This
review first appeared in the July 2017 edition of the Northern & Central
California Cruisin’ News published
out of Folsom, California – mg
Maybe that’s why it was hard to put a label
on it from the beginning. It was a
two-seater. It was a roadster. It was a
Miata. Later, Mazda said to just call it
an MX-5.
What people did figure out right away was
that it was brilliantly styled and capable of turning heads from a mile
away. Was it the ultimate fun car? Given the reactions – Americans bought it like
crazy and some collectors were so convinced of its enduring greatness that they
bought new ones and immediately locked them up in garages for the long-term –
it was a resounding success.
All these years later, Mazda is not taking
any chances. My recent tester featured a
sticker that read “2017 Mazda MX-5 RF,” and just in case that wasn’t enough,
the full-on name listed below that was the “2017 MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF.”
Here’s the best news: The reworked-for-2017
version is still a winner. Leave your
practicality at the dealership door when you go shopping for this car. This is the fun driver you’ve likely wanted
all your life. Can a car be playful?
This one is.
What’s the RF stand for, you ask? It stands for Retractable Fastback, and yes,
that means you get the child-like joy of watching the hardtop roof
electronically retreat into the trunk area at the push of a button. You absolutely want to make sure the
neighbors are watching when you do this; small pleasures like this don’t come
along all the time in life.
The tester was a comparatively upscale
version of the MX-5 two-seater (no, there’s absolutely no room for anything
else, if you’re thinking that). My ride
had goodies that included a Bose audio system (nine speakers), rain-sensing
windshield wipers, heated front seats, leather upholstery and auto on/off LED
headlights.
That put the bottom line at $34,960,
certainly pricier than Miatas past but worth the check today given all the
appointments, in my view.
Even with all the perks, the tester remains
equipped with the standard 2-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 155
horsepower and 148 foot-pounds of torque.
For all the MX-5’s enduring popularity, Mazda has resisted the
temptation of, say, stuffing a 350-horsepower V-6 under the hood. Smart move.
The basic power plant provides more than enough oomph and enjoyment for
the pleasure-seeking motorist.
Along that same line, Mazda has not messed
with the classic MX-5 design. The car is
instantly recognizable as one containing the DNA of the two-seater that took America
My tester handled twisty roads with a
familiar, agile grace, and it charged up hills like a champ. Safety features on the current generation are
more numerous and far better than anything being built in 1989, so the feeling
of security behind the wheel was comforting.
The 360-degree view from the driver’s seat is not great, but then again,
the same can be said of the first MX-5 Miatas.
Fuel mileage remains a plus at an advertised
26 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.
I did have one gripe that had nothing to do
with the MX-5 and everything to do with me.
My aging, 6-4 frame was challenged climbing out of the low-slung
tester. I discovered that the best way
to exit the vehicle was to swivel my frame counterclockwise, plant both feet on
the pavement and then use both legs to drive upward, as if I was vying for a
rebound in some basketball game among oldsters.
Well, we all get older. The same can be said of the MX-5, yet it
still looks and acts young and exciting.
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