Pure pleasure
Few cars can elicit waves of pure pleasure just from the act of driving. The Mazda MX-5 is one such car, giving drivers pure driving feel and responsiveness from the model’s inception way back in 1989. The concept was simple: take a lightweight roadster, British style, and add Japanese reliability and spunk. The result was not only a success for Mazda but also spawned a renaissance in sports cars up and down the price range.
The current fourth-generation MX-5 has been one of the most desirable among the car’s generations. Svelte proportions and elegant details give it Italian-like flair, albeit balanced with a healthy dose of Japanese mecha cheekiness.
On April 18, 2024, Mazda Philippines released an updated version of the MX-5 sports car. New exterior lighting (full LED, natch) with revised lighting signature front and rear, along with new 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels in Diamond Cut or Black Metallic finish, highlight the exterior changes.
Inside, the new MX-5 comes with a high-resolution 4.6-inch multi-info display, paired with a new 8.8-inch main infotainment screen with slimmer bezels. This improves road visibility and access to the system’s functions, which include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Audio output is handled by a 9-speaker Bose sound system. This complements the available Nappa leather seats. The tan leather will pair well with the tan fabric soft top.
What has not changed, thankfully, are the MX-5’s driving dynamics, courtesy of a highly responsive drivetrain and lightweight chassis. Adhering to the formula of “adding lightness,” the MX-5 tips the scales starting at just 1058kg, thanks to Mazda’s Skyactiv technology. The weight is perfectly distributed 50-50 front-rear, making the car a cracking drive on road or on the track.
The naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine delivers instantaneous response and is mated to a 6-speed manual (a rarity these days) or a 6-speed automatic. The engine produces 184ps and 205Nm, and a subtle audio feed of engine sound to the car’s interior should make it feel a little more powerful. A recalibrated accelerator pedal improves engine response by eliminating delay.
A key attribute of the MX-5 is purity of steering, and this has translated well to the car’s current electric power steering. That steering system sees improvements via reduced steering rack friction and enhanced control logic. This results in a more natural and fluid response. Kinematic Posture Control helps to suppress body roll by applying a light braking force to the inner rear wheel when the car is cornering, achieving better ride and handling without the use of heavier adaptive dampers.
Owners opting for the 6-speed manual transmission are no doubt seeking the purest sensation of driving. The manual version gets two new handling-related tech in addition to the standard front strut bar and Bilstein shock absosrbers: Dynamic Stability Control with track mode (DSC-Track) and Assymetric Limited Slip Differentail (A-LSD)
DSC-Track gives the driver greater control by limiting the system’s intervention only when it detects a potentially hazardous spin that the driver will be unable to control. Thus it acts as an electronic safety net while still allowing the driver to push the limits of the car on the track. Again “adding lightness,” the system uses existing control software and a new ABS hydraulic unit, so there’s no significant weight penalty.
The new A-LSD delivers smoother and more linear turning performance. It adds a cam mechanism to the standard conical clutch LSD. The asymmetric part comes from the different settings of the cam angle for the deceleration side and acceleration side, achieving optimal slip limitation for each.
The MX-5 carries the latest version of Mazda’s i-Activesense safety and driver assist technology. The 2024 car adds six new functions: Smart Brake Support-Front, Smart Brake Support-Rear, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Rear Cross Brake Support, and Driver Attention Alert. Adaptive LED headlights, Lane Departure Warning, rear parking sensors, and a reverse camera remain standard.
The Mazda MX-5 comes in two distinct trim packages. The black fabric soft top and body-colored RF roof comes with a black leather interior, 17-inch diamond cut aluminum alloy wheels, and body colored side mirrors, while the tan fabric soft top and black RF roof comes with a tan Nappa leather interior, 17-inch black metallic aluminum alloy wheels, and gloss black side mirrors. A special, limited-edition MX-5 Miata Cup 23rd anniversary edition is also available. This 23-unit run uniquely developed by Mazda Japan for the Philippine market in honor of the 23rd anniversary of the Miata Cup comes with a bespoke racing livery designed by local artist Jaykee Evangelista, and is inspired by classic motorsports liveries.
For 2024, the MX-5 is available in two body styles—the Soft Top with its classic, manually-operated canvas roof, and the Retractable Fastback (RF) that transforms it from a coupe to a convertible at the push of a button in just 13 seconds. Regardless of body style, it remains the only sports car in its price range to offer the thrilling experience of open-top motoring.
A total of seven MX-5 variants—five Soft Top and two RF—are available in 2024. It comes in seven colorways, including a new color, Aero Gray, along with Soul Red Crystal, Machine Gray, Snowflake White Pearl, Deep Crystal Blue, Zircon Sand, and Jet Black.
The 2024 Mazda MX-5 comes with the following prices:
• 2.0L MT Miata Cup 23rd Anniversary Edition – P2,230,000
• 2.0L MT Black Top Black Leather – P2,300,000
• 2.0L AT Black Top Black Leather – P2,350,000
• 2.0L MT Tan Top Tan Nappa Leather – P2,400,000
• 2.0L AT Tan Top Tan Nappa Leather – P2,450,000
• 2.0L AT RF Black Leather – P2,550,000
• 2.0L AT RF Tan Nappa Leather – P2,600,000
“The Mazda MX-5 is an unmistakable icon and for 35 years, it has been the go-to option for enthusiasts who want a thrilling drive no matter the destination. These new updates for 2024 not only make it the ideal first sports car, but expand its already extensive capabilities to make it even more fun on the track and even better on the road,” says Steven Tan, president of Mazda Philippines. “It is known around the world as a formidable and reliable racing platform, but thanks to its new updates, it has also become a more comprehensive package. It gains Mazda’s latest connectivity and safety enhancements, making it a complete package not just dynamically, but technologically, as well.”
Speaking of racing, the Mazda MX-5 will also serve as the platform for the one-make sports car racing series, the 2024 MSCC Mazda Miata Spec Series, which will start on May 25. Mazda has organized the race series together with the Manila Sports Car Club.
The MX-5, already the most raced car in the world, has also racked up impressive wins in the Philippine racing scene. The MX-5 has won four-, eight-, and 12-hour endurance races five times. The famous Mazda reliability also comes to the fore: in the past two seasons of the MSCC Miata Spec Series, there have been no mechanical breakdowns. A properly-driven MX-5 Spec Series race car can go through an entire season requiring only replacement of consumables such as brake rotors and discs, and filters.
Inspired by the largest one-make grassroots race series in the world, the Mazda Spec Miata, the MSCC Miata Spec Series cars are all built from showroom standard Mazda MX-5 Soft Top units. The race cars feature the stock Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter and 6-speed Skyactiv-Drive manual transmission.
