The Mazda MX-5 continues to be ‘one of the most exciting and satisfying to drive cars money can buy’, according to the Japanese manufacturer.
And the love affair is set to continue as Mazda announces minor nips and tucks to the range for 2023.
The Select Car Leasing news team recently sat down with the Mazda MX-5 Owners Club for a revealing interview about what makes these little roadsters so special.
For 30 years, the ethos behind the MX-5 has been the same - to offer a world-class, engaging sports car that’s also affordable.
Mazda says that this approach will continue for the foreseeable future, as it attempts to ‘innovate in order to preserve’ the Mazda MX-5’s winning formula.
So, what is new for 2023?
Well, as before, you can lease the MX-5 as either a convertible soft-top or as an ‘RF’ ‘Retractable Fastback’, which has a hard roof that folds into the rear at the touch of a button.
But the ‘Convertible’ models have now been re-named ‘Roadster’ - a name that’s used in other international markets and which, to us, rids the confusion about which version does or doesn’t have a retractable roof, because they both clearly do.
The trim levels have also been re-named.
You can continue to enjoy the MX-5 with either a 1.5 litre petrol engine with power of 132 PS, or with a 2.0 litre ‘Skyactiv-G’ petrol engine with 182 PS. Both of those units can be mated to either a manual or automatic gearbox.
But where the 1.5 litre MX-5 once had trim levels called ‘SE-L’ and ‘Sport’, they’re now called ‘Prime-Line’ and ‘Exclusive-Line’.
With the 2.0 litre mill, the ‘Sport Tech’ and ‘GT Sport Tech’ names have been jettisoned in favour of ‘Exclusive-Line’ and range-topping ‘Homura’.
And the Homura MX-5 now also gets uprated red Brembo brake calipers at the front.
There’s a brand new colour to choose from, called ‘Zircon sand’, and which has been borrowed from the Mazda CX-5 SUV range.
As before, there’s fuel-saving stop-start technology across the range, and the 2.0 litre cars also get performance upgrades that include a front strut brace, limited slip differential and Bilstein dampers as standard.
Meanwhile all MX-5 models feature Kinematic Posture Control (KPC), which is designed to increase stability during cornering without impacting the ‘purity of the MX-5’s handling and driver engagement’.
Masashi Nakayama, program manager and chief designer for the MX-5, said:
“The key phrase for our development of the fourth-generation MX-5 was ‘Innovate in order to preserve’, and I strongly believe that this model's ongoing appeal is the result of our unceasing commitment to refining the vehicle over its 30-year history. We want it to continue to offer customers unique excitement and cement its position as a cultural icon.”
Order books are open now.
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