23 Jun 05
And so it proved. The second MX-5, visually identical in every respect to the first, felt like a different car. As my mood lifted, I at last found the road I'd spent the morning searching for. With it came the last piece of the puzzle. It is only when you take this new car by the scruff and really start to motor that - eventually - it comes alive and shows you that the old MX-5 character is still there, in mildly modified form no doubt, but one that retains the power to thrill.
Because it's rear-wheel drive, the MX-5 possesses a balance you'll simply not find in front-drive rivals like the Mini Cooper convertible and the Vauxhall Tigra. The steering wheel, which had hitherto felt rather numb in my hands, became alive with feel. More than anything, it was a car that felt as if it would reward a delicate touch. Its manners are more than tame enough to accommodate those who just want to hurl it into a corner and nail the throttle at the exit - and there's traction and stability control for the real rock apes - but if instead you guide it with your fingertips and caress rather than stamp on the accelerator, it will make you feel like a hero.
The shame is that you need a fast road before it will show you its heart. The 2.0-litre engine sounds powerful on paper, but you really need to be right at the top of its rev range before it offers the kind of acceleration its performance figures suggest is available. The rest of the time it sounds dull in tone, a little characterless and unresponsive. Mazda says the MX-5 has never been about outright speed as such, but about simple driving pleasure, which can be had at almost any pace. As a contention, I don't doubt it, and the new model demonstrates this once more, but you have to work hard for that pleasure and that is not something I remember from before.
