2015 Mazda MX-5 2.0 Sport Nav | PH Fleet
Ben's smitten with his ND - so much so that he's made a declaration to the DVLA he never thought he would...
For the first time ever, I’ve registered one of my cars as off the road and tucked it up in the garage for the winter. And I miss driving it, a lot. But with the MX-5's insatiable appetite for tin worm - and how minty fresh GY65 GMO genuinely is - I don’t have it in me to let it see salted roads. Out of the circa 50 cars or so I’ve now owned, including a Caterham Seven and a Lotus Elise, I’m going to stick my neck out there and say this is my favourite of them all.
Of course, the raw exhilaration of a fast Caterham or Lotus is pretty much the most fun you can have with your clothes on, but as an all-round sports car, the fourth generation of Mazda MX-5 is very hard to beat. It’s affordable to buy and maintain, the modification and customisation options are endless, my kids adore it as much as I do, and (with a few tweaks) it’s utterly brilliant to drive at any speed. As I entered last winter pondering if I’d be keeping my 25th Anniversary Edition for another year; there’s no doubt whatsoever for GY65 GMO.
The factory wheel alignment, however, was the first thing that had to change, along with the 10-year-old tyres from the factory. Both combined led to a pretty sketchy drive home when I bought the car in the summer. The balance never felt quite right, the traction control would light up for fun, and the car felt unpredictable at anything over five-tenths. Suffice to say if you drive a standard ND MX-5, don’t be put off by how it handles.
As a Michelin snob it was easy for me to opt for a fresh set of Michelin PS5s, and I set off for Performance Link in Gloucestershire to sprinkle some of their magic sauce on the wheel alignment, along with some brake mods in the boot. The wheels were pretty much all pointing in opposite directions, so that explained why the handling was so atrocious. With nothing other than a fast road geometry setup, some braided brake lines and EBC Yellow Stuff pads, I set off home, and the difference was immediate.
The car felt instantly more planted. Heading into a near 90-degree turn not far from Performance Link HQ, I turned in aggressively, booted it and the back end came around beautifully – whereas before it would have snapped from oversteer to understeer and tried to throw me into a ditch. Bingo. Next stop was Curborough sprint course to properly put it through its paces and see how it compared to my NC from a year earlier.
With the traction off, it merrily lit up the rear wheels off the line to get some heat into the PS5s before sliding out of the first corner. With such an approachable amount of power, it never feels like it’s going to throw you off the track at silly speeds, egging you on to push harder and harder through each corner. Sure, there’s quite a bit of roll on the stock suspension, but that’s nothing some coilovers and some thicker anti-roll bars can’t dial out in the future.
The ND has an electric steering rack compared to hydraulic in the NC, which some criticise it for. But for luddites like me, unless you drive them back-to-back, I can barely feel the difference, with the ND turning in sharper and feeling more agile on its toes. It’ll be no surprise to hear that the manual gearbox is the main highlight in the MX-5, with the throw amplified for maximum smiles by the weighty IL Motorsport gearknob.
The Michelin’s dig into the tarmac and fill you with confidence, while still allowing plenty of controllable slip when encouraged. It’s probably barely noticeable to spectators, but you still feel like a hero behind the wheel, and it goes without saying that’s what matters most. The EBC Yellow Stuff pads bite better than OEM from cold and pull the car up faster the hotter they get, with no squealing in sight (or ear shot). The only thing that’s a bit disappointing is the soft limiter wheezing as you near the redline. Luckily, a hard limiter is something that can be mapped in, which’ll be getting done in the new year as part of a remap and aftermarket exhaust manifold, which should see the MX-5 pushing around 200hp.
It’s no surprise then, that I’m chomping at the bit for spring to roll around to get the ‘5 back out of the garage with the roof down. It’ll keep me busy in the meantime though, as I’m planning to retrofit Apple CarPlay when not eating mince pies, get the steering wheel retrimmed in Alcantara and I’ve already exchanging my silver roll hoop covers for gloss black ones with a PHer at the Thruxton Sunday Service. Thankfully my Dacia Duster is now sold and I’m embracing the winter weather in my Ford Fiesta ST, romping around my local B roads like Elfyn Evans. There’s plenty to look forward to in 2026 then, and maybe just for once, that might not include buying another car…
FACT SHEET
Car: 2015 Mazda MX-5 2.0 Sport Nav
Run by: Ben Lowden
On fleet since: July 2025
Mileage: 6,129
Modifications: EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads, HEL braided brake lines, Motul RBF660 brake fluid, IL Motorsport gearknob, Fyralip boot spoiler, Abarth 124 Spider speedometer
Lovely looking thing in soul red, sorn over winter means missing out on those lovely cold sunny days, roof down beanie on, so much nicer than roof down in the heat of summer.
Can’t you just hose down the underside regularly to keep the salt from doing its thing? Otherwise I get the sentiment of trying to keep it rot free, are the NDs as bad as previous gens? For my NA eunos it’s like a hobby for it.
