• Just two engines to choose from
• Later 2.0-litre models are best all-rounders
• But 1.5 is cheap to run and characterful

Petrol engines

The Mazda MX-5 is available with two four-cylinder SkyActiv-G petrol engines. Least expensive is the 1.5-litre option, an engine Mazda engineers are said to be particularly fond of as they believe it best fits with the car’s simple, lightweight design philosophy.

At launch, the engine had 131hp but that was upgraded in 2018 to a dizzying… 132hp. it revs sweetly, sounds zingy and makes the car feel very light on its feet, but some of our testers thought it lacks outright power. You really have to use all the revs to make quick (ish) progress, which they found a bit tiresome.

The 2.0-litre MX-5 is much quicker. It packs 184hp and feels more urgent than the 1.5. It’s certainly a lot quicker, cracking the 0-62mph sprint in just 6.5 seconds, rather than the 8.3 seconds the 1.5 takes. Before 2018, the 2.0 engine made do with 160hp and fewer revs.

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Either way, the 2.0-litre MX-5 has loads more torque than the 1.5, which translates to more responsive in-gear acceleration – useful for overtaking. It’s the clear choice if you enjoy a bit of speed. The higher rev limit it now has makes it feels almost as characterful as the 1.5, too.

Both cars have a deliciously mechanical, short-throw six-speed manual gearbox. It adds a further measure of precision and enjoyment to the already involving driving experience.

What’s it like to drive?

• Balanced handling encourages you to enjoy yourself
• 1.5-litre engine eager but ultimately slower than 2.0-litre
• Sport suspension delivers most focused drive

From the moment you drive off in the Mazda MX-5 you can just sense you’re in a keenly balanced, rear-wheel drive sports car. The steering, while sharp and relatively lightweight, is fluid and beautifully linear, which allows to place the car exactly where you want to. It helps you can practically see the front wheels. It’s not the most feelsome set-up for our testers’ tastes, and has almost no self-centring – both things can take some getting used to.

Turn into a corner and the car feels darty and agile, emphasised by a seating position so close to the rear axle the car seems to pivot around your hips. The standard suspension is surprisingly soft for a sports car. It’s great for comfort but can present a challenge during fast driving. Generally speaking, the MX-5 is very communicative of its intentions, but a softness at the rear end means it generates quite a bit of body roll. If you’re not decisive with your inputs, that roll can lead to the back of the car snapping out of line and attempting to overtake the front.

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It’s nothing to worry about as long as you haven’t turned off the electronic stability control – and some our of testers consider it a good thing – but it can be slightly unnerving if you aren’t expecting it. Especially as it tends to happen very suddenly. You may have to learn to drive around that tendency, especially if you’re coming from a front-wheel drive hatchback.

The Sport suspension setup features more aggressive Bilstein dampers. While they deliver a much firmer ride, they significantly reduce the body roll. That allows you to drive faster, with greater confidence. But roll-oversteer isn’t completely eliminated – whether deliberately provoked or caused by clumsiness. There’s clearly a reason Mazda updated the stability control in 2022, taming some of the MX-5’s more wayward habits. But you’ll have to be really going some to worry about it in normal driving.

All 2.0-litre MX-5s have a mechanical limited-slip differential, which further improves handling predictability and grip. While 1.5-litre models always feel fun, we think the 2.0-litre variants behave most like a ‘proper’ sports car. Especially the more powerful 184hp models.

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Being such a small car, the MX-5 is an absolute doddle to drive around town. It feels perfectly stable on motorways, as well, though you are sat at eye-level with lorry wheel hubs. Which can be a bit disconcerting.

There’s a vast MX-5 enthusiast scene, covering everything for styling personalisation to performance tuning. So if you want an even faster MX-5, this is relatively easily achieved if you don’t mind spending the money. We’ve tested the MX-5 BBR Turbo, which is one example of how it can be done.