Does the MX-5 feel underpowered?

[Flip Martian]

MX-5 Lazza said:

I had a 1.6 Meriva as a courtesy car once. Now that was slow!

I will see your Meriva and raise you a courtesy car Daewoo Matiz. Driven nothing quite like it before or since (and thank God for that!).

[MX-5 Lazza]

Mike22233 said:

MX-5 Lazza said:

It's not all about power. As I said before, I've overtaken Elises and a couple of Exiges on a track day at Silverstone Stowe while driving out Mk1 1.6 track car with standard 114bhp engine. Of course they were a lot quicker on the straights but I more than made up for that on the bends because Stowe is a very tight twisty circuit and it's a lot easier to throw a well set up MX5 around it than an Elise/Exige. They had to let me past when we got to the straights because they were holding me up so much on the rest of the circuit. A couple of laps later they weren't even in my mirrors.

No, it's about the driver.
Loving your enthusiasm, they're great cars.

Thanks for the compliment but I'm nowhere near being a driving god. It was a Lotus on Track open pit-lane day and pretty much nothing other than a couple of very early S1 Exiges and a Clio passed me. If the track had been just a little bit more open with some high-speed bends I wouldn't have stood a chance.

[Mike22233]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Thanks for the compliment but I'm nowhere near being a driving god. It was a Lotus on Track open pit-lane day and pretty much nothing other than a couple of very early S1 Exiges and a Clio passed me. If the track had been just a little bit more open with some high-speed bends I wouldn't have stood a chance.

Where did I say you were a driving god?

I still stand by that it's down to the driver but I would be happy to be proved wrong. i.e. give a professional driver both of the cars around the circuit you were on and see how close it is. Things like tyres and suspension can also make big differences.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Mike22233 said:

MX-5 Lazza said:

Thanks for the compliment but I'm nowhere near being a driving god. It was a Lotus on Track open pit-lane day and pretty much nothing other than a couple of very early S1 Exiges and a Clio passed me. If the track had been just a little bit more open with some high-speed bends I wouldn't have stood a chance.

Where did I say you were a driving god?

I still stand by that it's down to the driver but I would be happy to be proved wrong. i.e. give a professional driver both of the cars around the circuit you were on and see how close it is. Things like tyres and suspension can also make big differences.

Lotus on Track track days are full of very experienced drivers, many of them driving in Lotus championships. There are of course a lot of less skilled drivers just like there are with any one-make track operator but these are pretty much a minority on LoT days. To be able to out-drive most of them in an "inferior" car that is "underpowered" would make me a driving god IMO.

[Mike22233]

MX-5 Lazza said:

otus on Track track days are full of very experienced drivers, many of them driving in Lotus championships. There are of course a lot of less skilled drivers just like there are with any one-make track operator but these are pretty much a minority on LoT days. To be able to out-drive most of them in an "inferior" car that is "underpowered" would make me a driving god IMO.

On one hand you say you're no driving god
On the other you say out driving these guys, which you did, makes you a driving god

[clarki]

Mike22233 said:

Clearly poorly driven exiges/evos. I could pass someone in an MX5 in a poorly driven zonda ffs!

PS My initial response was to MK1's which I still own, understand the newer 2l's are a little quicker, albeit, not much.

Edited by Mike22233 on Thursday 26th March 14:09

Calm down dear...







...and then read the posts properly...









...FFS!!...





















...tit

Edited by clarki on Friday 27th March 19:24

[Mike22233]

clarki said:

Calm down dear...







...and then read the posts properly...









...FFS!!...





















...tit

Edited by clarki on Friday 27th March 19:24

[GravelBen]

Mike22233 said:

On one hand you say you're no driving god
On the other you say out driving these guys, which you did, makes you a driving god

I think you mis-read his post.

He said he's no driving god, but if the car was as slow and inferior as some people suggest then he would have to be a driving god to outdrive those guys.

[Mike22233]

GravelBen said:

I think you mis-read his post.

He said he's no driving god, but if the car was as slow and inferior as some people suggest then he would have to be a driving god to outdrive those guys.

Of course it's inferior

[otolith]

To be fair, with both cars in the hands of the same racing driver, I would be amazed if a base model MKI MX-5 was not substantially slower than even a 118bhp Elise on any track. However, the driver makes a massive difference, and an MX-5 is easier to drive the wheels off.

[Mike22233]

otolith said:

To be fair, with both cars in the hands of the same racing driver, I would be amazed if a base model MKI MX-5 was not substantially slower than even a 118bhp Elise on any track. However, the driver makes a massive difference, and an MX-5 is easier to drive the wheels off.

Precisely, considering the Elise has a better suspension and is significantly lighter

[SCEL1SE]

To original poster.
Depends on what you are used to previous to the MX5. In real world terms, the mx5 is not that slow. However many cars now are just getting faster, so catching up with the likes of some of your sports models, especially quick diesels.
I am on my 2nd MX5 MK3 2.0 Sport. Love them for knocking about in on a day to day basis, as they are not overly expensive to own and drive, comparing with some of the other sports on the market. However if it was my main focus for my hobby, i would be sorely disappointed by the power output. I also drive an Exige 240, so that does bias me a little towards saying the MX5 is slow. If i was having mine as my only car, for road and track, I would just SC it. They are quite a lot of fun in the twisties. Strong wee cars, certainly one of the best buys i have ever had in a car.

