You don’t need to have driven a car to be able to comment on things like the size of the boot, the layout of the cockpit or how a car looks. In my review I made clear that I hadn’t driven the car but however good the ride might be it wouldn’t change my view of the styling or interior layout. We all comment on things we haven’t driven, touched, seen or used but that doesn’t make necessarily our views any less valid. I’d be happy to take a drive in the ND and probably will at some point but it would be fairly academic as I have no intention of buying one in the foreseeable future.
As has been said many times in many threads, it’s horses for courses. Personally, I love my NB. I still feel it has the nicest styling of all the MX5s but that’s just my own view. Bottom line, we all love our cars whichever model they are. I’m sure those who buy the new ND will love them too and in time maybe some of those that currently are less than impressed will change their views. It’s inevitable when a new model is launched that people want and expect it to be another step up from the previous so when compromises appear to have been made for styling, such as the size of the boot or the omission of a glove box (by the way, I use mine all the time and would be lost without it) some will see that as a negative.
To the poster who said you don’t need an inflator for run flat tyres, I guess you’re right but oddly the dealer I spoke to said they were run flats. Maybe that’s an option? Anyway, if they’re standard tyres then my point still holds.
Woodsie, I think you meant the back end looks like a BMW Z4. It’s certainly much better than the Z3!
I suspect this debate will rumble on for a good while yet so like I say, will be interesting to hear what new owners have to say.
Everyone’s opinions are valid. One of the functions of a forum like this is to share opinions, right? The problem comes (in my opinion!) when people mistake their opinion for fact, or think that their opinion is more important than everyone else’s. I can have opinions about the parts of the new car I was allowed to experience ie the interior, the exterior, the boot and so on. I gave no opinion on how it drives because I didn’t get to drive it! Which was pretty much the point of what I wrote.
Did anyone try out the convertible roof, which is what this car is all about, open top driving? Why is it sooo hard to open and jet fingertip easy to close?. If anything shouldn’t it be the other way around!
Sparks, I did try the roof several times on the model I sat in and thought it went up and down very easily. Didn’t mention it in my ‘review’, since as I’m a devotee of the retractable hard top, I thought I’d need a tin hat if I dared to venture an opinion on a soft top!
Did anyone try out the convertible roof, which is what this car is all about, open top driving? Why is it sooo hard to open and jet fingertip easy to close?. If anything shouldn’t it be the other way around!
Actually, it’s not that easy to open, watch the video, the last instruction to click it down even the Mazda representative had to get out of the car to do this! If you don’t believe, go into a showroom and try it out from the drivers seat.
Ah, I agree, it’s the same process for both mk3 and mk4 of unlatching and swinging back the hood.
But the ND’s hood stops lowering at about a 45 degree angle from its final open position, verses the NC’s stopping at approx 10 degree angle. Therefore the ND requires extra strength and leverage to achieve the desired open top.
Well Pallas I was so excited about reading a decent review of the back to back 1500 vs 2000cc only to be disappointed with cup holders & glove box comparisons
We all drive MX5s of whatever vintage not SUVs!
I have a 2.5 and if I put drinks in the cup holder I can’t change gear properly!
My glove box has the owners manual and lots of CDs because I can’t plug in my iphone or other kind of mp thing player!
So that’s two obvious improvements so far for the 4!
I can lower the 4 roof from drivers seat without popping a disc and the boot is deep to put a case of wine in without laying bottles down on a return from France!
Now all you lucky owners and frustrated car hacks will somebody provide a write up on where to spend my money… on the 1.5 or 2l for the real world drive and not side ways out of a hairpin (like no one really does in a MX5)!
The MK4 roof I tried stopped at around 10 degrees.
There is a thread on miata net about it. Some have reported the same as your experience but they have later said that with use the roof loosens up and operates as it should.
I do like the ND… except the front…maybe just in grey, but when I saw it coming towards me, I wasn’t bothered.
Every other angle looks good though. Maybe its just the “MUST HAVE AGGRESSIVE HEADLIGHTS URRRRRRGHHHH TESS-TOSS-TERRR-RHONEEEES!!”.
MY little NBFL may one day get replaced with another MX, but I reckon I’d prefer a NC PRHT, as the car is a daily and I’ve already learnt that hardtops take up a lot of garage space
Except those that do aren’t usually on MX5OC, they loiter in Nutz with the rest of the “y0! so JDM!” brigade with their stretch tyres and home-brew turbo kits.