RE: Is the MX-5 RF a good looking car? PH Blog

[marcosgt]

I've not seen one in the metal, but it always looks a bit awkward in photos.

They should do a proper coupe, like a Z3 or an MGB GT.

M.

[ZesPak]

Leithen said:

That's entirely uncalled for.

I said this in an earlier post, the Wind imho was a nice design... the car was just too short to pull it off.

The Laguna Coupe and Wind have a very similar desing. But the Laguna has length on it's side to pull it off. It would have looked mint in that targa design.

I think the MX-5 is in between. It's not as obviously stubby as the Wind, but imho it's still not long enough to pull off this targa desing.

[Quickmoose]

ZesPak said:

Leithen said:

That's entirely uncalled for.

I said this in an earlier post, the Wind imho was a nice design... the car was just too short to pull it off.

The Laguna Coupe and Wind have a very similar desing. But the Laguna has length on it's side to pull it off. It would have looked mint in that targa design.

I think the MX-5 is in between. It's not as obviously stubby as the Wind, but imho it's still not long enough to pull off this targa desing.

It would need a great deal of length to balance out the sheer amount of sheet metal between the wheel arches and the top of the front or rear deck....the idea is a good one, and small and narrow can look fine (1st Tigra) but add the strengthening and stuff for a convertible verison and it falls over visually (2nd Tigra)

The Wind and the Laguna coupe, share no real design language apart from the Renault badges, one is rounded curved and cutesy, the other has edges and lines...whilst it's true the length/size of the Laguna make it quite the sharp looking coupe, adding length to these little cars won't help. They're little for a reason....make them bigger and they start getting moved up sector brackets.

[MarshPhantom]

Leithen said:

mybrainhurts said:

LordTwaddle said:

Tell me I'm wrong, no really, go ahead.
But I think this fastback targa look is a really nice design for cars...

I assume you inadvertently head butted a dry stone wall...

If not...

That's entirely uncalled for.

I like the Wind. But it's styling is more like a mid-engined car (works better with the targa roof) than some fwd, long bonnet coupes we have had.

[M1C]

To be honest, the RF and the Wind were much the best out of the 4 examples...

[ChilliWhizz]

I said in an earlier post that I had not seen one of these in the flesh, which can change opinions.. However, I do believe that in the history of the automobile there has only ever been two truly beautiful coupe's... everything else has been a poor attempt............. Just my humble opinion....

[Niffty951]

MarshPhantom said:

Leithen said:

mybrainhurts said:

LordTwaddle said:

Tell me I'm wrong, no really, go ahead.
But I think this fastback targa look is a really nice design for cars...

I assume you inadvertently head butted a dry stone wall...

If not...

That's entirely uncalled for.

I like the Wind. But it's styling is more like a mid-engined car (works better with the targa roof) than some fwd, long bonnet coupes we have had.

hahahaha excellent. I miss PH banter.

[Niffty951]

blearyeyedboy said:

Niffty951 said:

This needs (at the bare minimum) 280hp to be interesting.

I suspect that no MX-5 ever to come out of a factory will be the car for you.

Never mind whether the MX-5 RF is any good or not. All these relatively light RWD roadsters are never about the power output. They're about handling balance on a back road. If power output is what rings your bell, other categories of car are available which will fulfill that brief better.

Why does it have to be a choice. Cayman S, Evora S 400, Noble M12, VXR 220 turbo. These were all great handling cars that had the additional plus of being able to steer with the throttle and slam you into the headrest on a clear straight (well vxr turbo just scrapes in)

[ChesterUK]

Went to see the new RF at the dealer yesterday. Nice sandwich! Ah yes, anyways, the car. I still can't stretch my legs in that passenger seat. It's so damn tight, and I'm 5'9. Launch edition gets lovely alcantara, and it does look good. Instruments seem OK, not sure about ergonomics because I didn't drive it, but the stalks feel in the right place. No glove box. No door bins. Just 2 small compartments. And the drinks holders are removable, mainly because they're a pain in the arse, sorry leg, they get in the way of your legs. Driving position does feel good.

It's the visibility that's the thing. 2/5ths of chuff all behind you, but great up front. Not too bad until you need to park, so memorise what's there first and just use the side mirrors. The soft top is actually worse! Yeah, I didn't believe it until I tried it.

Engine bay. Ah, that's nice. The engine nestles right against the cut out bulk head. Strut brace out to change No. 4 sparkie, not too bad. No plastics. What a revelation! I love the shape of the bonnet, it's really nice, and informative as to where the front wheels are at from the cabin too.