[Perseverant]

Now on second Mk2.5 sport with supposedly 146 hp. It goes pretty well, but you must use the gearbox to get the best from it, which although a very precise shift still requires a bit of forethought - a quality sadly lacking in many drivers!

[The Turbonator]

Didn't realise this thread would still be going but thanks for all the replies everyone. Just finished reading all the ones I missed before.

Got nothing to compare it too really, I've ever only driven hatchbacks and the Grand Picasso I have at the moment is the most powerful car I've driven. I just want something fun to have as a daily and for blasts into the country on nice days, whilst the wife inherits the Citroën when she passes her test.

I was considering things like GTOs, Supra's, Impreza's etc before but then I started considering how cheap the MX5s would be to run. Not to mention that with my budget the other cars were a little leggy, whilst I could get a relatively new MX5 with low mileage.

I suppose I just don't want to be disappointed with it and regret not getting something with a lot more power like the Impreza.

[Rich196]

The Turbonator said:

Didn't realise this thread would still be going but thanks for all the replies everyone. Just finished reading all the ones I missed before.

Got nothing to compare it too really, I've ever only driven hatchbacks and the Grand Picasso I have at the moment is the most powerful car I've driven. I just want something fun to have as a daily and for blasts into the country on nice days, whilst the wife inherits the Citroën when she passes her test.

I was considering things like GTOs, Supra's, Impreza's etc before but then I started considering how cheap the MX5s would be to run. Not to mention that with my budget the other cars were a little leggy, whilst I could get a relatively new MX5 with low mileage.

I suppose I just don't want to be disappointed with it and regret not getting something with a lot more power like the Impreza.

What do you want out of it. A quick car in a straight line or something that flows round the bends?

I came from a BMW 135i with 420bhp and 530ftlb. Road car this was great more than enough power to blow away all but the faster "super cars". However I like track days. The BMW wasn't getting used much, so I sold it and built a MX5 2.0 sport track car. A whole 188 bhp. Importantly a slippy diff the bmw didnt have. Well I can assure I have more fun in this things than the BMW, and they are raw and light enough to teach you really how to pedal a car round a track, but comforatable to use everyday in standard from. Yes I do miss the mental speed, but boy do I have alot more fun driving the nuts of the MX5.

[The Turbonator]

Rich196 said:

What do you want out of it. A quick car in a straight line or something that flows round the bends?

I came from a BMW 135i with 420bhp and 530ftlb. Road car this was great more than enough power to blow away all but the faster "super cars". However I like track days. The BMW wasn't getting used much, so I sold it and built a MX5 2.0 sport track car. A whole 188 bhp. Importantly a slippy diff the bmw didnt have. Well I can assure I have more fun in this things than the BMW, and they are raw and light enough to teach you really how to pedal a car round a track, but comforatable to use everyday in standard from. Yes I do miss the mental speed, but boy do I have alot more fun driving the nuts of the MX5.

I suppose I'm just after some that's fun, after a lifetime of driving mundane hatchbacks I want something that's going to make me want to drive it just for the sake for it. Something that if I wake up on a Sunday morning and the weather looks nice, I'd want to go out and drive it into the country for a hoon.

[TheJimi]

Bloody hell, that 135i must've been a bit of a weapon!

[feef]

The Turbonator said:

Rich196 said:

What do you want out of it. A quick car in a straight line or something that flows round the bends?

I came from a BMW 135i with 420bhp and 530ftlb. Road car this was great more than enough power to blow away all but the faster "super cars". However I like track days. The BMW wasn't getting used much, so I sold it and built a MX5 2.0 sport track car. A whole 188 bhp. Importantly a slippy diff the bmw didnt have. Well I can assure I have more fun in this things than the BMW, and they are raw and light enough to teach you really how to pedal a car round a track, but comforatable to use everyday in standard from. Yes I do miss the mental speed, but boy do I have alot more fun driving the nuts of the MX5.

I suppose I'm just after some that's fun, after a lifetime of driving mundane hatchbacks I want something that's going to make me want to drive it just for the sake for it. Something that if I wake up on a Sunday morning and the weather looks nice, I'd want to go out and drive it into the country for a hoon.

That's what I've discovered with the MX5. I'm driving it like I used to ride when I first got into bikes, that is, just for the hell of it. Googling late night coffee shops in the next county just to have an excuse for a destination

[MX-5 Lazza]

To put it another way - do you want something powerful that you can only use 1/5 of on the road most of the time other than the odd 30 second blast or something with far less power but bags of ability so you can use it at 4/5 most of the time and have a blast doing it?
My MX5 is supercharged with over 240bhp o it is a very quick car. I wouldn't say it is any more fun on the road than a standard car though as the opportunities to really open it up are restricted by the amount of open space available.

[dragonheart]

On the whole I would say most owners buy their MX5's for what they are, they do not pretend to be something they aren't. For that reason I would also say that most owners myself included are more than happy with what their MX5 gives.

The classifieds will have plenty for sale from early MK1's to late MK3.75's. Do yourself a favour and test drive a few. This will at least satisfy your curiosity and allow you to make your own mind up as to weather or not the MX5 feels under powered.