Mazda MX-5 (Miata) keeps on going
The Mazda MX-5 is one car that has endured.
It emerged 16 years ago and despite the ‘purists’ who kept
likening it to a Lotus Elan (the first model), it has defied
early skeptics and is probably even more popular today than it
was in 1989. Do not forget that it is the best-selling
two-seat sports convertible in history.
Having
had one of the 1995 models as a daily drive car, it was hard
not to fall totally in love with it. It was cramped, the seats
were dreadful, it really did not have enough power, but it was
a ‘drivers’ car. A vehicle that just delivered fun, was
totally bulletproof, and kept its resale value amazingly.
After three years I sold it when I moved to Thailand, and I
still miss it.
It has now gone into its third guise, and I
wondered if Mazda had managed to retain that ‘fun’
element, which had made the previous models so entrancing.
GoAuto in Australia would make me believe that it has. Their
take was that the third-generation MX-5 has more performance,
better handling, more comfort and more safety, yet it hasn’t
watered down the charm of the 1989 original. Rather, it’s
enhanced it.
The various models have stuck very closely
to the original 1989 concept. The MX-5 was virtually unchanged
until 1997. There were some limited edition models and a
larger 1.8 liter engine in 1993 but the essence of the car
remained – a stylish, soft-top two seater. In March 1998,
the all-new second generation two seater arrived with new
sheetmetal and no pop-up headlights. In October 2000, the MX-5
was tweaked a bit more - given a new front bumper, bigger
alloy wheels, subtle head and tail-light changes and a power
increase courtesy of variable valve timing. And now we have
the 2005 model.
According
to GoAuto who tested the new MX-5 in Australia, it is an
entirely new model (apart from the side indicator repeaters
apparently), and almost all the things considered less than
perfect in the second generation MX-5 have been dealt with.
The car is bigger in every dimension than
the Series II MX-5, yet Mazda says the weight is up by just 4
kg. The boot is bigger than the previous MX-5 by four percent,
achieved by ditching the spare wheel and replacing it with a
repair kit. Record one black mark for Mazda’s latest sports
car.
The new 2 liter MX-5 alloy engine is more
compact and weighs less than the previous 1.8 liter but the
increase in horsepower and torque is not much. With 118 kW at
6700rpm it’s only up by 5 kW, while the torque increase is
equally conservative, going from 181 Nm at 5000rpm to 188 Nm
at 5000rpm. Like the previous engine, it uses twin overhead
camshafts with four valves per cylinder, along with variable
timing on the inlet valves, which combines with the variable
inlet manifold to maximize torque spread.
The transmission choices include a six
speed manual and a new six speed sequential auto, complete
with steering wheel paddle shifters, that is sure to be a hit
in the new car (though I still do not like paddle shifters).
The new larger body has a bigger cockpit
but in base form it still sports velour seats and a simple
instrument layout that doesn’t even include a trip computer.
Mazda has given driver and passenger more
room to stretch and breathe (10 mm more legroom and 17 mm more
headroom), and the A-pillars have been moved back and
re-angled to improve vision, while the gearshift and brake
continue to sit where they easily fall to hand. The wider body
means less for shoulder room than it does for safety, for it
has allowed the standard fitment of side airbags, as well as
improved side-impact protection by the body itself.
The new folding rag roof is still manually
operated, but the process is simplified by a single,
center-mounted fastener above the windscreen rail.
The new 2 liter four-cylinder, consistent
with previous MX-5s, is far from being a rorty,
punch-in-the-back powerplant, but it does enjoy a bit of a
wind-out and develops a distinctly throaty note as it winds
towards its 6700rpm red line.
The 5000 rpm torque maximum indicates it
might be a high-strung engine, but the torque curve is such
that 90 percent of the maximum is available from 2500rpm. This
means that once past 2500rpm – and even a little bit before
- the engine feels nicely throttle-responsive and well matched
to the six-speed transmission.
The MX-5 delivers a satisfying accelerative
surge, helped along by the short and tight shifter mounted
high on the transmission tunnel. The only problem experienced
with our test car was a decided baulkiness shifting from first
to second when cold.
Even more significant, and maintaining a
well-earned tradition, the third-generation MX-5 remains a
beautifully-balanced driver’s car. Its center of gravity is
lower than before, and its neutral handling has improved to
the point that the MX-5 is best in its class. Without the
face-saving luxuries of electronic stability control, or
automatically adjusting shock absorbers, the MX-5 simply
points and steers like a sport car should.
And the brakes, always nicely capable in
the MX-5, are always assured and comforting with standard ABS
along with electronic brake-force distribution to maintain a
solid grip even on tricky surfaces.
