We got the chance to take the 2012 Mazda MX5 for a spin in Beirut. Check it out!
When you get in the car, you seriously feel that the seating is uncomfortable, especially for a big guy like me, mind you I am not that big. When you put your foot on the pedal and the car starting moving things start to feel more comfortable. You tend to find your best sitting position inside the car after a while, and that is when you accept in your mind that this is a sports car, and not merely designed for your comfort. Before stepping inside the car I practically read everything I need to know about it, its something I usually tend to do before driving a new vehicle. From the inside things are kept simple easy to find, and very operative, practically the way I like it. I don’t necessarily like a car that looks like my new high tech laptop. I like a car that is a car, I just want to drive and not get distracted with all the fancy buttons.
I did some street driving for around 30 min with my friend alongside me. The car felt responsive with a stiff but accurate steering wheel. I like the cars who are designed for you to push them around, this is what the MX5 is all about. The car as you already know is a rear wheel drive, and I was driving the 2.0 Turbo edition, the fast one to keep it simple. The up and down gear shifts are set comfortably on the steering wheel but with an unusual setting if we may say. Both sides are set for adding up gear and there are front located pedals to down shift. You get used to it very fast while driving the car around. The car switches from automatic to sequential pretty easily and this makes its easy to enjoy your driving.
After driving for 2 hours around down town Beirut city, I lost the first impression of the difficult seating of the car. Basically it was all in my head. You would talk to yourself and convince yourself that the car is small and this is expectable. The car is a convertible and practically this is the most desirable part in buying it. I did not get to enjoy this for more than 15 min. The weather was stormy in Beirut and I didn’t want to have a free shower while in the car.
The rain though gave me an idea. Lets take the car for some drift. A rear wheel drive light sports car from Mazda, well its drift time. We went into a closed parking are and did some donuts, tried the car sideways and exploited its speed. Well i certainly enjoyed it.
I am not going to bore you with the features of the car and all especially that we listed them above but after have some 4 or 5 hours with the Mazda MX5 I can tell you its worth the price tag. The car is rapid, edgy and all about pure driving. Its is not a Lambo in terms of speed nor is it a luxury Cadillac CTX for comfort, Its just a nice smooth well design roadster that tends to making your drive to anywhere you want, full. Mind you the car is easy on fuel and has an adorable price tag.
Specs:
VEHICLE LAYOUT: Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door convertible
ENGINE: 2.0L/167-hp/140-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4
TRANSMISSION: 6-Automotic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST): 2587 lb (51/49%)
WHEELBASE: 91.7 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT: 157.3 x 67.7 x 49.4 in
0-100 KPH: 6.5 sec
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY: 160/120 kW-hrs/100 mi
CO2 EMISSIONS: 0.82 lb/mi
My Verdict: Worth the money, lovable and easy to drive.