Mazda MX-5 Icon Special Edition : ICONOGRAPHY

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Mazda MX-5 special editions come and go with metronomic regularity. The best bit about them? Theyre all great. Andy Enright climbs aboard the latest, the Icon.

Im racking my brains to think of one bad MX-5 edition Mazda has ever built and Im coming up dry. The fundamentals are just too good to be able to make an indifferent MX-5 and the latest Icon is no exception. Choose 1.8 or 2.

0-litre and get a bunch of extra gear for a modest mark up.

There arent too many current cars that could carry an Icon badge without looking that teensy bit self conscious. The Porsche 911 could get away with it and so could the Caterham Seven. Anything else? Range Rover maybe, MINI possibly but one car that can without blushing is the Mazda MX-5, a car that rejuvenated the roadster category when it first arrived in 1991 and which has pretty much owned the rights to this sector of the market ever since. Since then, the MX-5 has gone through two major revisions and the latest car is bigger and better built than ever before without losing that rear-wheel drive playfulness and balance the open Mazda has long been associated with.

There have been more special editions of the Mazda MX-5 than I can possibly recall and this Icon is but the latest. It follows a traditional pattern of ladling in a bunch of extra gear for a small mark up and as with all special editions, its worth checking as to whether you might have specified that gear anyway. If so, dive right in. Part of the essential joy of the MX-5 is its predilection to be ragged within an inch of its life.

Neither of the cars two engine options produce straight line performance that you could call blistering but, in common with many Japanese petrol units, they urge drivers to push the revs to the red line in each gear. The reward for adopting this foot in the corner policy should be a high-pitched growl from the engine with a rich exhaust accompaniment. Mazda conducted extensive sound tuning on the car to perfect the acoustic experience but the 2.0-litre 158bhp unit still sounds duller than you might hope.

The 125bhp 1.8-litre alternative is far sweeter and rewards hard driving more vocally.

"A lightweight, rear wheel drive car which focuses on driver enjoyment is a story that doesnt really get old."

With a 0-60mph acceleration time of 9.4s, theres plenty of scope to explore the 1.8-litre MX-5s potential without entering licence confiscation territory. The 2.

0-litre unit is capable of 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds which is still fairly tame by todays standards. Neither car will trouble any of the top-line hot hatchbacks that are currently available in a traffic light face off. The entry level car has a 122mph top speed compared to 130mph in the range-topper.

Both of the MX-5 Icons engines use a double overhead camshaft, four cylinder, 16-valve configuration but the 1.8 does without the sequential inlet valve timing system found on the 2.0-litre. The performance difference isnt too dramatic, although the 2.

0-litre feels significantly stronger through the mid-range thanks to its 188Nm torque rating at 5,000rpm the 1.8 manages 167Nm at 4,500rpm. The MX-5 initially had five basic design criteria. Firstly the car would be as light as possible while meeting global safety requirements.

Next, the cockpit would comfortably accommodate two full stature occupants with no wasted space. The basic layout would continue with the originals front-engine rear-wheel drive configuration with the engine positioned ahead of the driver but behind the front axle for a 50:50 front to rear weight distribution. All four wheels would be attached by wishbone or multi-link suspension systems to maximize tyre performance, road grip and dynamic stability. Finally, the chassis would provide a solid connection between the engine and the rear mounted differential to sharpen throttle response. That the MX-5 Icon scores in these departments is obvious from its basic details.

The engine has been moved back fully 135mm for better weight distribution, while chassis torsional rigidity goes up by 47 per cent. Rather than concentrate on kilograms saved, Mazda insisted that every component would be weighed in grams. Take care of the grams and the kilos look after themselves. While the philosophy hasnt changed a great deal from the car launched on that day in 1989, the execution is quite different.

Gone are the curvy Coke-bottle flanks of the old car, replaced instead by a cleaner, slabbier look. Viewed in profile, the differences arent huge, but from front and rear there are quite fundamental changes. The wheelarches are considerably beefier, allowing the fitment of big alloy wheels. To accentuate the tapering shapes of the body, the headlights and tail light are, somewhat unusually, mounted well inboard of the corners.

So what do you get with an Icon that you dont get with a standard car and how much are you being charged for this privilege? Mazda claim an additional £1,500 worth of gear has been packed into these Icon variants. Special features of the Icon include climate control air-conditioning, Icon-branded black leather seats and Icon-branded interior mats. Exterior features include Icon badging and chrome style bar trims and the cars can be ordered in one of three exterior colours Copper Red Mica, unique Marble White (solid) and Stormy Blue Mica. Leave aside the flim-flam and youre really paying for the seats and climate control.

Given that the premium over the option-pack equipped 1.8 and 2.0-litre standard cars is £445, that doesnt seem a bad deal at all. As well as adding the special Icon features, standard equipment of the MX-5 ensures that buyers also get a leather wrapped steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake, six-speaker audio system, electric windows, premium black cloth soft-top, 16-inch alloy wheels, twin chrome exhaust tail pipes and a Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser.

With the demise of the MG TF, the Smart Roadster and the Toyota MR2 theres very little to touch the MX-5 in the sub £20k roadster class. The MX-5 has always scored on offering plenty of driving thrills without the bills and the Icon is no exception. Theres little difference between the two engines in terms of fuel economy, the 1.8 averaging 38mpg and the 2.

0-litre 36mpg. Likewise carbon dioxide emissions vary very little, the smaller engine emitting 174g/km versus the 2.0-litre units 183g/km. Insurance.

is also affordable, the two Icon models rated in groups 11 and 13 respectively. Residual values are also stellar, the 1.8-litre model retaining 59 per cent of its value after three years with the 2.0-litre version not performing too shabbily at 58 per cent.

Compare that to the 47 per cent retained by an entry-level Peugeot 307CC and youll see why the Mazda has sold in millions since its inception. The bottom line with this Icon model is that youll be shelling out an extra £445 in order to get climate controlled air conditioning and black leather seats. Given that leather seats alone will cost over £1,200 on the Mazda options list, this strikes me as quite a good deal. The rest of the Icon pack is just window dressing but gift horses should never be looked in the mouth.

The MX-5 formula works as well today as it did in 1991. A lightweight, rear wheel drive car thats not overladen with nonsense and which focuses on driver enjoyment is a story that doesnt really get old. The major change thats happened in recent years is that the Mazda MX5s rivals have fallen away one by one. With cars like the Icon edition its easy to appreciate why.

If youre looking for a sporting drive with fresh air but dont want to bust the budget, youre looking at the MX-5 or nothing.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Mazda MX-5 Icon range
PRICES: £16,825-£17,825 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-13
CO2 EMISSIONS: 174-183g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] Max Speed 130mph / 0-60mph 7.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0 5-speed] 36.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3995/1720/1245mm