Friday 31st August 2018

MX-5 on the Transfagarasan Highway: POTW

Romania's most famous driving road in August was the perfect backdrop for Mazda's latest two-seater...

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No-one is happier than us that the updated Mazda MX-5 finally has an engine option to fully exploit its balanced chassis. The top Skyactiv-G 2.0 motor now offers 184hp, a healthy 26hp jump on before, and revs to a peaky 7,500rpm, making this back-to-basics roadster properly exciting. But that's not why it features in this Friday's Pic of the Week.

It's our choice because of the venue it was tested on. We sampled Mazda's faster two-seater on the Transfagarasan Highway, which, as many of you will know, is hailed as one of the world's greatest driving roads. Winding between the peaks of Romania's Carpathian Mountains, this 50-mile-long route is technical, fast and very demanding.

It's also jaw droppingly gorgeous, with large expanses of hillside forests, a massive lake and vast valleys part of its aesthetic armoury. As far as driving roads go, this one is no doubt among the most deserving of your desktop background. Perhaps it'll help convince you that the route is worth a visit one day...

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[craig_m67]

Did it (and a loop of Romania in Hungarian rental Corsa with the missus(ex) and our 18mth old in the back.. fantastic bit of road. I imagine a decent amount of poke/torque and heater, with the top down would be fairly spectacular. Was very crowded at the top.

Actually, there’s quite a few spectacular roads in Romania, made all the more fun in the Cora’s as we were only that little bit faster than the crazy Renault12 (ok Dacia) .. ah, memories.

[Mushroom12]

And in reality outside of Top Gear, it's a stty road full of cyclists, traffic and sheep, with a rubbish road surface and certain death if you stack it off the side.
There are better roads in Romaina

[magic torch]

Mushroom12 said:

There are better roads in Romaina

Much better roads.

[Finlandese]

Mushroom12 said:

And in reality outside of Top Gear, it's a stty road full of cyclists, traffic and sheep, with a rubbish road surface and certain death if you stack it off the side.
There are better roads in Romaina

B*llst.. I went there during a weekday and had very little traffic, and the traffic that was there was very co-operative when I came to pass them with my rented MX-5. There may be better roads, but Trasfagarashan is a great driving road.

https://youtu.be/a0Iad6GdXL8

[Bladedancer]

magic torch said:

Mushroom12 said:

There are better roads in Romaina

Much better roads.

It would be helpful if you could give some examples