MX-5 could still prompt a crisis

If something becomes an icon in any sphere, it makes sense not to change it much as time goes on, writes Brian Byrne. But in the automotive industry, icons must be kept up to date in some degree if they are not to become irrelevant.

The Mazda MX-5 is celebrating its 21st year since it was launched by the Japanese carmaker in the spiritual ethos of legendary British roadsters from the 1950s. Like the Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healey Sprite, and MG Midget. Like those, it came as a 2-seater with front-engine/rear drive, the 'authentic' sporty car format.

It came too with a level of build quality which Japanese makers had by then brought to world-leading levels. Certainly much better than had been the case with its spiritual predecessors.

I don't think Mazda in their wildest dreams anticipated the level of success which the MX-5, Miata in the US, would achieve. Or the wide range of buyers it would attract. From mid-life crisis men to funky young businesswomen, the car became an affordable aspiration to those who wanted at least the image of free spiritry.

I must have missed the mid-life, and I'm certainly not a funky young businesswoman, so I have to make a frank admission here: I never yearned for a 2-seater sports car. I have over the years driven the MX-5 as it evolved through three generations (and a refresh in 2009). I have always enjoyed the experience. But it was still never going to be something that I'd consider for real-world motoring needs.

As I got into the one for review here, I was very struck by the fact that Mazda had stayed very true to the essentials. Today's MX-5 might be a little heavier than the sub-tonne of the original, is significantly more powerful, and maybe offers a tad more storage space. But if Rip Van Winkle had fallen asleep in the first and woken up in the latest, he wouldn't have been in the least disoriented.

This one, though, has the folding hardtop roof rather than the original's cloth cover. So on the road with the roof up it is quite a different beast in experience, more soundproofed, a little more sense of solidity. And stylewise, it looks a much cooler as a coupe.

The popup headlights of the original weren't its best feature either, and were dropped for generation two. The latest style revisions were to bring the car more in like with the current family look being used by Mazda, and don't in any way take from the overall purity of the car. In fact, my own view was that the middle-generation looked a little soft up front, so the latest look is really good. There's a bit more body to the profile view too.

The refresh improved the style of lights both front and rear, and inside the car gently massaged the quality feel of the finish. The MX-5 was originated as a simple driving machine, and the simplicity of the controls and instruments today retain that.

With the roof up, this is not the easiest car for a tall person like me to get into. But I've had worse (the Opel Roadster immediately comes to mind, after which memory the Mazda is a high-roof carriage). Once in, though, everything is snug without being claustrophobic.

A run in this format showed that the roof does hinder the ability to glance over the right shoulder before pulling into an outer lane, so one does have to depend on the mirror. Other than that, it is a comfortable place to be.

But these cars were designed to be 'bugs-in-the-teeth, wind-in-the-hair', as 'Motor Trend' journalist Bob Hall suggested the idea in 1976 to the person who was later to give the project the green light in the Mazda organisation.

I have found that you generally can't drive top down with a woman on board, as wind-in-the-hair is anathema to most of them. But on my own, I will always drive a cabrio in that way when I can. So I gave the MX-5 its fair share of time in topless mode. Which is when it really did come into its own, and I began to appreciate again the attraction of the car to the free spiriters.

That windiness is quite well controlled, actually, but my height did mean that the little hair I have was well streamed. Cooled the overheating brain cells nicely, though. The sound is good, even if it is engineered in these days. And, of course, the low, and 50:50 weight ratio machine was real 'in touch with the road' driving.

A word about the electric roof. It works very fast and doesn't require any fiddling with straps or such to raise or stow. Nor does it interfere with the, admittedly still small, boot space.

The 126hp 1.8 engine is well understressed, and responsive to any dart on the pedal. In line with all recent Mazda powerplants, there has been a significant cut in consumption in its current guise. Still, it pulls an E in CO2 tax rating, which will set you back €630 a year. The 5-speed box is nicely matched, and a real joy to shift.

I brought it back refreshed in my MX-5 experience, the nice parts of driving this icon recalled. And, just for a moment, wondering if it was too late to have a mid-life crisis ...?

Price €25,495.