The latest version of the Mazda MX-5, called R-Sport, is available to order now for £27,700 – and we can’t think of a better new car (for that sort of money, anyway) for post-lockdown driving thrills. We’ll skip past what happens if you say the name out loud. “R-Sport.” Who approves these things?
The R-Sport is limited to just 150 copies, each in the shade of metallic grey you see here, called Polymetal, which sounds pleasingly like a prog rock band. They also get these lovely burgundy leather seats with silver stitching and a load of standard kit.
Based on Sport spec, the R-Sport gets 16-inch Rays alloy wheels in gunmetal grey, a grey soft top, black mirror caps, Apple Carplay (or Android Auto), cruise control, heated seats and climate control. That’s all comfort-oriented stuff, which is nice and everything but that’s clearly not what this car is about. It’s about pure, raw(ish), rear-wheel drive dynamics.
To that end it comes with a 1.5-litre 130bhp four-cylinder petrol engine – not the most powerful you can have with an MX-5 (there’s a 2.0-litre with 181bhp too) but enough to exploit the chassis. This is a lightweight car, with a kerb weight that only just nudges past the one tonne mark. The 0-62mph time is a respectable 8.3 seconds, but the lack of weight means it’s pretty economical too: 47.1mpg, albeit that’s measured using the older, less stringent NEDC fuel efficiency test.
And for now you can buy it on 0% finance with no minimum deposit; Mazda’s 0% offer usually requires a 50% down payment to take advantage.
Else where in the MX-5 range there’s a new GT Sport Tech model, which acts as the flagship of the range. It comes with 17-inch BBS alloys, burgundy nappa leather seats (nappa is softer), and more safety kit than standard, including adaptive LED headlights and a reversing camera. The Sport Tech model costs £29,310 for a soft top, or £31,210 for a hard top FR model.
Jeremy Thomson, Mazda UK MD, said: “when it comes to driver engagement, the current generation MX-5 has already established itself as a benchmark sports car, and with the 2020 Mazda MX-5, and now the R-Sport special edition, we continue to offer one of the most exciting and satisfying to drive cars money can buy.
“The MX-5 is Mazda’s brand icon and it embodies all that is great about our products, its fun to drive character has strengthened the bond between Mazda and its customers for over 30 years and the 2020 model continues this unswerving dedication to delivering an affordable world-class sports car, while the R-Sport continues our long heritage of offering uniquely styled limited edition versions.”
Keyword: New Mazda MX-5 R-Sport, perfect post-lockdown merriment