The boot is much narrower than the NC, and the aperture ain't so good. 150L in the old vs 127L in the new. That makes a difference at this size. Good enough for a small weekly shop though. Where some pretty chunky things will just go into the NC, you might not be so lucky in the ND. That makes a difference on extended weekend trips.

I regret not taking it out for a spin, but that's because the Mrs can't really get over those big butts. Not right now. Maybe that's a view that will change. Because there is nothing as compact and agile and fun as this little thing. Even the SLC looks enormous compared to it! And a GT86. For us it would work I'm sure, but not on longer journeys where the lack of cabin storage, boot size, and leg space (for the passenger) works. Ultimately that's the price to pay for (relatively) cheap thrills, but those high hips play havoc with the shape at the back, and the pictures and videos I've seen do give a fair representation of the car.

Would a test drive have swayed it? Maybe. Just maybe.

[RBH58]

Yep...It's a tight cabin. Put somebody 6'2" in the passenger seat and their knees are pressed against the dashboard. I'm 5'11" and I like to be as close to the (non-adjustable for reach) steering wheel as possible and my knees rub on the bottom of the dashboard if I set it up for best reach. With the steering wheel position slightly compromised and having to reach an 1" more than I'd ideally like, I'm very comfortable, but I have about 1.5" of headroom and I'm wearing the car like a suit. It's simply not a proposition for a person who is 6'2"+ I also reckon the seating position is an inch or two too high. And that couple of inches would have made an enormous difference to who would fit in the car.

But I did have 5 x 25kg bags of potting mix in the boot and 2 x 25ks bags on the front seat on Saturday morning! So, it's not totally useless. LOL

Edited by RBH58 on Tuesday 14th February 03:07

[billatlunch]

Mini corvette (73) .... IMHO

[Northernlights]

My 3 went in for a service yesterday, and there was an RF launch day underway (some cheap Tesco bakery goodies and lots of middle aged men turning up for a nose). Anyway, the RFs looked very, very good. Mini F Type was in my mind, as others have suggested. However, the whole thing looks better with the roof up than down; the proportions work better. The roof mechanism itself is quick and quite fascinating to watch. They wouldn't let me drive it yesterday, though, which made me sad. They did tell me that they'd call me to arrange a test drive. They won't.

[dxg]

Just drove past one!!

From what I could see, it looked fantastic. Soul Red. This was near the local dealer, so I'm going to have a poke around when I've got some time...

[blearyeyedboy]

Niffty951 said:

blearyeyedboy said:

Niffty951 said:

This needs (at the bare minimum) 280hp to be interesting.

I suspect that no MX-5 ever to come out of a factory will be the car for you.

Never mind whether the MX-5 RF is any good or not. All these relatively light RWD roadsters are never about the power output. They're about handling balance on a back road. If power output is what rings your bell, other categories of car are available which will fulfill that brief better.

Why does it have to be a choice. Cayman S, Evora S 400, Noble M12, VXR 220 turbo. These were all great handling cars that had the additional plus of being able to steer with the throttle and slam you into the headrest on a clear straight (well vxr turbo just scrapes in)

You're right, but anyone with the budget for an MX5 isn't going to go for any of the other cars on your list- even a modern VXR 220 would cost far more.

You're comparing Big Macs to Michelin star cuisine. Different budgets, different ability to indulge a particular taste.

[kambites]

Niffty951 said:

Why does it have to be a choice. Cayman S, Evora S 400, Noble M12, VXR 220 turbo. These were all great handling cars that had the additional plus of being able to steer with the throttle and slam you into the headrest on a clear straight (well vxr turbo just scrapes in)

Well yes, but as a result they're much more expensive cars.

[ZesPak]

And that's not just purchase cost. Some countries tax bigger engine cars like crazy, an MX5 or gt86 is not only a lot cheaper to buy, it's in a different league come taxes.

[Composite Guru]

ZesPak said:

And that's not just purchase cost. Some countries tax bigger engine cars like crazy, an MX5 or gt86 is not only a lot cheaper to buy, it's in a different league come taxes.

These two cars are what i'm considering at the mo.

I'm finding it hard to decide as they are similar in cost and what I want.

The GT86 is more practical.

[Johnnytheboy]

Just been in a Mazda dealer with three of these in (dodgy phone pics ahoy!).

Yes, they are very good looking.

But at 6'5", I don't fit in with the roof up.

[Composite Guru]

It looks good from the back but its the front lights I'm still not warming too.

[Quickmoose]

Composite Guru said:

It looks good from the back but its the front lights I'm still not warming too.

It's still the slapped on I-pad and yawning wheel arch gaps (easily remedied), and maybe that the whole car is just a smidge too small... that stop it being damn near perfect for me...