Mazda MX-5 turns 20
Mazda's MX-5 might look youthful, but the original was launched back in 1989. The small sportscar kick-started the demand for open-topped two-seaters, Mazda shifting more than 94,000 MX-5's since its launch. Now in its third incarnation the MX-5 continues to offer affordable drop-top thrills, Mazda offering the MX-5 in both folding hardtop Roadster Coupe and more purist cloth-roofed guises.
To celebrate its double decade Mazda is updating the 2009 model with revised styling that apes its Mazda 2, 3 and 6 relatives. New head and taillights, more prominent side sills, revised bumpers and front air intakes marking out the 2009 model year car. The changes aren't just for style either, Mazda claiming its MX-5 is now even more aerodynamic as a result.
MX-5 customers are more likely to be interested in the promise of improved dynamics, with Mazda sharpening up the drive with a number of changes to the chassis and drivetrain. The suspension has been altered to reduce roll and improve steering response and increase agility. The gearshift has also been enhanced on manual cars with a shorter, more precise action. Mazda is also offering a new PowerShift automatic MX-5 with wheel-mounted paddle-shifters.
All these changes are not at the expense of the environment, with the 2009 MX-5 seeing emission and economy benefits across the entire model range. “The 2009 MX-5 effectively builds on the qualities that have made Mazda's two-seater roadster the best-selling sportscar in the world,” says Mazda UK's managing director Jeremy Thomson.
