It was a perfect summer night — balmy temperature, gentle breeze, and clear, starry night — when I was out top down with the 2023 Mazda MX-5. I did not have to drive very long before I whispered to myself, “Dang it, this is the answer.”
To understand why I felt this way, let’s travel back in time to about four years ago — a time when I had never spent any time behind the wheel of any MX-5 (or Miata). At that point, I heard it all about how lovely these little roadsters are, but I just was not convinced that it is the right car for me. I had discussed in great length about my preference in cars before, and the Mazda MX-5 is the exact opposite.
With doubts on my mind, I hopped into our MX-5 long-term tester at the time. While it was light and nimble, it felt slow and unmotivated, and there was just not enough room for all 5-foot-11 of me and my gear. The lack of a glove box below the dash and storage pocket on the door cards were glaring omissions in my opinion, and quite frankly, I just did not see the appeal others raved about.
Then 2021 came along, and I lived with the 2021 Mazda MX-5 RF — the power-retractable hardtop version — for a week. I started to understand its charm once I realized this car measures much better when the metrics are counted by experience rather than by stopwatches, and learned to appreciate its simplicity. There are still many things (or lack thereof) that made me not want one for myself, but for some reason, I found myself missing my time with it long after I handed back the key.
Fast forward to today, having spent more time with yet another ND-generation MX-5 during peak summer season — except this time, I was actually excited to be in one. Obviously, something changed, but it was not the car itself — it enters the 2023 model year mostly the same as before, except for the addition of a new colour called Zircon Sand Metallic. Still, the MX-5 still looks sharp as ever, especially with this example donning the company’s signature Soul Red Crystal Metallic paintwork and the gorgeous BBS wheels as part of the desirable Sport Package.
I stepped into the MX-5, and the things that irked me before were still present. It is still cramped, and storage for anything beyond one smartphone and two coffee cups is still difficult to find. However, as this was my third rodeo with what is pretty much the same car, I was prepared. I packed light. I realized two things — first is to get used to using its 130-litre trunk for everything that does not fit in your pockets. And second is that the MX-5 is far more enjoyable when you are alone, so you can use the passenger seat as a storage bench within arm’s reach.
Speaking of things within arm’s reach, I have always appreciated how Mazda has cleverly packaged everything within just that of the driver. Every knob and switch is well-placed, and the touchscreen is at a perfect distance so I don’t have to lean over. It is worth noting, though, that the touch function only works when the MX-5 is parked — a safety feature I found to be quite annoying, as I have to revert to using the rotary knob on the fly.
The upgraded Bose nine-speaker audio system includes speakers inside the headrests for a pretty good surround sound experience, and helped tremendously for when I was on the phone with the top down. There is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, but it will not connect wirelessly on any MX-5 below the GT trim, and do not expect wireless charging onboard any MX-5.
Interior space is still not abundant, but you sort of eventually get used to the tight cockpit and adapt to focus away from the top of the windshield, if you are near or above six-feet tall. This is not how I normally like my cars, but again, this is not a car I would personally use for long-distance driving, and I have accepted the fact that the MX-5 will not be my only car, if I owned one. This small cabin works best when driving is the priority, rather than the destination — you can see everything around, the driving position makes you feel laser-focused, and you really feel a sense of connection being so close to the ground.
That sense of connection with the road is also what I found to be the most rewarding about the MX-5. In this day and age, where every automaker is honed in on automating the driving process, Mazda’s engineers instead focused on equipping the MX-5 with the most engaging experience. Save for basic driver assists such as blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, automatic braking, and lane-departure warning, the MX-5 aids their drivers through its precise and communicative steering, the short-throw and easy to use six-speed manual transmission, and a chassis that is just soft enough to comply with physics but not soft enough you feel clumsy in any corners.
Honestly, the MX-5 is not that fast. The normally aspirated 2.0L four-cylinder engine only makes 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque, which is considerably less than most other “enthusiast cars” in its price range. However, the MX-5 feels much faster than its figures show, thanks to the aforementioned small footprint and its lightweight structure — it tips the scale at only 2,356 pounds. The lack of big power output also means you can pretty much push it everywhere you go, thus giving you the ultimate guilty pleasure of driving it ‘like you stole it’ everywhere you go.
Another advantage of its relatively simple engine and a featherweight figure is excellent fuel efficiency. Mazda esitmates 9.0 L/100 km in the city and 7.0 on the highway. Throughout my time with the MX-5, I consumed an average 8.1 L/100 km of premium fuel — and believe me when I say this was done with minimal fuel-saving in mind.
The 2023 MX-5 starts at $33,900 for the base GS model, and goes up to $37,900 for the GS-P model we have here. With the Sport Package selected — adding red-painted Brembo front brakes, 17-inch BBS wheels, and Recaro sport seats — and finished in Soul Red, our tester came out to $42,750 as-tested. If open air driving is what you long for, there are really no comparable roadsters as nimble as the MX-5 within its price range, making it a unique choice for enthusiasts.
There you have it. The 2023 Mazda MX-5 is still pretty much the same old car I disliked in 2019, and pretty much the soft top version of the car I slightly liked and later missed in 2021. What’s changed? Pretty much everything else — prices of cars, prices of gasoline, and number of speed cameras have all gone up, while availability of pure driver’s cars have trended down, not to mention the years we’ll be allowed to keep driving gas cars are numbered. So, when I ask myself what’s the most fun I can responsibly have on the road today, I can finally say that the answer is always Miata.