Add in a good ceramic coating and Dinitrol and 60k +miles later , we're still an item . I struggle to get less than 41mpg and contrary to the doomsayers, the gearchange just gets slicker with age .
Firstly it's Japanese so minimal rustproofing. You can tell it was probably done upon delivery to UK as there's over spray of underseal on the inside of the wheels. I appreciate it could be dintroled but I suspect even that won't be 100% effective.
Secondly, by having an extended period of abstinence I never get bored of the car (now owned for 12 years), and look forward to April 1st when I can drive it again!
I guy I know owns Prep Works and charges about £1200 to do the underside of a GT3 so maybe a little MX5 would be fractionally less.
I always imagined modern cars would be better at rust proofing but we seem to be going in the opposite direction (Porsche certainly are). Manufacturers have environmental credits to hit per unit and paint and underseal massively impacts those-hence they don’t underseal things any more!
I also put my soft tops on a SORN over winter as well now, but I did used to drive my 370Z roof down in silly low temperatures though when I first got it, although I do look back now and think I was a bit of a prat for doing that now though to be honest. They're summer cars and not winter cars really for me.
I guy I know owns Prep Works and charges about £1200 to do the underside of a GT3 so maybe a little MX5 would be fractionally less.
I always imagined modern cars would be better at rust proofing but we seem to be going in the opposite direction (Porsche certainly are). Manufacturers have environmental credits to hit per unit and paint and underseal massively impacts those-hence they don t underseal things any more!
Our Overlord Parasites really are retarded, aren't they?
I think the key with Japanese Crap is getting enough wax around the inner rear wheelarches and sills - that's a common and horribly difficult area to repair.
Mine is a 2019 with 40k on it and yes, when I changed all the brake discs, the protection was fairly minimal so I painted anything starting to look furry. Most of it looks unsubstantial but no signs of any major corrosion and I washed a field out of its rear arches when I bought it.
Can't say I have had any problem with the handling. It goes where you point it, I get no flickering lights, I don't find it roly poly but then I'm not one for a dab of oppo on public roads either.
Yokohama Advans on mine which, so far, haven't surrendered their grip.
After nearly 30 years of driving and just as many cars I finally bought my first MX5 back in Feb. A 2009 NC2 2.0 Sport with 32k miles, folding hardtop.
After a summer of maintenance, upgrades and applying underside protection I'm very much enjoying using it as my "winter fun" car as the F-Type is Sorn'd. Sure it's slow as hell, but great fun and comes alive in the damp conditions, so much feel and nice to drive a manual box again. Wish I tried one sooner, I get it now.
Perhaps in the next few years I'll consider a ND2 and BBR220 kit, just wish they didn't look so awkward (ugly) from behind. Or if I can find a super rare NC 3.75 Recaro Edition NC.
I'd have another, but be aware they don't seem to be as mechanically robust as earlier MX5s, although I've seen some pictures of 2016 cars with horrific underbody corrosion, which is rather offputting.
The new price now is absolutely hilarious though, they must intend to keep sales down to not mess up their fleet average emissions.
How do you compare it to the NC? Is there anything you miss from the older car?
I love my ND3, owned from new and spec'd out with almost every option ticked. It could do with a beefier exhaust, though.
My Morgan 3 Wheeler obviously offers a more visceral experience (and dare I say more fun than a Caterham), but as an all-rounder, the MX-5 goes toe to toe with the 987.2 I owned back in 2016...
After being checked, it was completely off and has been much transformed with a fast road setup, the figures for which I found after doing some searching.
Mine really needs lowering - the pitch and wallow when driven hard robs it of the final layer of confidence.
Really good, useable, cars.
ND1 - Launch edition comes with a very bland, "low" revving 2.0 engine, plus potential gearbox issues
ND2 - The only Recaro offering is the 30th Anniversary, which is Orange! Not something I'd daily.
ND3 - Latest Homura, arguably the best MX5 out there, but comes with all the horrible driver aids which very much goes against the MX5 ethos of simplicity. I don't want to have to switch off lane assist, speed warnings etc every time I start the car up. Plus they aren't tuneable yet.
For now, I'll continue to enjoy my NC over the winter months and do any maintenance in the summer months when she's off the road. No tech to become outdated, hydraulic steering, big button to turn DSC, folding hard top which is best of both worlds and decent size cabin.
How do you compare it to the NC? Is there anything you miss from the older car?
I love my ND3, owned from new and spec'd out with almost every option ticked. It could do with a beefier exhaust, though.
My Morgan 3 Wheeler obviously offers a more visceral experience (and dare I say more fun than a Caterham), but as an all-rounder, the MX-5 goes toe to toe with the 987.2 I owned back in 2016...
https://www.performancebushes.com/category/all-pro...
Saved having to cough up for Mazda's ridiculous pricing.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff