2008 Mazda MX-5 GT Review

How can this car be profitable? These days, manufacturers are merging and using the good old badge engineering method to produce vehicles that have a different name, bumper and grille, but are otherwise the same. This practice is for reducing development costs and maximizing profits, because carmakers are supposedly facing tough times.

The MX-5 is one of the best handling cars in its price range.

But the MX-5 sticks its tongue at common practice. It may share some powertrain components with other models, but the rest is exclusive. There aren't equivalents of Mazda's little roadster in Ford's or Volvo's line-ups, and they're part of the same big family. The MX-5 is proof that you can produce a low-volume car in today's world and still make money doing it.

Excellent handling
It's ironic that the best reincarnation of the little English roadsters of the '60s comes from a Japanese carmaker. The MX-5 follows the same basic recipe: light weight, small displacement, taut chassis and precise steering. The little Mazda is evidence that you don't need an overload of horsepower when creating a fun-to-drive car.

The MX-5 is powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine that develops a modest 166 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque. The base GX model gets a 5-speed manual, but the GS and GT benefit from a 6-speed. Weighing only 2,509 lbs (1,138 kg), this test MX-5 scoots to 0-100 km/h in 7.8 seconds and gets through the quarter mile in 15.7 seconds at 143 km/h. With an average of 10.5 L/100 km, the MX-5 is also relatively frugal while in our hands.

But the greatest trait of the car is its lively steering and handling. Just point and shoot, and the car responds quickly. The MX-5's rear-wheel drive setup means there's no torque steer, and it kicks out its tail under cornering; GT models with the Performance Package, like this one, get traction and stability control systems as well as a limited-slip differential, which will save the day when the driver overestimates his or her driving skills.

The MX-5 is powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine that develops 166 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque.