It was the perfect weekend to have the Mazda M5 on loan. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky, and we had the ability to go topless.
This is Mazda’s sports car, more affectionately, and most well known as the “Miata”, with a more auto themed rebrand in the recent years. This would be a welcomed change when compared to all the other brands and vehicle makes given names that combine letters and numbers. “Miata” just didn’t have the same technical pull. The rename also gives this sports car a nicer tone and the accompanying masculinity, whereas it had the reputation of being a little more soft in the past, given its smaller body work and more feminized name.
But the 2023 Mazda MX-5 is a most definitely a sports car designed for driving enthusiasts. Every cosmetic and mechanic choice made with function in mind, coupled with minute handling and aggressive power. This was a fun one to wield and pretend to own for the week.
I just wish the key fob was more deserving of the rest of the aesthetics. In my mind this is a luxury vehicle and yet the fob was like that of any other Mazda. I wanted the same elevation consistency. I wanted people to know I had a MX-5 by twirling my keys.
The smaller build, lowered stance, and ergonomic design is with race in mind. The car is destined to go fast and have you enjoying a little more speed and a lot more control in your leisurely drive. Naturally it is manual, bringing you back to a gear shift and pull back emergency brake, when so many other vehicles are transitioning to dials and buttons to start and shift.
Interestingly, the exterior paint of glossy grey to moss green started from outside of the vehicle and folds over inward to the top panel of each of the two doors. I suspect this is a nod to the Mazda MX-5’s top down capabilities.
Speaking of which, transitioning into a convertible is easy and quick to initiate at a stand still. You need only flick a button and have the top unhinge itself and then retract to the back. A quick motion and a nice showy spectacle that had me beaming, being seen in something so trendy and unique for the season.
Although when it came to the actual ride as a passenger, just make sure you aren’t claustrophobic. The cabin just fits two normal sized adults, and I still found things uncomfortable. I advise not storing anything upfront with you. Dump it all in the micro trunk at the back. There is hardly enough leg room for yourself. The chair is fully erected when pushed all the way back. In order to have it at a lean you need to pull the seat closer to the dash and then push back. So either way you are losing some of one for the other. So the question is, would you rather more leg room or to be able to lean back?
And then you add on the plastic cup holder ring on the right side of the centre console and you have even less room for your passenger. Luckily they are removable and you can store them in the glove compartment between the seats, when not in use. (There is no glove compartment on the passenger side dash.) There are also slots to insert both of the cup rings into at said “back”, but it leaves your drink greatly out of reach. Worth noting is that the e-brake is also encroaching on this side, jutting out ever so slightly at the foreground or your passenger’s legs.
And speaking of lack of space, your head is only two inches away from the top of the roof (when the hard top is up). This is a compact car by every definition.
But for the driver, the 2023 Mazda MX-5 is no slouch and it offers a better experience when you are in the front seat. Great handling and amazing power you can literally feel, having the engine so close to you. You can feel it vibrant beneath you. And best of all it has 700km on gas where as most automatic averages at 500km, although depending on how you drive it, you may need all of it, and may run through it quick.
The only critique on handling is the wheel. We found it thin and hard to grip firm, for a sports car. You wanted a thicker embrace to hold on to. Although it did seem to be in proportion to everything else in the cabin, where less is more. Very minimal dials and buttons. A smaller infotainment screen.
A minor issue is that there no where to rest your arm when your right hand is steady on the gear shift. And as a result you forearm lays across the media controls. Here, we found ourselves accidentally changing between auxiliary, satellite radio, and Apple carplay in between shifts from gear one to two.
In closing, this is not your daily driver, but your fun weekend warrior. A great car for feeling more in tune to the ride and the driving experience. And best off all a great car to use when trying to avoid having to drive anyone else around.
https://www.mazda.ca
