ND test drive today a personal experience

[pcmx5]

[te]
That's a bit of a limp joke.

Lopsided view?

Peter.

[davekmoore]

[te]
That's a bit of a limp joke.

Lopsided view?
Peter.

Crutching at straws now.

[Alf]

[te]
That's a bit of a limp joke.

Lopsided view?
Peter.

Crutching at straws now.

I wouldn't mind hopping into one.

[davekmoore]

Some of these puns would lead me to getting legless but I'm a teetertotaller nowadays.

[dielle]

We test drive a 1.5L today. Dealer gave us the keys and we disappeared for a good 30 minutes.





Car feels EXACTLY like our NC2 (handing-wise).

[adidistyle]

I took a 1.5 manual Roadster for a drive yesterday, by myself from Cleveland over bumpy semi-rural roads towards Mount Cotton. I left all the electronics switched on. So my thoughts:
Ride is very good.
Conversely, initial response is very rolly polly, compared to my Bilsteined but otherwise standard NA8.
I didn't do any serious cornering so can't comment about that.
Has heaps of go once you hit 5000rpm, but is otherwise relaxed. Extra person plus full tank plus a full boot might slow it down quite a bit.
Sounds great when you want it to.
Hill start assist caught me out. I thought I was in third gear. Quite annoying.
Gear change great. Very easy to drive.
You can double de-clutch (no electronic prevention). Equals more fun.
Speedometer hard to read, and the important 100kph is not at 12 o'clock. Not much sensation of speed, so it's easy to exceed 60kph.
Brakes great. I did a full emergency assisted stop. But I am left wondering how the assist would go on the track. Could cut in just when you don't want it to. Do the indicators flash outside car as well? Might confuse those following.
Standard stereo is more than adequate quality for top down motoring, except for no speakers in passenger headrest. Seriously?
Roof mechanism was a bit tight to put up single handed from the drivers seat. Might loosen with age.
I too noticed the lump in the floor, but it did not affect my drive at all.
Plastics were already marked around door handle.
Handbrake location is a nuisance. I might get used to it though.
It will never be a pretty car

Do I want one? You betcha.
Will I buy one? Thinking. Please wait...

[davekmoore]

Our cars get put outside each day and back into the showroom each night so I can confirm that yes, the roof mechanism does get easier to lift and drop/catch, even after only a few days.

Agreed, it feels odd at first for the handbrake to be on the correct side of the tunnel.

[JBT]

Park brake is in the same place as the NC - never found it an issue changing from the NA.

[rpost77]

I took an ND for a longer test drive on Thursday.

Had already mentioned in another post after the 1st drive that the handbrake bothered me.

After the 2nd test drive - the handbrake in that position and the height it is at REALLY bothers me.

Even though it doesn't specifically get in the way when changing gears it is (in my opinion) to close to hands etc. and too obviously in the way (between hands and gear stick) for it to "disappear".

Hate to say it - but - I would not buy the ND purely on the location and position of the handbrake.

[JBT]

On a more serious note, have any 6 footers with a 75+cm inside leg measurement compared how they fit in the car compared with, say, an NC?
I fit in an NC just right and just OK in an NA/NB8A. I don't fit in an NB8B - steering wheel is too low (or seat base is too high/thick) and the seat backrest is too thick.

[Mr Morlock]

Further to JBT's question and good points about NB/ versus NC , can anyone who has tried the car remark on how much space is available for luggage / storage. There are plenty of people around over 80KG and 1.8m in height. So if one is going away for a weekend or a week etc and packing gear is it manageable and how does it compare to its predecessors. Perhaps its a bad analogy but a tight pair of shoes is hard to live with.

[taminga16]

I had the pleasure of driving an ND on Saturday, I am about 1.8m tall, inside leg 76cm. There is ample seat adjustment and plenty of leg room, the seats a wide enough to accommodate a 112cm chest (I found the Recaro's in the NC a bit pinched across the shoulders). The boot space is a claimed 130 litres, but being a bell mouth opening that appears smaller than that of my NC everything would need to be in soft luggage. I felt that the MZD display unit in the GT detracted from the lines of the interior and the lack of a glove compartment will have the traditionalists up in arms. The cup holders are bloody awful, thank goodness that they can be removed and placed into the bottom of a cupboard somewhere. The auxiliary instruments oil, fuel and temp are difficult to read, there are no alloy pedals and I felt that the steering wheel was a bit 'skinny'.
The drive was interesting and the purchase of the 1.5 litre variant would ensure that one was kept busy with the gearbox, the auto was a revelation and I wonder if it carries a different state of tune as there was no hesitation for a bit more at highway speeds, unlike the manual, which sent me looking for a shorter gear ( a point that was also made by a couple of fellow club members). The colour palette is a bit short, but Meteor Grey over Silver wheels was very appealing and I would like to see Blue Reflex in the flesh. The soft top is a joy and can easily be operated from the drive spot, release the single latch, auto windows down and push the roof away, raising is no more difficult, release the latch between the seats, auto windows down, grab one of two recessed handles and effortlessly raise the roof into the closed position, close the single latch and drive away, very quietly I might add.
The ride is impressive and the suspension will be a lot less accommodating to the US market, it feels like a Sports Car should. For the tweakers, I would think that a rear sway bar would be a good jump off point.
I look forward to driving a 2.0 litre variant.
Greg.
P.S. A big thank you to Joel and the team at Ballarat City Mazda, nothing was too much trouble and I feel sure that everyone from the Western Chapter of the MX-5 Vic and Tas Club feels the same.

[JBT]

Thanks Greg.
So the steering wheel didn't get in the way of legs for gear changes etc.?
Looking at the tall final drive gearing, I'm not surprised that the engine felt a bit dead in 6th. Seems to be a "cruising" ratio that might work better with the 2.0 motor's extra torque.
It sounds like the roof works the same as the NC soft top: easy up down from the driver's seat when stationary or "on the move".

[project.r.racing]

Hate to say it - but - I would not buy the ND purely on the location and position of the handbrake.

It should not be in the way. They are at least 15 cm apart from each other. I can only see it being an issue if you are one of those drivers whom put their left hand on the thigh all the time. So when you reach across, the lever might be in the way. But if you drive with 2 hands on the wheel, you'll hit your knee before the lever.

[davekmoore]

Blue Reflex GT manual playing at Mornington Mazda for a limited period only Greg. Somehow looks darker on an MX5 than on other colours.