ND Test Drive thoughts
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 5:05 pm
I thought I might share my thoughts after a quick spin the the new model (manual GT spec) in Meteor Grey. As a current NB8B and previous NA6 owner and I was curious to see if the 1.5 was a step backwards, about the same, or significantly better.
Looks:
I cannot believe how curvy the ND is, standing in front of the car especially it just looks wide, low, and mean. Even more so than in pictures. The front wheel arches look really aggressive especially when you add the rear haunches which are much wider as well, it really makes the car look more purposeful and compact. From the back, again the car looks wider and more taught. I like how the tail lights have finally changed from the historic ovals to the new jag f-type style.
edit: Why won't Mazda make the MX-5 in more colours like yellow, dark green, dark blue, etc?
Drive:
Featuring a push button start as so many cars now seem to, I wondered as I did in my FN2 Type R what the point of this trend is ( is it just me?), especially when the button itself wasn't even red or glowing. The new exhaust sounds much nicer than any stock MX-5 I've dríven, with a somewhat muted but deeper note. Pulling away I was surprised find the clutch even lighter than in my NB, didn't think they made clutches much lighter. The gear change is different, definitely slicker and faster than the NB, possibly a bit shorter, yet lacking the oily metallic snick that I love in my NB and even more so in my NA.
Acceleration is about on par with the old 1.8, not much of a surprise I suppose, a few less kW but less kg. Again it sounds much nicer and deeper in the lower revs and much more refined in the higher end of the range. What did bother me was the more detached feel of the accelerator, made me miss my throttle cable and it's responsiveness. The Brakes seemed fine under light use, not amazing in feel. The steering was a new experience for me, lacking the feel of the NB, although at least not as light and assisted as in my Type R. What did seem strange was how artificially heavy it felt under lots of lock exiting roundabouts.
The suspension was an improvement over my NB, although it is 80 000 kms newer. Never uncomfortable or crashy around town, felt well damped and seemed to have a bit less roll in slower and faster corners. I'm glad Mazda have put 16's on it and haven't ruined the ride with massive stylish rims, the ND's did not look small or wimpy, just a nice clean design. The leather interior was much nicer obviously although I didn't like the positioning of the cup holders which can get in the way of elbows, I also didn't feel that the screen was necessary (glad it's an option), I'm curious what the base cloth interior without the screen is like. As others have noted, the roof is now even easier to use and looks great up or folded away. There is also a little more elbow shoulder room in the cabin, and I think I sat a little lower too, which helped me to no longer be eye level with the windscreen surround.
Overall the car feels more premium, a bit more solid and nicely finished, and much better looking while not being much better than the NB to drive. I will definitely wait for it to populate the used market, and when one turns up in red with a tan interior for 25k I'll probably upgrade. Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any helpful corrections/opinions.
Looks:
I cannot believe how curvy the ND is, standing in front of the car especially it just looks wide, low, and mean. Even more so than in pictures. The front wheel arches look really aggressive especially when you add the rear haunches which are much wider as well, it really makes the car look more purposeful and compact. From the back, again the car looks wider and more taught. I like how the tail lights have finally changed from the historic ovals to the new jag f-type style.
edit: Why won't Mazda make the MX-5 in more colours like yellow, dark green, dark blue, etc?
Drive:
Featuring a push button start as so many cars now seem to, I wondered as I did in my FN2 Type R what the point of this trend is ( is it just me?), especially when the button itself wasn't even red or glowing. The new exhaust sounds much nicer than any stock MX-5 I've dríven, with a somewhat muted but deeper note. Pulling away I was surprised find the clutch even lighter than in my NB, didn't think they made clutches much lighter. The gear change is different, definitely slicker and faster than the NB, possibly a bit shorter, yet lacking the oily metallic snick that I love in my NB and even more so in my NA.
Acceleration is about on par with the old 1.8, not much of a surprise I suppose, a few less kW but less kg. Again it sounds much nicer and deeper in the lower revs and much more refined in the higher end of the range. What did bother me was the more detached feel of the accelerator, made me miss my throttle cable and it's responsiveness. The Brakes seemed fine under light use, not amazing in feel. The steering was a new experience for me, lacking the feel of the NB, although at least not as light and assisted as in my Type R. What did seem strange was how artificially heavy it felt under lots of lock exiting roundabouts.
The suspension was an improvement over my NB, although it is 80 000 kms newer. Never uncomfortable or crashy around town, felt well damped and seemed to have a bit less roll in slower and faster corners. I'm glad Mazda have put 16's on it and haven't ruined the ride with massive stylish rims, the ND's did not look small or wimpy, just a nice clean design. The leather interior was much nicer obviously although I didn't like the positioning of the cup holders which can get in the way of elbows, I also didn't feel that the screen was necessary (glad it's an option), I'm curious what the base cloth interior without the screen is like. As others have noted, the roof is now even easier to use and looks great up or folded away. There is also a little more elbow shoulder room in the cabin, and I think I sat a little lower too, which helped me to no longer be eye level with the windscreen surround.
Overall the car feels more premium, a bit more solid and nicely finished, and much better looking while not being much better than the NB to drive. I will definitely wait for it to populate the used market, and when one turns up in red with a tan interior for 25k I'll probably upgrade. Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any helpful corrections/opinions.
