Flashback Fridays: 2006 Mazda MX-5

Story by John LeBlanc This article was originally published in October, 2005 - KELOWNA, B.C. – Adding up to more than just the sum of its parts, Mazda’s Miata was a car that always gave back a measure of driving pleasure higher than expected due to its family-car price. In the hands of even novice drivers, its light, well-balanced, rear-wheel-drive chassis danced over two-lane roads where other sports cars tried to pound the tarmac into submission. Like a new Porsche 911 or Chevrolet’s Corvette, expectations from driving enthusiasts worldwide have been feverishly high for “the next Miata.” Understandingly, “Just don’t screw it up!” haunted the conscience of every Mazda engineer assigned to the recently launched third-generation Mazda roadster. Hinting at one possible new direction, Mazda teased us at the 2003 Tokyo Auto Show with its Ibuki concept. Would the new Miata be an Ibuki-like, bare-bones, back-to-roots stripper? Or a two-seat, convertible RX-8, taking on premium roadsters from BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Porsche? Actually, the new Miata ended up a bit of both. And, in the end, not a Miata at all, as Mazda’s marketing wizards went with a more corporately compliant “MX-5″ moniker. Of the four new 2006 Mia-, er, MX-5 models Mazda Canada is importing from Japan, I assumed the favourite from the driver’s seat would be the mid-range GS ($30,995), a car I recently drove through the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. At $3,000 above the base MX-5 GX, the GS adds one gear to the base car’s five-speed manual transmission, one inch to the 16-inch wheels and tires, a leather-bound gearshift knob and seats that are thankfully tailored in grippy cloth (leather fetishists will have to pop for the pricier MX-5 GT). The GS also gets a front strut tower brace, Bilstein shock absorbers and a 10% thicker rear stabilizer bar. And to help out when your driving skills come up a little short, anti-lock brakes, a limited-slip differential and dynamic stability control are part of the GS as well. It’s near impossible to resell a car these days without air conditioning, so better add $1,000 to your MX-5 GS invoice as well to deal with this global warming thing. Although available on every other 2006 MX-5, you can’t get the newly optional, six-speed automatic transmission on the GS. However, a good-looking detachable hard top ($1,815) is available. Mainly to accommodate the demands of the (literally) growing American market, Mazda has made the MX-5 incrementally larger in all directions. The body structure is lighter than the Miata, but once Mazda added new safety and convenience features, and despite a zealous effort to reduce weight, the MX-5′s curb weight ended up 11.3 kilograms heavier. Although a 1.8-litre version will be available for Europe, all MX-5s on this side of the pond will come with a retuned and longitudinally mounted 2.0L, 170-horsepower, 140-pound-feet of torque, all-alloy four-cylinder engine normally found in Mazda’s front-drive cars. Sorry RX-8 fans, no rotary. From a driving perspective, like a ballerina, a heavier and bigger roadster is never a good thing. So, did Mazda “screw it up?” Claimed power-to-weight ratios are similar to the Miata’s — expect 100 kilometres an hour to take 7.5 seconds. After only a few blocks of urban traffic exiting Kelowna for my day’s drive that is to take me south to the American border and then back north through one of Canada’s driest climates, the MX-5′s Variable Induction System, maximizing the engine’s output all the way to the 6,700-rpm redline, is evident. The torque may be more accessible, but I found myself still shifting a lot once I was clear of the ‘burbs and heading down the nearly uninhabited east side of Lake Okanagan on Hwy 33. Gratefully, the re-engineered six-speed stick still snicks, and it ranks as one of the best in the biz. The raison d’etre of the first Miata in 1989 was the surgical precision of its steering and the steady stream of consciousness from its chassis. The 2006 MX-5 GS certainly turns in quick enough; the stiffer chassis is rock solid and wonderfully balanced. Even with the lower-profile rubber, ride quality has been much improved. The MX-5 GS is squarely buttoned down during a series of twisty turns past beckoning wineries and is vigilant to commands from the driver. However, it’s not as easy to slide off-line as before, and there is now a distance between horse and rider that’s never been experienced in the older cars. Clearly, the delicate steering has disappeared with the addition of the 205/45R17 tires compared with the 185/60R14s the original Miata wore. Expectations for any new Miata are admittedly high. The new Mazda roadster is more refined, user friendly and urbane, yet it still delivers roadster smiles for Mazda6 money. Despite the name change, the 2006 Mazda MX-5 is still a Miata. In other words, they didn’t screw it up. THE SPECS TYPE OF VEHICLE: Rear-wheel drive, two-seat roadster ENGINE: 2.0L DOHC four-cylinder POWER: 170 hp @6,700 rpm; 150 lb-ft of torque @ 5,000 rpm TRANSMISSION: Six-speed manual BRAKES: Four-wheel disc with ABS PRICE: BASE/AS TESTED $30,995/$31,995 TIRES: 205/45R17 FUEL ECONOMY: L/100 km 9.7 city, 7.2 hwy. STANDARD FEATURES: Power windows and door locks, AM/FM/CD with six speakers and steering wheel-mounted audio controls, tilt steering, cruise control, keyless entry and fog lamps, anti-lock brakes, limited slip differential, dynamic stability control, strut tower bar, sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers OPTIONS: Air conditioning This article was originally published at Driving.ca

Comments