It’s not easy to convey in words the
pleasure of spending time behind the wheel of an MX-5 on a
winding, dipping road with the roof lowered. But this is a car
that really imprints itself on you and engenders a fondness
that borders, with time, on obsession. Just ask the many
multi-MX-5 owners of first and second-generation cars who are
growing misty-eyed at the arrival of generation three (and I
am one of them).
The only real disappointment with the new
MX-5 in the GoAuto experience was that the seats, though
generally fine, weren’t up to long-distance driving and
induced back pains after more than two hours at the wheel.
And that is how the Down-under testers saw
the new MX-5. Undoubtedly Mazda have yet another winner on
their hands!
Rossi to
drive for Ferrari in 2006
The photographic proof has just arrived on
my desk, after sending Vic Garra to Modena to get this
exclusive photograph. As you can see, Valentino Rossi was
having a little trouble adapting to the seating in the
Ferrari, preferring to be able to move around, rather than
being strapped in. As this photo shows, he has now managed to
combine both F1 and MotoGP styles and is lapping three seconds
quicker than Massa who has become redundant, while Schumi has
been demoted to test driver. Rumors have it that Rossi will be
partnered by Max Biaggi in 2006, giving the prancing horse two
Italians in the jockey seats.
Veritable bargains!
How does a 1985 Alfa Romeo Spider with
170,000 kays and a small amount of rust in the quarter panel
for 200,000 baht sound? How do I get to the head of the queue?
If I then told you that for the 200,000 baht you also get
another 1982 Spider free, what would you say? Too good to be
true. Well, they are (were) for sale in Antique Automobiles
September/October issue. The only problem was that the pair of
Alfa’s were in Minneapolis, USA!
Other bargains were a 2004 BMW 330i going
for 1.2 million, six or seven year old Chevrolet Corvettes for
around 400,000 baht, or for 100,000 baht just drive away in a
1976 MGB!
Second-hand cars, over there, are just so cheap, it is a
crying shame that the impost of duty in importing these cars
is so great. You are literally at the mercy of the Customs
Department, and some of the horrific stories regarding the
assessed duty would make you weep.
GM slashes workforce and to
shut plants
Over the past few weeks it has been obvious
that GM is in more trouble than Flash Gordon, with Automotive
News showing the drastic cuts that CEO Rick Wagoner has had to
announce for the ailing automaker.
It reports that General Motors plans to cut
30,000 jobs, shut down four assembly plants and another four
stamping and powertrain plants and trim production at several
other plants by the end of 2008, said CEO Rick Wagoner. This
will save about USD 7 billion according to financial analysts.
The assembly plants to close are: Oklahoma
City, which will close in early 2006. Lansing Craft Center in
Lansing, Michigan. It will close in mid-2006. The Doraville,
Ga., minivan plant will close in 2008. The Oshawa, Ontario,
car plant No. 2 will close in 2008.
The stamping and powertrain plants are: The
Lansing, Michigan, stamping plant will be closed in 2006. The
Pittsburgh stamping plant will be closed in 2007. The St.
Catharines, Ontario, Street West powertrain parts plant will
be closed in 2008. The Flint North plant in Flint, Michigan,
which builds the 3.8 liter V6 engines, will close in 2008.
In addition to the closures, some plants
that have been spared the axe, will however have their
workforce trimmed. These will include Line No. 1 of the Saturn
plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, which will be shut down at
the end of next year. The third shift at the Oshawa, Ontario,
car plant No. 1 will be dropped in the middle of next year.
The third shift at the Moraine, Ohio, truck plant will be cut
in 2006.
GM also will close a parts distribution
center in Portland, Oregon, in 2006, while the parts
distribution center in St. Louis will be converted to a crash
parts warehouse. In 2007, GM will close a parts processing
center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It will close another parts
processing center that year, GM said, but the site has not yet
been determined.
All in all, the auto workers in Michigan do
not look as if they have much to look forward to. Sources are
saying that although the North American GM is downsizing, GM
in Asia is going ahead, and it would not surprise me to see
GM’s Asian business being the mainstay.
However, in the short term (i.e. 2006) I
expect to see Toyota take over that top spot for world
production.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked who drove 24 hours at
Bonneville and on the last lap shaved his chin, so that he could
get out looking presentable? The answer was a redoubtable American
gent by the name of Ab Jenkins who was a great promoter of
Bonneville, and in fact was the mayor at some time.
So to this week. The first roadside petrol pump
was installed in the UK in 1913, but another country had installed
them long before. This week’s question is which country, and
when?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the
first correct answer to email au [email protected]
Good luck!
