Thursday 6th August 2015

Delivery Miles: Mazda MX-5

The all-new MX-5 finally arrives in UK later this month at a lower price than you might think

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With summer clinging on for dear life, there's just enough time to launch a roadster and catch some sun. Yes, it's Mazda MX-5 Mk4 time.

Split between 1.5 and 2.0 appears equal

This week I've found myself behind the wheel of the new MX-5 in Scotland. No sun here, admittedly, but it's the perfect opportunity to discover just how well it copes with some of the UK's harshest tarmac. And on first impressions, I have to say, it's doing a fantastic job for me. It's got a compliant ride (even over major potholes), wonderfully precise steering, adjustable handling and a lovely sweet-revving 1.5-litre engine that, for my money, is a better choice than the pricier 2.0 (despite its extra torque, Bilsteins and limited-slip diff).

The new MX-5 has been on pre-order since April, although dealers don't get their cars until August 28. Speaking with Mazda, some interesting stats are starting to emerge. The UK order split is 50/50 between 1.5- and 2.0-litre cars (the initial expectation was more like 30/70), and most are top-spec Sport Nav trim (almost no base-spec SE orders have been taken so far).

What price a Mk4?

Fun in the rain too, which is just as well given summer

The entry price for a 1.5 SE is £18,495, a great headline-grabbing base point, but that's in Arctic White only - metallic costs a not inconsiderable £540-£660 extra. High-spec Sport models with Bose, keyless entry and leather start at £21,845, with the 2.0 Sport starting at £22,695.

Since the order books opened in April, a very healthy 715 orders have been placed by UK customers. That means a waiting list of around two-to-three months - not bad by the standards of a new model that's in heavy demand. But deals are certainly there to be had.

With only a handful of press demo cars currently present in the UK, it's not surprising that there's just one Mk4 in our classifieds. It's in the most popular spec, though: a 2.0 SportNav with metallic Soul Red paint (a remarkable 65 per cent of pre-orders have been for Soul Red cars, not surprising considering its lustrous look). The list price is £23,955 but it's being offered for £24,911 - essentially a £1K premium. Advertised as "arriving soon," it's probably your best chance of getting into a new MX-5 before the autumnal clag kicks in.

Soul Red gets the nod for two thirds of buyers

Finance deals
If you're not a cash buyer, Mazda UK is offering a number of finance packages that will help keen backsides into a Mk4 bucket. If you want to go the PCP route, and have a deposit of around £4K, you can have a 1.5 (131hp) SE-L Nav (OTR price with metallic of £20,505) for £279 a month over 42 months, with an annual mileage limit of 9,000.

Step up to a 2.0 (160hp) Sport Nav (list with metallic £23,955) and you'll need a £4,700 deposit and £329 a month (APR 5.9 per cent).

If you've got enough for a 50 per cent deposit, Mazda is offering a 'conditional sale' (hire purchase to you and me) deal but you'll pay zero per cent interest on the remainder. This offer is available over 12, 24 or 36 months, but you won't own the car until the final payment is made. On a 1.5 (131hp) SE - on-the-road price with metallic £19,155 - whacking down £9,615 means that over 36 months the cost is £265 per month.

Hard cheese

Hardtop essential? You need the old one

One thing that isn't available on the Mk4 is a Roadster Coupe hardtop roof - well, not for the time being at least. Mazda says it isn't ruling a hardtop model out, possibly as early as next year. So for the time being, if you want a folding hardtop for your MX-5 (city dweller? - you would, wouldn't you?), it'll have to be a Mk3. But the Mk3 has been selling so well this year that there are no run-out special deals, nor any delivery-mileage Mk3s in the classifieds. A 2015-registered red Roadster Coupe 1.8 SE with a mere 1,436 miles on the clock, though, can be yours for £17,995 - no bargain, it must be admitted, but it's probably your last chance of an as-new folding hardtop MX-5. For now anyway...

[neil-935ql]

Sorry can't get too excited about the mx5 I somehow miss the point , give me a lotus Elise anyday !

[Ruffy94]

neil-935ql said:

Sorry can't get too excited about the mx5 I somehow miss the point , give me a lotus Elise anyday !

I think the point is that the mx5 starts at £18,495 where as the elise starts at £28,895 (at least according to the Top Gear mag im flicking through)

[E65Ross]

neil-935ql said:

Sorry can't get too excited about the mx5 I somehow miss the point , give me a lotus Elise anyday !

Which starts at 30k. Good one. I'm not sure mazda are too worried about a car costing around 50% more. Not really in the same market segment.

[sad61t]

Wanted heated seats, but those only seem to be available on the top-spec models.

[MadDog1962]

Ruffy94 said:

neil-935ql said:

Sorry can't get too excited about the mx5 I somehow miss the point , give me a lotus Elise anyday !

I think the point is that the mx5 starts at £18,495 where as the elise starts at £28,895 (at least according to the Top Gear mag im flicking through)

To be fair they're very different products. The Lotus is built in relatively tiny volumes and is a much harder-core driving experience. Not really a daily driver either. They're poles apart on so many counts. However, if I was after a serious sports car as a weekend toy I'd rather buy a nice used Lotus Elise and set some money aside for repairs than buy a new Mazda MX-5. The Mazda really is a great product though.

[Ozzie Osmond]

A proper modern 2-seat convertible for £18,500 sets an astounding base point. And £22k isn't bad either.

I think Mr Mazda will be selling some of these.

[MikeGoodwin]

I want to like it but i am afraid of what my friends might think of me

[T1berious]

That's an excellent starting price point. Strong pre orders are also good news.

