazda celebrates its 100th birthday with a series of cars paying tribute to its very first - the tiny R360 Kei car.

MAZDA MX-5 ROADSTER ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Base price: $51,095
Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre petrol four, 135kW/205Nm, 6-speed manual, RWD, Combined economy 6.8 litres per 100km, 156g/km CO2. (source: RightCar).

The Anniversary Edition MX-5 takes its colour combo from the awesome 1960 Mazda R360.

Vital statistics: 3915mm long, 1235mm high, 2310mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 127 litres, 17-inch alloy wheels
We like: Still a brilliant example of a budget, no frills sports car, revvier and more powerful engine welcome
We don't like: Tiny cabin, interior still high quality but getting dated now

The colour changes and 100th Anniversary badging are the extent of the changes. The 135kW/205Nm 2.0-litre inline-four remains untouched.

The Mazda MX-5 has gone largely unchanged since the fourth-generation (ND)'s introduction back in 2015. We got a power bump back in 2018 and now we have a special celebratory edition commemorating Mazda's 100th anniversary.

So what’s new here?

It really doesn’t matter there’s no extra power. These badges and the legendary drive of the MX-5 are enough.

Very little but I never say no when an MX-5 is offered. The only changes are aesthetic, with a special Snowflake White Pearl paint job, a 100th Anniversary exterior badge, anniversary wheel caps, burgundy leather seat trim with anniversary headrest logo, red floor carpet and floor mats. Also included is anniversary aluminium branding, an anniversary key fob, special edition lower instrument panel trim and white door trim inserts.

* The Mazda MX-5 is our Top Sports Car of 2019

* Sporting life is still important to Mazda

* The closest thing you'll get to a Kiwi MX-5

* Little Mazda MX-5 gets V8 power

In a nutshell, the car is white and burgundy with some extra badges and branding. Well, the Roadster is, at least. The RF fastback is pure white. But don’t worry, that stuff only adds about $1200 to the cost of the Limited spec of MX-5. Plus, the white exterior paint continues into the cabin, which looks rather fetching. It does reflect in the wing mirrors sometimes, which can be a bit annoying.

So no more power or performance?

No, but that doesn’t matter. The MX-5 is still such a tight, fantastic sports car to toss around, it doesn’t really need any more power (though that’s not to say I don’t want more). The manual transmission is as slick as ever and the suspension finds a nice balance between general road imperfection absorption and keeping things fairly level around bends.

The pedals are nicely spaced for heel-and-toe downshifts, one of the most antiquated driving techniques ever these days, which is good because there’s no automatic downshift blip functionality here.

I know it's basically a meme now but the MX-5 is just so damn good to drive. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better car this side of $100k for Kiwi roads, which typically don’t demand massive power and reward driver precision.

The steering wheel adjusts both laterally and telescopically, which is good because it means you can now find room for your hands to fit between your knees and the wheel.

There are two cupholders, one mounted on the centre console behind the driver’s left arm and the other sitting near the passenger’s right knee. Both are removable, which is good because the ND has a TINY cabin. It’s even smaller than my old 1998 NB, which is interesting.

Any other cars I should consider?

For roughly $50k? Uh, not really. The MX-5 is the benchmark here and with the RF model, you don’t need to compromise by not having a real roof (though that one adds around $4k to the price). But if you’re really against the MX-5, have a look at the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ, both due to be replaced shortly, or some manual hot hatches like the Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30 N or Ford Fiesta ST.