Hi all! Full disclosure, I’m a writer for Autocar. It was our annual awards last night and I thought some of you might be interested to know that the current MX-5 won our Five-Star Car prize. As an ND2 owner, it certainly excited me when I found out!
This award is given in recognition of a car receiving a full five stars in our instrumented road test, which is especially rare – the MX-5 is the only car to have done so this year.
You can read the full article explaining why it deserves that rating here, although you’ll have to sign up to read it (it’s free), so here’s an extract:
"It was worth asking the question: what if this car were launched today? Well, the answer is that it would cause an absolute sensation.
"Here stands a small sports car that weighs barely more than a tonne. It ticks every box an enthusiastic driver could want: a zingy, naturally aspirated petrol engine, a manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive, a bespoke chassis and an ingenious convertible roof mechanism. And, unlike the vanishingly few other cars on sale today that fit that description, the MX-5 is priced such that it’s attainable for many people.
"At £28,605 for the 1.5-litre Prime-Line or £36,065 for our preferred 2.0-litre Homura, it’s not as cheap as it once was, but you would still struggle to find a new car with a warranty that serves the same amount of entertainment and usability for twice the price, let alone the same.
“From the fundamentals to the small details, everything in the MX-5 is clearly designed for and by driving enthusiasts. It’s no bigger than it needs to be to accommodate a wide range of body types with a pedigree sports car driving position. The interior is simple yet elegant and remains unsullied by enormous digital screens, a thick and non-round steering wheel or even a drive mode button.”
