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| 2006 Mazda MX-5 GS (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
The MX-5 lends itself to handling by way of its very structure and design, and the handling of the new MX-5 is a new level of performance which will be unparalleled even for a lot more money. With a near 50/50 weight distribution, a cars center of gravity resides in the cockpit, meaning handling is going to be confidence inspiring and very balanced. Open the hood and you can see the engine itself shoved as far back as possible, helping to achieve this goal. On top of ideal weight distribution, the MX-5 has such a short steering ratio that even a tiny flick of its leather wrapped steering wheel translates into a momentous change in direction on the road. The laser-cut precision and Jet Li reflexes make navigating corners at speed a real treat. The suspension keeps the big wheels firmly planted no matter what the steering is up to. You will sometimes hear of a car handling like it is on rails- but you really need to drive one of these to see what it's really like. You can feel everything the road is doing because of the big contact patch created by the tires. Every nook, cranny or uneven surface in the road makes its way into your fingertips. There is so very little body roll that every bit of steering input you give the car goes straight to the road. It's a bit like high definition television. With HDTV you can pick up on more details and have a sort of enhanced experience while you watch. The MX-5, in this respect, offers high-definition handling. To make short work of all these details let me summarize. If you really like roller coasters, you really have to get one of these. The handling, in a word is phenomenal, and that's being modest. It doesn't sacrifice comfort on the street either. Even driving the MX-5 in Sudbury, with some of the roughest roads in Canada, I never felt as though I was feeling too much of the impact of potholes or other road anomalies. If your town has nice roads, you're laughing.
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| 2006 Mazda MX-5 GS (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
So the Mazda formerly known as the Miata has a nice engine, the best gearbox I can think of, seats, brakes, performance, and even driver involvement fitting of a hardcore performance machine. The cherry on top of this delicious little roadster is that it uses only about 7 liters per 100 kilometers on the highway. In terms of sheer enjoyability, I've driven nothing that compares, including a four-hundred-plus horsepower Mustang, a Corvette and five or six of those little mini-bikes.
I want you to own one of these, because I think you'll love it. Here are some tips if you think your significant other may need some convincing. See, girls tend to have this built in radar device that sets off warnings when they look at whichever car you are jointly deciding on, and they see things like big wheels, dual exhaust or no roof.
- It's safe--you get traction control, ABS, airbags and those big wheels mean a bigger contact patch for the tires, and better handling if you had to suddenly swerve, to avoid an obstacle.
- It's efficient--using 7.2 liters per 100 kilometers on the highway
- It's covered--100,000 powertrain coverage is only the start.
Just a tip, guys.
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| 2006 Mazda MX-5 GS (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
It's also a great hobby too. You can join up with an amateur racing league or go play around on a racetrack on weekends, where the MX-5 will feel very comfortable. It's really easy to drive fast. It doesn't threaten you with snap oversteer or intimidate you with tire melting torque. The execution of its power delivery and driving character are as well balanced as I can imagine. The seamless orchestration of engine, chassis and driver input bring you to a whole new level of econo-performance that doesn't cost a ton to buy, or fuel. And because it's a Mazda, its going to be reliable and last you a good long time. Having tried a few other zoom-zoom cars, I have no trouble seeing what started the trend.
My hat goes off to Mazda for this one.
