Mazda MX-5 celebrates 20th anniversary

Jul 6 2009 Steve Hughes

Mazda MX-5 celebrates 20th anniversary

THE world's best-selling sports car is celebrating its 20th anniversary, with the original Mazda MX-5 going on sale in the summer of 1989.

Since then it has evolved into one of the most highly-acclaimed cars of all time and now comes in a choice of roadster and coupe body styles with two different engine options.

Prices for the 2009 models range from £16,345 to £21,695, with a choice of eight versions in the two ranges and the option of a new six-speed sequential automatic transmission with steering wheel paddle shifts.

The coupe cabriolet boasts the world's fastest retracting hard top and the tweaked engines achieve economy gains averaging eight per cent with a seven per cent drop in emissions.

The 125bhp 1.8-litre engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission whilst the 160bhp 2.0-litre model gets a six-speed manual gearbox with the option of the new sequential shifter.

Engine fine-tuning and aerodynamic body drag reductions have resulted in lower CO2 emissions of 167g/km for the 1.8i, which is down from 174g/km and improved economy of 40.4mpg in comparison to 38.7mpg before.

The latest upgrade means that every MX-5 comes with alloy wheels, leather steering wheel, gear knob and hand-brake, plus an MP3-compatible audio system with six speakers and a new auxiliary input jack for MP3 and iPod connections. All 2.0i models have dynamic stability control, traction control, a limited slip differential and side airbags, whilst climate control is a £550 option.

Sport models get new 17-inch alloy wheels, uprated Bilstein dampers, six-speed manual transmission, front fog lamps and heated leather seats. New additions include climate control air conditioning, cruise control, a premium BOSE audio system with six-CD changer and seven speakers plus Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition.

The two new PowerShift models are similarly equipped to Sport models but have the new paddle-shift transmission instead of the six-speed manual and are not fitted with the uprated Bilstein dampers.

The Coupe range starts at £18,345, which is a £2,000 premium over the soft-top models. Climate control is standard on all Coupe models and heated leather seats with five-stage settings are standard or available as an option depending on the model.

The new mesh-type front grille is surrounded by a chrome-look edge trim, the headlamps get chrome bezels and the exterior door handles have a chrome finish. The front fog lamps have silver inner bezels and there is a clear lens for the high-mounted rear stop light.

The cabin is also better insulated with interior noise reduced and a choice of seven body colours is now available.