Mazda’s new MX-5 will be making its UK debut at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed and Moving Motor Show.
The Japanese car giant says that “with a superior power to weight ratio, rear-wheel drive, perfect 50:50 weight distribution and more comfort and technology than ever before, the all-new Mazda MX-5 is “pure roadster”.
Offered with a choice of two SKYACTIV-G petrol engines it comes with generous standard equipment and new levels of safety technology.
With a choice of nine models across five trim levels, Mazda says the MX-5 promises to reaffirm its dominance of the affordable sports car sector.
Maintaining the driver-focused ethos that has made the Mazda MX-5 the best-selling two-seater sports car of all time, the latest MX-5 was conceived and developed under the concept of ‘innovate in order to preserve’.
“This engineering philosophy has allowed Mazda to maintain the agility, fun and engagement that has always defined the MX-5 while at the same time meeting ever-increasing safety and efficiency requirements, alongside improved refinement.”
The lightest MX-5 since the iconic original, the new MX-5 is shorter, lower and wider than the outgoing car, with the smallest overhangs and lowest centre of gravity yet. These dynamic proportions are combined with Mazda’s KODO: Soul of Motion design philosophy to ensure that the new car’s styling reflects its focus on driving pleasure “in an unmistakably contemporary and dynamic way”.
Featuring Mazda’s award-winning SKYACTIV technology, the range’s ultra-efficient lightweight petrol engines deliver new levels of performance and economy.
Alloy wheels, LED headlights, a leather steering wheel, plus a lightweight and sleek fabric hood are all featured across the range. SE-L models add LED daytime running lights, climate control air-conditioning, DAB radio, Bluetooth and cruise control, plus Mazda’s MZD-Connect connectivity and infotainment system with 7-inch colour touch-screen display and Multimedia Commander.
SE-L models with the 2.0-litre 160ps engine are distinguished by 17-inch Gunmetal alloy wheels and piano black door mirrors, and benefit from a strut tower bar and limited slip differential.
Step up to Sport trim and both the 1.5 and 2.0-litre cars feature rain sensing wipers, rear parking sensors, smart keyless entry, Premium Bose Surround-Sound and heated leather seats.
With the 1.5-litre engine, Sport trim MX-5’s come with 16-inch Gunmetal alloy wheels and piano black door mirrors. Sport models with the 2.0-litre 160ps engine benefit from a dynamic set-up that includes Sports suspension featuring Bilstein dampers, a limited slip differential and strut tower bar, while visually, they are marked out by their 17-inch Bright alloy wheels and body coloured mirrors.
Versions of the new MX-5 fitted with Mazda’s integrated navigation system come with three-years of free European map upgrades, while the range topping 2.0-litre Sport Nav is available with an optional Safety Pack, which includes High Beam Control and Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
Jeremy Thomson, Mazda Motors UK Managing Director, says: “The MX-5 is Mazda’s brand icon and it embodies all that is great about our products. It’s fun to drive character has strengthened the bond between Mazda and its customers for 25 years so there’s no better place to showcase the all-new MX-5 than in front the enthusiastic crowd at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Our engineers have created an all-new sports car that incorporates our ground-breaking SKYACTIV technology, modern safety and superb efficiency with the driver focused enjoyment for which the MX-5 is loved. When it was launched in 1990 the 115ps Mk1 MX-5 cost £14,249 (equal to £31,687 in today’s money), yet 25 years later with vastly more standard equipment, the all-new Mazda MX-5 costs from £18,495, meaning more than ever the Mazda MX-5 sets the benchmark as the one of the world’s best and most affordable sports cars.”
There’s no word yet about when the new MX-5 will arrive on the Cyprus market, but it’s usually not too long after the UK launch.
