You hear it a lot these days, especially if you are a regular visitor to the Carpages Garage- we are in the midst of a major paradigm shift within the automotive industry. Pistons and connecting rods are giving way for battery packs and electric motors, hard buttons are being replaced by touch screens and haptic touch panels and the proliferation of sophisticated electronics are the new world order. As the unrelenting march towards progress persists (if you can call it that, but we digress) there are some folks who’ll move in the opposite direction, choosing instead to embrace a simpler approach to their motoring needs. The writing on the wall is clear: there are very few cars that still offer such an experience.
That leads us to the very reason of why we love Mazda’s MX-5 so dearly- it has, and still remains, one of the last glimpses into an automotive analogue past tense. There are no drive modes available to fiddle with, no swaths of digital screens to distract and if you’re looking all the latest technological baubles- sorry, but you are out of luck.
And yet the even the MX-5 finds itself at a similar crossroads. We would be taken aback if Mazda abandoned its lovable roadster, but it’s going to require a lot of heavy lifting to keep things the way they are for the next generation. It stands to reason that some sort of electrification, be it a full embrace or some sort of hybrid scenario, will be in the cards when the NE model makes it to the showroom floor.
With that probability lingering in the back of our minds, we asked Mazda for a chance to revel in the MX-5’s uncompromising purity before the snow flies. With the fall colours in full brilliance, what better way to enjoy the changing of the season than in an open topped sports car?
If taking in the spectacular visuals of autumn with family or some friends is in the cards, perhaps you might be better suited to the task in a vehicle that isn’t as small as the MX-5. Each and every time we have spent time in this open topped funster, we gently warn our readership that practicality is not this car’s forte. There’s barely any room to take anything along for ride except perhaps a shoebox full of personal effects that will fit inside the trunk. Anything more and you’ll need to carry said items on your lap or stowed on top of your feet. Heck, there’s precious few spaces for humans and those over six feet tall will want to take a test drive to see if they manage to fit in such a way that they can still safely manipulate the throttle, steering and brakes. Since we’re complaining, we might as well address the only other issue that mildly annoys us and that would be Mazda’s HMI infotainment system. Once the class of the field back in 2016, it is seriously starting to show its age both through its interface, slow response times and underwhelming graphics. We’d never go so far as to call its problems deal-breakers, and we often make the argument that they only serve to further the MX-5’s charm. Besides, you should be concentrating on the sinuous tarmac unfolding before you through the windscreen rather than tuning a radio station.
That’s because the MX-5’s raison d’etre is driving and taking a hearty swig of the undistilled pleasure that can only be achieved with a harmonious relationship between driver and machine. Mazda has made sure that it excels in this department, and it shows with every dip of the throttle, brush of the brakes and flick of the steering wheel. If there is another car available for purchase that lends a similar experience this side of a go kart, we’d like to see it.
We have to admit that sleeping in on a weekend is a pleasure we hold dear, and yet the MX-5 is the kind of car that goads you into setting your alarm to an ungodly early hour so you can set off for a drive along routes that have yet to be filled by bleary eyed motorists on their way to hockey practice. It does OK on the highway, with only the tachometer registering a busy 3,500 rpm at speed to keep you on your from zoning out too much. Once you have arrived at roads that snake left to right, up and down, that’s when the real fun begins. You will run the 2.0 engine (which is blissfully free of turbochargers) to the redline in every gear before your hand falls to a gear lever manipulating one of the greatest manual transmissions ever conceived, and sometimes you will find yourself doing so just for the heck of it, so good is the gearbox and clutch take-up. The delicately rimmed steering wheel is a laser guided model of precision, letting you place the car wherever your heart desires with millimetric precision. There’s lots of body roll but it’s there to telegraph the cars limits and not to spoil the immense fun you’ll be having. Stout Brembo brakes rein in speeds when it is time to set up for the next set of corners. Since surprisingly good fuel economy is part of the deal- we averaged 7.9L/100km over the course of a week spent with total ambivalence towards judicious use of the throttle- you can indulge in this mechanical ballet all day long and still have more than enough go-go juice to get you home.
We were supposed to be behind the wheel of the soft-top version, but due to some scheduling conflicts we find ourselves seated in the RF model instead (that’s Retractable Fastback for the uninitiated.) Painted a compelling shade of Platinum Quartz Metallic, the RF may lack the simplicity and lower centre of gravity of its counterpart, but its got it licked on the styling front. This is a truly handsome car and it does not matter if your taking it in with the top up or stowed. That action takes a mere 13 seconds and can be done at speeds up to 10 km/h, just enough to get you out of the rain in haste as you creep along in stop and go traffic.
So the next time your kids are climbing the walls and those walls in turn feel like they are closing in, reach for the keys to your MX-5 and head out for a drive. The destination is not important- just go. There is a reason that this car is the best-selling roadster of all time, and not just because it is as dependable as the tides and won’t leave pools of oil and other vital fluids on your garage floor like you would expect from its European ancestors from days gone by. It is also because this car has no other real purpose than to exact joy for you, the driver. We say this a lot these days, and we’ll say it again here- there aren’t going to be cars like this in the future, and the MX-5 has one foot in the past while the other is planted in the present. Get it while you can, folks.
2022 Mazda MX-5 RF GT- Specifications
- Price as tested: $48,850
- Body Type: 2-door, 2 passenger roadster
- Powertrain Layout: Front engine/rear wheel drive
- Engine: 2.0-litre inline four, DOHC, 16 valves
- Horsepower: 181 @ 7,000 rpm
- Torque (lb-ft.): 151 @ 4,000 rpm
- Transmission: 6-speed manual
- Curb weight: 1,116 kg (2,460 lbs)
- Observed Fuel consumption: 7.9L/100km (30 mpg)