Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe 2.0
Cars with folding hard tops are, by and large, rather grotty things. Curiously malformed with distended bottoms and pinched cabins, they usually lose their looks and their practicality once the roofs up and all youre left with is toothbrush room in the boot once the hood has done its contortionists trick. Oh yes, these cars offer the customer more. More weight, more complexity and more expense, that is.
Therefore, I shuddered when Mazda announced a Roadster Coupe version of the MX-5. Seems I neednt have worried after all. Its the exception that proves the rule.
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The trick has been to build smarter rather than harder. Between 2001 and 2003, nine new models were launched. Thanks to sharing of chassis platforms, that number rose to 16 between 2004 and 2006. The Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe is an example of offering the customer extended choice.
Utilising the basis of an existing model, Mazda has managed to build a car that will appeal to a subtly different audience. For many metropolitan types, parking on street is a way of life but the hard-topped Roadster Coupe offers additional security and is vandal-proofed in a manner that no fabric-roofed car can be. Its also a little more refined than the roadster model.
"Mazda have managed to add to the MX-5s appeal without simultaneously making a hefty subtraction"
We tried the 2.0-litre version, powered by a 160bhp four-cylinder engine. Four derivatives of this model are offered. The range opens with the 2.
0i Option Pack at £19,515, said option pack comprising DSC stability control, TCS traction control and a limited slip differential. The 2.0i Sport weighs in with 17-inch alloys, a six-speed transmission, uprated suspension, front fog lights, and some additional trim detailing. Forays into the options list notwithstanding, this last word in MX-5 ownership costs £21,015.
The 2.0-litre engine is no thing of great beauty. It never was, but its functional and does enough to punt the MX-5 Roadster Coupe to 60mph in 7.9 seconds and onto a top speed of 130mph.
Never mind. The MX-5 in any guise was never about raw figures: instead, the joy of the car came in the feeling of fun and tactility it afforded. This model is no different. Although the hardtop doesnt signally improve the cars torsional rigidity when in the raised position, it does give a little more in the way of noise insulation, but otherwise its almost impossible to tell youre not driving the soft top. In case youve bought one and were wondering where your additional £1,700 went, that really is a compliment.
The roof retracts in three sections with no impact on boot space and adds just 37kg to the weight of an equivalent soft top MX-5 roadster. Raise the roof and it sits a mere centimetre taller than its fabric-trimmed sibling. Although its tempting to think of this car as just a roof, a lot of thought has clearly gone into it. The spring and damper settings have been subtly revised to take account of the hard top cars marginally altered weight distribution.
Thankfully, the roof retracts to a position within the wheelbase of the car so that it doesnt detract too much from handling agility. Park the Roadster Coupe and the MX-5 soft top next to each other and its possible to see the subtle way in which Mazda has teased out the shape to accommodate the folding roof. The rear deck of the car sits 40mm higher at the rear window line and 20mm higher at the trailing edge of the boot, giving it a slightly more hunched and powerful look than the soft top. Its really a very minor change and tough to discern in isolation.
Whereas the average duration for a roof operation of this kind tends to be around 22 seconds, Mazda has whittled that time back to a mere 12 seconds for the MX-5 Roadster Coupe - making it the fastest folding hard top in the world at the time of launch. The driver must unlatch a centre lock and then press a button to operate the roof but it can easily be done while waiting at lights. The roof itself is composed of three panels; a front roof section, a middle roof part and a window assembly. Highly formable yet stiff plastics were required to keep weight low and durability high.
When the roof is opened, an electrically-powered mechanism folds it rearwards and stows it under a rear deck cover, rather than in a cartridge in the boot as with many other coupe-cabriolets. So, you can have the boot full to the gunwales and still fold the roof. Go for a driving holiday in rival cars and thats not on the cards: its luggage or wind in the hair. The Mazda MX-5 is a tough car to improve upon but the Roadster Coupe just about manages it, effectively offering added capability with cost aside - almost no downside. With many MX-5 models down the years, the ethos was always less is more. The entry-level car was usually the best bet but the Roadster-Coupe changes this, offering a slightly more mature feel that rewards a bigger engine and more kit.
Now Im just drooling at the prospect of Mazdas 2.3-litre 258bhp turbocharged engine fitted to this car. That would be incredible.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe 2.0 range
PRICES: £19,515-£21,015 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 13
CO2 EMISSIONS: 193g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 131mph / 0-60mph 7.9
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 36.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3995/1720/1255mm
