Captain KRM P5
09-08-2005, 02:18 AM
The dealer got thier first mx5 in, titanium with the tan top and matching tan leather. six speed with what appeared to be all the goodies. I got a good feel for the car.
It was parked next to an 'older' mazdaspeed miata. size wise, everyone says the new car is larger. for the most part, its not readily apparent. a larger miata is still a very small car by any standard, and whatever weight the car gained, mazda worked hard to hide it from suspicious buyers.
say what you want about how great the car looks, i still strongly prefer the older body style to the newer ibuki-inspired lines any day of the week. that said, the new mx5 in person looks even better than the pictures attempt to portray it. everything is clean, crisp and well defined and the lines are smooth, the fitment and finish pretty tight.
the interior was great. the seats are very cozy but also have just enough bolster for the inevitable tossing in the twisties. the leather is very nice - miles above the ford shit that they stick in the tributes and far better than what they slapped into the protege5. not a big fan of a tan console/dash combo but the material was pretty high grade. once again, mazda kept everything within easy reach of the driver - it is a driver's car. the wheel, the shifter, the radio were all positioned as to remain driver focused. you could definetely tell there was more interior room here than in the old miatas, but not by much.
four cup holders for two people is about as intelligent as asking your AA buddies to go bar hopping with you after a session.
keyless startup was cool, the 'credit card' key fob was pretty stylish. you still had to "turn the key" so to speak to start the car, but we found out that you could drive away without even having the so called key with you. once the car was started, the key fob didn't even need to be in the car. weird?
driving the car was akin to how it feels to go from a protege to a 3; everything is much more refined, polished, tighter, smoother, quicker and more responsive. however, unlike the 3 where it seemed performance was sacrificed in favor of a cushier ride, the mx5 remembers first and foremost that is a sports car. i thought the car cornered awesome and the steering was tight as hell. the ride was firm but even when going over rough road it felt solid without a creak or a clunk more common in the old car. brakes were great and the transmission and clutch are trademark miata; smooth and slick with a short-throw shifter that is one of the best i have ever driven. the car is a blast to drive and easily as quick as the MSMs i tested.
my major complaint was the throttle. i don't know if the new mx5 has an electronically controlled throttle versus the old tried and true mechanical style, but the accelerator pedal felt unnatural, almost robotic and delayed in response. there was very little feedback on the pedal and it took some getting used to. it made me feel rather detached from the car which was disappointing.
oh well, for its worth, thats my .02
It was parked next to an 'older' mazdaspeed miata. size wise, everyone says the new car is larger. for the most part, its not readily apparent. a larger miata is still a very small car by any standard, and whatever weight the car gained, mazda worked hard to hide it from suspicious buyers.
say what you want about how great the car looks, i still strongly prefer the older body style to the newer ibuki-inspired lines any day of the week. that said, the new mx5 in person looks even better than the pictures attempt to portray it. everything is clean, crisp and well defined and the lines are smooth, the fitment and finish pretty tight.
the interior was great. the seats are very cozy but also have just enough bolster for the inevitable tossing in the twisties. the leather is very nice - miles above the ford shit that they stick in the tributes and far better than what they slapped into the protege5. not a big fan of a tan console/dash combo but the material was pretty high grade. once again, mazda kept everything within easy reach of the driver - it is a driver's car. the wheel, the shifter, the radio were all positioned as to remain driver focused. you could definetely tell there was more interior room here than in the old miatas, but not by much.
four cup holders for two people is about as intelligent as asking your AA buddies to go bar hopping with you after a session.
keyless startup was cool, the 'credit card' key fob was pretty stylish. you still had to "turn the key" so to speak to start the car, but we found out that you could drive away without even having the so called key with you. once the car was started, the key fob didn't even need to be in the car. weird?
driving the car was akin to how it feels to go from a protege to a 3; everything is much more refined, polished, tighter, smoother, quicker and more responsive. however, unlike the 3 where it seemed performance was sacrificed in favor of a cushier ride, the mx5 remembers first and foremost that is a sports car. i thought the car cornered awesome and the steering was tight as hell. the ride was firm but even when going over rough road it felt solid without a creak or a clunk more common in the old car. brakes were great and the transmission and clutch are trademark miata; smooth and slick with a short-throw shifter that is one of the best i have ever driven. the car is a blast to drive and easily as quick as the MSMs i tested.
my major complaint was the throttle. i don't know if the new mx5 has an electronically controlled throttle versus the old tried and true mechanical style, but the accelerator pedal felt unnatural, almost robotic and delayed in response. there was very little feedback on the pedal and it took some getting used to. it made me feel rather detached from the car which was disappointing.
oh well, for its worth, thats my .02