On the road in Laois: The Mazda MX-5 is the perfect drive in good weather

I know, I know you probably think I’m getting a bit too excited because we have hit the first week in April and it's been pretty nice weather here in Laois! So I thought let's not focus on the forced diet of boring electric vehicles. There are still drivers out there (quite a lot I gather!) who want a car that's not only fun to drive but truly uplifting and with a dash of practicality too.

What better than the ubiquitous Mazda MX-5, a two seat roadster with perky engine and a decent boot. Perfect for the sunny spells we have had this week! The Mazda MX-5 first launched back in 1989 and since then well over 1 million have been sold. The simple formula of a compact two seat roadster with rear wheel drive and a nippy petrol engine ensured its success.

So has it any street cred?

The styling is muscular and all the better for that. The whole car looks substantial and purposeful. It's gorgeous! It is a perfectly balanced design and with 16 inch alloys and some lovely colours available, it's a real eye-catcher.

What’s it like inside?

The two seat cabin is very well finished with high grade trim and materials throughout. The driver and passenger sit low and well back giving you a feeling of really being an integral part of the car. I love the analogue dials while the neat central screen with a rotary controller works very well. There is an adequate amount of storage space for a roadster with extra stowage available behind both seats. The boot is reasonable and would fit about two cabin sized overnight bags.

There are plenty of goodies too, such as heated seats, keyless entry, a Bose sound system, lane departure warning, Leather and Alcantara trim, LED headlights, Front and rear Smart City brake, Driver attention alert, Apple car play, Android Auto to name but some, so the MX-5 lacks nothing really on the specification list.

What is under the bonnet?

Powered by Mazda’s Sky Active 1.5 litre 4 cylinder petrol mild hybrid engine mated to a lovely 6-speed manual gearbox with a power output of 132 bhp this little roadster has plenty of pep in its step. There's a nice growl from the engine when worked and I found overall performance to be good. There is more than enough performance to enjoy as you hustle it along a twisty country road. It's quite frugal too, burning 6.9 litres per 100km over my road test.

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What’s it like to drive?

With rear wheel drive, the engine up front and near 50/50 weight distribution the MX-5 is a driver's delight. The 1.5 litre is potent enough to thrill without ending up in licence losing territory. You don’t have to be driving the MX-5 quickly to extract pleasure from the way it rides and handles and this is one of the key virtues that has made it such a success. It's just a great fun roadster. Trundling along with the roof down, listening to the sounds around you is just another aspect of roof down motoring to be enjoyed yet it handles with a plomb and will delight the enthusiastic driver on a twisty country road. The MX-5 is not about huge performance figures, but it delivers huge fun!

Verdict

The latest Mazda MX-5 is a worthy limited edition of this truly excellent car. It's a superb little roadster that will prove fun and totally reliable. I loved it. That roof is well insulated for Irish rainy days and when the sun does appear you can drop it in seconds and enjoy the wind in the hair motoring.

The MX-5 Exclusive -Line costs €39,890.