While they were replacing a bushing under warranty (I’ll be back for more), I used the time wisely and took a new NC MX-5 to a test drive. A True Red one, if you happen to be interested 😉 The Driftbox got a ride, too.

I spent about 90 minutes and 70 km with the car, mostly out of town or through the outskirts. Including acceleration tests and a few laps on a small racetrack. Never raised the top. Lots of fun. Recommended.

The exterior – OK, but the view from the drivers seat is a bit cluttered for a 180 cm tall driver. The left fender sticks out, for instance, and the depression on the bonnet is totally unnecessary.
The interior is nice. The thump of the door locking/unlocking is quite satisfying. Raising and lowering of the new top is also nice, but not easier than the outgoing version. A single locking lever on the roof makes opening/closing a bit simpler, though.

Materials are good, all the new storage compartments seem to be useful. I especially like the new ventilation controls (new on a MX-5, not that new on other cars, though).

There seems to be more seat adjustment, as advertised. The height-adjustable steering wheel also helps to clear the instruments. On the NB, I’m just missing the turn signals when seated normally. The in-door cupholder appears to dig into the thigh when doing spirited cornering.

Getting in and out is different from the previous models. I didn’t do it enough to really understand the differences, but I think the doorsill is higher and the door position may be different.

Visiblity is improved a lot. You can see higher through the windshield. The A pillar is curved somehow. I believe it removes an annoying blind spot in town, but I didn’t really test it.

Allright, to the road!

First impression – the exhaust note is very nice and meaty. The drive-by-wire throttle is also nice, the power comes on very smoothly. This engine has a usable amount of torque from low down – you can accelerate from 1000 rpm without the feel that you are killing the engine. With the current model, anything below 2000 is unusable.
After 500m I pulled over and checked the documents. Yup, 1.8 🙁 No wonder it felt slow. As revealed by the dealer later on, 2.0-s will reach Estonia in August, shortly before the snow.

During the town part, it took some time to get used to the speedometer. As it starts from a vertical position, the legal urban speeds are unusually low on the scale. This certainly needs getting adjusted to. It also appeared to me that the divisions were closer together, but that may just be a typescript readability issue. The rev counter, although starting from vertical as well, is not as disturbing. The only thing you have to get used to is that it ends at 7300 (I think), not 8000 as it used to.
Safely out of town, it was time for two acceleration tests:

0-60 km/h – 3,8s; 4,4s

0-100 km/h – 8.6s; 9,4s

The timings are from the moment the car starts moving, thus excluding any reaction time. First test with DSC off, the second with DSC on, launched at 2000-2500 rpm. The shifts may have been slower on the second run as well.

Both timings are helped by carefully chosen gearing – both the first and second gear conveniently run sightly past these important bechmark speeds. When compared with the factory timing, it appears that this has been run with DSC on, which is good. Mazda is trying to show realistic numbers that a customer is able to achieve herself.
By the charts I’d say the engaging of the DSC loses you about 0,3s. This is certainly no launch control…

Even apart from acceleration tests, the operation of the DSC is a real hindrance, but luckily bliss is only a keypress away. I finally ended up doing most of my driving without the DSC. Thus, most other handling comments are with DSC turned off. With it on, the car is just … well … safer.
Even around tight corners while accelerating from a traffic-light-just-turned-green, the car is extremely controllable. I’d like a DSC-permanently-off option, as I kept switching it off to get the most out of the car. When it’s on, it really is slowing you down on those occasions when a little wheelspin isn’t really hurting.

A roundabout in a quiet place showed that the car is set up quite well even from the factory. The understeer is there, but not too strongly. Sustainable lateral G-s appear to be on the order of 0,8-0,9.