New MX5 preview--first impression

New MX5 preview--first impression

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Northernlights

Original Poster:

55 posts

186 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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Evening all,

I don't know if this will interest anyone especially, but thought I would share my experience of the new MX5, having just been to a preview event.

The car I viewed was a 1.5 in a funny spec in Blue Reflex with gunmetal wheels. The spec was odd for things like a wired in aftermarket speed camera detector and lack of LED DRLs. Anyhow, it looked lovely. It was petite, and had a taut, muscular design. I thought the nose was particularly successful, with unusually slim lights and a more aggressive look. Obviously it's still a hairdresser's car, but... Having said that, I've yet to be accused of being a hairdresser since owning my NC. I am a little disappointed about this.

The interior was lovely. It's plusher, more techy and more stylish. There's no silly fuel cap pull in the centre storage box (push the cap to pop out, as with most more modern cars), but there is also no glovebox--an oversight, I would have thought, given the smaller boot. The screen is pretty well integrated in the top of the dash, and the screen is aesthetically pleasing in terms of graphics. The selector wheel is a bit slow to respond; the touchscreen is quicker, but apparently will not work above 5mph. I guess it is personal preference, but I would argue if you are going to be looking at the screen whilst using the rotary controller, you might just as well use the touchscreen. I am not sold on screens in cars for reasons of safety, though.

Finally, the hood. The hood mechanism, when pulled, allows the hood to spring up to you from its 'down' position, making it a tad easier to grab. I suppose it speeds the process up, too, but in my NC it takes seconds, so no great gains there. What is nice is the aluminium panel in the top section and the clearly thicker material. Obviously I have not driven the car, but in terms of noise and security, I imagine it will be a significant improvement. The rest of the mechanism works in the same way, but with some different switchgear.

Overall, the car looks lovely, and I cannot wait to have a go in late August/early September. And then to persuade the wife-to-be that the finance deal is too good to miss. Might take a while, though. Can anyone offer any convincing persuasive tactics?

Planet Claire

3,321 posts

209 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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The cars doing the preview events are pre-production cars, which is why they don't have the DRLs. If you look at the dash you'll see some things written in Japanese and I think the speedo is in kph.

Mr-B

3,780 posts

194 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
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I 'heard' the lack of glove box was so that you could get a bag of golf clubs in the passenger seat area (with seat pushed back and no passenger) so that it would appeal to a certain sector of the market in Japan scratchchin

daddy cool

4,001 posts

229 months

Thursday 23rd July 2015
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The rear bumper boot release button is dubious - very low down and under an overhang. Can imagine that getting very dirty very quickly - unless its just an emergency release and normally it can be opened by the key fob.

Mr-B

3,780 posts

194 months

Thursday 23rd July 2015
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daddy cool said:
The rear bumper boot release button is dubious - very low down and under an overhang. Can imagine that getting very dirty very quickly - unless its just an emergency release and normally it can be opened by the key fob.
I thought that too, also not ideally located if it's pishing down and you are trying to put shopping bags in the boot.

Superhoop

4,677 posts

193 months

Thursday 23rd July 2015
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Are you sure it doesn't have DRLs?? They don't have front fog lamps, the light bars where the fog lamps would normally be are the DRLs, but the are only active above 5kph - once over 5kph, they stay on until the handbrake is applied.

Planet Claire

3,321 posts

209 months

Friday 24th July 2015
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Mr-B said:
daddy cool said:
The rear bumper boot release button is dubious - very low down and under an overhang. Can imagine that getting very dirty very quickly - unless its just an emergency release and normally it can be opened by the key fob.
I thought that too, also not ideally located if it's pishing down and you are trying to put shopping bags in the boot.
I think there's a boot release button on the key fob.

julianc

1,984 posts

259 months

Friday 24th July 2015
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I viewed a 2.0 Sport Nav in the soul red at my local dealer a couple of weeks ago. Looked sufficiently impressive for me to put an order in last weekend to replace my ageing Subaru...

Mr-B

3,780 posts

194 months

Friday 24th July 2015
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LED drl's standard on SE-L and above.


CerbWill

670 posts

118 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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Northernlights, do you have any photos of the Reflex Blue? SWMBO has had her eye on the new MX5 for a while and is firmly in the 'blue car' camp.

Mr-B

3,780 posts

194 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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CerbWill said:
Northernlights, do you have any photos of the Reflex Blue? SWMBO has had her eye on the new MX5 for a while and is firmly in the 'blue car' camp.
1.5 SE-L

1.5 sport

2.0 sport


daddy cool

4,001 posts

229 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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Oh goody, I love "spot the difference" competitions! biggrin

Northernlights

Original Poster:

55 posts

186 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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Thank you for posting the pictures. I did not take any, unfortunately. Under showroom lights, it did look lovely.

With reference to the DRLs, I was advised that the car was Japanese spec, as mentioned by an earlier poster, so, as a result, there were bits that were not fitted that would be on the production model.

I noticed the boot button issue. There was a button on the key fob, so I guess that is the one you would use most of the time.

Anyone help with persuading my other half we need one?! ??