mx5cartalk.com

I was invited to the MX5 ND RF Preview Day at EMG Motor Company in Cambridge along with the Eastern Region. They had a display of cars showing the various types. I was asked to be the 'Modified' category.

I got a chance to drive a 2.0 RF. Having only dríven the NA's that i own/owned,driving anything newer was going to be strange. Its incredibly comfy inside (stock interior,sadly not the recaro edition),it drives smooth,gear changes were tight and short and the steering is very responsive. Keyless entry and the BOSE system are nice features aswell as the sat nav monitor in the centre. Sadly i didn't drive with the roof down,but a few people have reported back with wind issues with it down? Not too sure about that,so dont take that as gospel.

Overall,very very impressed. Sadly the other half won't let me get one just yet (i even suggested getting rid of the Purple MX for it!) Guess i better start saving lol

Anyway,here are a selection of photos,the full album can be seen on my Flickr (you'll see i'm abit bias when it came to taking photos ) >> FLICKR ALBUM <<

Thanks great shots! I have a friend who is leaning towards a white RF and it does look good!

Peter.

pcmx5 wrote:Thanks great shots! I have a friend who is leaning towards a white RF and it does look good!

Peter.

I got a surprise when I tried to find somewhere to put the Handbook/Logbook on the RF. The bin between the seats where we keep on on my wife's Abarth is only half as deep on the RF and it won't fit. And the storage behind the drivers seat is half as deep too,,..and the passenger side one has gone missing. There is literally nowhere to store the Handbook on the RF!

RBH58 wrote:There is literally nowhere to store the Handbook on the RF!

Forget the handbook - *I* didn't even fit into the damned thing!

7StringSamurai wrote:

RBH58 wrote:There is literally nowhere to store the Handbook on the RF!

Forget the handbook - *I* didn't even fit into the damned thing!

If you are over about 186cm, you won't fit. I'm 180cm and I could move the seat maybe another 3-4cm back if I wanted to, and I've got about 3cm of headroom. I'm comfortable, I'm but sitting a little bit higher in the car than I'd really like to be.

At 185cm tall, my head was pushing up against the roof and had very little leg room. And nearly took an eye out on the windshield when I was climbing out.
And yet I was more than comfortable in my old NC1.

Insert frowny face.

7StringSamurai wrote:At 185cm tall, my head was pushing up against the roof and had very little leg room. And nearly took an eye out on the windshield when I was climbing out.
And yet I was more than comfortable in my old NC1.

Insert frowny face.

Sorry about that. I'm loving the car...I truly am. And the cabin is a really nice place to be (especially with the Nappa option) if you actually fit in it.

What's funny is, the reason I never bought an NA or NB was because I faced the same problem - the ration of car:person went the wrong way.
Got chatting with the Mazda guys at a car show circa 2007, and the rep let me hop in and showed me that I did indeed fit into it with the roof up. Bought my NC1 shortly after.
Fast forward to 2013, reproduced, sold the '5, bought a Liberty.

So, what options would I have in the future now? Buy a car I couldn't fit into? Wait for Mazda to release the NE, in the hopes they decide to go bigger again? Hope that I can find an old NC without a million billion miles on it? Make a ridiculous compromise and buy something else?

Would be keen to see if I have the same problem in something like a Lotus Elise...
(Would be heartbroken if I did have the same problem though)

There ares some obvious shortcomings on this car and that seems to revolve around accomodation / space. The car is also pushing up in price and despite the price reduction by Mazda it still is quite a gap to other vehicles in the range. A car that does not fit is the same as shoes that are tight.

Mr Morlock wrote:There ares some obvious shortcomings on this car and that seems to revolve around accomodation / space. The car is also pushing up in price and despite the price reduction by Mazda it still is quite a gap to other vehicles in the range. A car that does not fit is the same as shoes that are tight.

As my wife says...don't believe the shoe salesperson who says "don't worry, they'll stretch after a few wears"

No clue how Americans are fitting in NDs