MX-5 prices announced!

ND MX-5 starts at £18,495, configurator is live on Monday...

Good things come to those who wait, apparently. Well we've all done plenty of waiting for the Mazda MX-5, so let's hope it's good...

Ahead of a UK debut at the Festival of Speed, prices have been confirmed for the entire range. It begins at £18,495 for the 1.5-litre, 131hp SE with the range topped by the 160hp 2.0-litre Sport Nav at £23,295.

Bums will be on seats very soon

To the details. There are five spec levels for the MX-5: SE, SE-L, SE-L Nav, Sport and Sport Nav, with the 2.0-litre not available as an SE. The two Nav options cost £600 over the respective SE-L and Sport models and include, would you guess it, Mazda's integrated sat-nav with European maps.

For the 1.5, the SE-L carries a £750 premium over the SE (so £19,245) and Sport is £2,600 more than an SE-L at £21,845. That £600 Nav upgrade makes the most expensive 1.5-litre MX-5 £22,445.

The 2.0-litre cars - and they're the ones we're interested in, right? - cost from £20,095 for the SE-L, with the same £2,600 jump to the Sport, making a 2.0-litre Sport £22,695.

So what separates them? You'll need a 2.0-litre car for a limited-slip diff, with both SE-L and Sport featuring one. The 2.0 Sport also gets upgraded suspension with Bilstein dampers and a different wheel design. On all Sport models, equipment such as like heated seats, keyless entry and a Bose stereo are added over the SE-L. That 1.5 SE may appeal with its low entry price but it does without DAB, Bluetooth, cruise control and Mazda's MZD infotainment. Back-to-basics thrills perhaps?

MX-5s can be ordered now, with a configurator live on Mazda's website from Monday. Can we drive one soon? Please?