Car Review: Mazda MX-5 RF – the most fun money can buy

Did you know that the British buy more convertibles than anyone else in Europe?

It does seem strange, given how wet our weather can be. And is. But that is in fact the answer to this particular conundrum. The British get so little in the way of sunshine on their overcast damp little island that they feel they have to make the most of it – and to get that top down at any and every opportunity. A convertible allows the average pasty Briton to top up their “tan” in the brief breaks in the clouds that nature sometimes grants to them. We cherish our convertibles.

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There aren’t that many on the market right now. Aside from the premium offerings from the usual German brands, the supercars, some fine Jaguars, Bentleys and Rolls-Royces and a couple of specialist Caterhams and Morgans, there is not much out there. There are, for instance, no more top-down offers from Ford, Volvo, Saab (RIP), Alfa Romeo or Peugeot, to name a few traditional makers of convertibles or coupe/convertibles. Funnily enough the Fiat 14 and Abarth roadsters, part-based on the Mazda, are no longer on sale in Britain.

Given that, it is nice that Mazda is persevering, and now offers two flavours of its extremely appealing MX-5 roadster. There’s the traditional convertible model, electrically powered canvas roof, and produced on much the same lines as the first generation back in 1989 – compact, two seats, manoeuvrable, mostly reliable.

Now, though, you can have an even nicer MX-5, the “RF”, which stands for retractable roof. This is an MX-5 with a metal roof that folds away, as if origami, into the boot when it’s not needed. Unlike the regular MX-5 it leaves the roof frame at the rear, along with some miniature “flying buttresses”. The advantage of the metal roof is, I guess, that it’s a little more secure, possibly safer in a roll, and, frankly, looks sexier than the regular roadster. It is also balletic in its deconstruction on the way to safe stowage in the boot, like a miniaturised star of a Transformers movie. So, yes, the roof is more fun than the plain folding affair in the pure roadster.

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The MX-5 RF is properly called a “targa top”, which is to say that it is open to the elements at the top, but not to the rear. It’s the sort of design that was much more in favour in the 1970s, and the exaggerated, voluptuous wing lines and tapered boot give it a definite retro appeal. Specifically it looks inspired by the 1970 Opel GT, just as the older MX-5s were reminiscent of the pert 1962 Lotus Elan. Anyway the new Mazda sports car would go well with flared loons.

Talking of the boot, there isn’t much of it, and you can’t access it directly with the roof down, because the roof is in there, if you see what I mean. If you need to get back into it you’ll have to raise the roof (so to speak), then open the boot, retrieve your gold Ray-Ban Aviators sunglasses from your weekend bag, and then perform the whole procedure in reverse (ie backwards, not reverse gear). A bit of palaver, but the price you pay for extreme style.

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As for driving it, it’s every bit as life-enhancing as any other MX-5, which is to say it gives a pretty authentic roadster experience. You lie down rather than sit in the car, there’s a rev counter right in front of you that goes all the way to 7,000, the traditional manual handbrake is close by your hand, the pedals and gears both close spaced and the whole thing goes, stops, and handles superbly. Being a rear-wheel drive with an in-line four cylinder engine, like all little roadsters should be, it has excellent balance in terms of its front/rear weight distribution – a perfect 50/50. Try as I might (within some bounds of common sense) I couldn’t disturb its composure. Mazda is still a maker where the engineers have a big say in what the company does and how it does it, and the MX-5 proves the point.

It’s fun – to drive, to pose around in, to simply own. There’s no room to put anything, and the cup holders are placed, absurdly, behind your elbow, unreachably, but who cares?

The MX-5 is also one of those cars that manages to look and feel a little more expensive than it is. You can probably get one for not much more than £20,000. Provided you realise that you’re not going to be getting the sort of metal for your money you’d find with a Dacia Duster or a Kia Ceed, and you don’t need rear seats and a boot, then there’s probably nothing better on four wheels for the price. I loved it. There’s a reason why the MX-5 is the world’s best-selling sports car.

Go get some sun.