I'm going to put my hand up and say I don't get the comparison with the Elise. As stated earlier it's 50% more expensive and appealing to a very different target market.

I also don't get the "ah, but I could get a 2nd hand...."

Yes, Yes you could but it's a bit erm Apples and Oranges.

However in the name of fairness....

"20K! I could get a 7 year old Boxster! and some track days........" (I changed the Defender to a Boxster as the funny side may have been missed)

[Howroyd]

neil-935ql said:

Sorry can't get too excited about the mx5 I somehow miss the point , give me a lotus Elise anyday !

Elise is a more expensive car, but even comparing a Series 3 Elise against an MX5 the weight difference isn't as much as expected. If you take a boggo Elise CR against a 2.0 MX5 they would be pretty close.

What the Elise has is more focus, but i'd argue that a new 2.0 Miata with no more than a grand chucked at it to firm up the suspension and you'd be looking at fairly similar prospects

• Awaiting hurling of abuse*

[SFO]

the roof mechanism is simply the best there is on any car

[neil-935ql]

Howroyd said:

Elise is a more expensive car, but even comparing a Series 3 Elise against an MX5 the weight difference isn't as much as expected. If you take a boggo Elise CR against a 2.0 MX5 they would be pretty close.

What the Elise has is more focus, but i'd argue that a new 2.0 Miata with no more than a grand chucked at it to firm up the suspension and you'd be looking at fairly similar prospects

• Awaiting hurling of abuse*

No abuse I guess we are all very different when it comes to cars , it comes down to personal choice and how you want to spend your buck , I think 23k for the Mazda it a lot , so I will stick to my guns and go for a good used Elise for that kind of money , you only live once !

[Howroyd]

neil-935ql said:

Howroyd said:

Elise is a more expensive car, but even comparing a Series 3 Elise against an MX5 the weight difference isn't as much as expected. If you take a boggo Elise CR against a 2.0 MX5 they would be pretty close.

What the Elise has is more focus, but i'd argue that a new 2.0 Miata with no more than a grand chucked at it to firm up the suspension and you'd be looking at fairly similar prospects

• Awaiting hurling of abuse*

No abuse I guess we are all very different when it comes to cars , it comes down to personal choice and how you want to spend your buck , I think 23k for the Mazda it a lot , so I will stick to my guns and go for a good used Elise for that kind of money , you only live once !

I completely agree. I have a 2010 MX5 and am in the process of changing. Even though they offer different ownershp prospects (and costs) I am stuck between a Boxster, Elise and the new MX5. I am going to the MX5 VIP event next Sunday at Daylesford which should give me a good idea. However, in terms of ownership costs inclusive of Depreciation I believe the Elise makes the most sense hands down. The Boxster and MX5 will be close as the Boxster's running costs will be offset by the new MX5's depreciation. It's a real tough one..

[Gandahar]

Howroyd said:

neil-935ql said:

Sorry can't get too excited about the mx5 I somehow miss the point , give me a lotus Elise anyday !

Elise is a more expensive car, but even comparing a Series 3 Elise against an MX5 the weight difference isn't as much as expected. If you take a boggo Elise CR against a 2.0 MX5 they would be pretty close.

What the Elise has is more focus, but i'd argue that a new 2.0 Miata with no more than a grand chucked at it to firm up the suspension and you'd be looking at fairly similar prospects

• Awaiting hurling of abuse*

I think that's a good point. Elise CR has 134 Japanese bhp for £28k whilst the bog standard Mazda has 160bhp for £23k. The Lotus is lighter, but not by that much now the MX5 has been on a diet. The MX5 has a cloth roof at the moment on the latest one, but it takes about 3sec to put down and not much more to put up. It will be lighter than a metal roof and nothing as serious to go wrong ££ wise. It's pretty soft compared to the Elise but it's just comparatively easy to just get in and drive it though even for mundane tasks.

The later ones do have an image problem though. Not sure why. It's refreshing Mazda have stuck to their guns over so many years and the latest one is lighter. SUV and MPV drivers for the other car in the household should be lapping these up. They are probably too mature to origami themselves into an Elise. Younger guys and gals should go the 2nd hand Elise route

16 inch wheels as well. The Corsa boys will not be impressed.

Edited by Gandahar on Thursday 6th August 15:23

[redroadster]

I can't climb in and out of Elise it's too hard a task for everyday stuff, the Mazda with a turbo upgrade will be close on performance it's a really nice car for the money,wonder if Toyota will lose sales of the gt86 to this obviously the Mazda has only 2 seats but it's already taking large orders so somebody is losing sales to it.

[CoolHands]

2ltr with 160bhp? That's rather pathetic isn't it.

[sixpistons]

CoolHands said:

2ltr with 160bhp? That's rather pathetic isn't it.

Seems like a pretty respectable specific output for a normally aspirated engine to me. Higher than say an E46 330i, to pick an example of something with a very well respected engine.

[LasseV]

CoolHands said:

2ltr with 160bhp? That's rather pathetic isn't it.

Eh? It's a damn fast car with that power....

[CoolHands]

oh maybe. Wonder what the real-world mpg would be of the 2 litre.

[Roncee]

I'm not sure the elise could cope comfortably with mundane day to day tasks that the mx-5 would excel in and there is no contest in the reliability stakes. So it depends if you want a daily driver or a weekend toy.

I agree 1k of suspension/stiffening/breathing mods will give you a a great amount of road driving joy.

Yes there is an image problem with them, but the less you give a f**k what other people think the happier you will be.

[Escy]

CoolHands said:

2ltr with 160bhp? That's rather pathetic isn't it.

Pathetic engines are a trait of the MX-5.