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N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A
FEBRUARY 02 - 08
| 2018
> available online - www.nemedia.com.au
STILL SPORTY: The MX-5 roadster is back with style.
Hard-case Mazda hero given a soft centre
HAS the MX-5 gone soft? The ‘everyman’ Mazda, born in 1989 in the tradition of the compact British cloth-top convertibles of the post-war era from the likes of Triumph, Austin-Healey, MG and Lotus, was soon to become the best-selling sports car in the world and later became something of a cult. The lightweight two-seater with front engine, rear-wheel drive, had minimal mechanical complexity, limited only by legal and safety requirements, while being technologically modern, reliable and cheap. Since then, the MX-5, through a series of iterations, has maintained its spot at the top of the sports car sales charts.
By DEREK OGDEN The latest to appear is the MX-5 RF (for retractable fastback), a sleek fastback with a smooth line joining the roof to the rear of the car – a far cry from the pairedback proportions of the original MX-5. Available in two grades - RF and RF GT - and designed to complement the soft top MX-5 range, prices start at $38,550, for the RF six-speed manual with cloth upholstery, topping out at $46,890 for the RF GT automatic with black roof and black or tan Nappa leather upholstery. On test was the RF GT manual with tan leather ($43,890). On road costs have to be added.
The new Mazda MX-5 RF bears little relation to the early models but that hasn’t prevented it from winning the ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best’ prize at the 2017 Red Dot product design awards. The RF features the same front and centre as the soft-top model. Overall height has increased by just five mm. The RF’s retractable hardtop consists of a front, middle and rear roof, and back window glass. When the roof is open, the front and middle roof sections are stowed together with the back window glass in the space behind the seats. An acrylic wind deflector helps prevent air from the rear blowing back into the cabin.
Black or tan leather upholstery and trim, or the choice of Nappa leather works nicely.Three-meter instrument cluster is interesting in that the display at the left of the cluster has a 4.6-inch colour TFT LCD screen that displays an animation of the roof when it is opening or shutting. The button for operating the roof is positioned on the panel below the dials for the air-conditioning system. Mazda’s MZD Connect, with its centraldash positioned screen and centre console control knob, makes for safe and easy access to functions. It has internet connectivity and access to social networking services. It offers hands-free
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