Buying a car in Canada usually goes like this: “Can it haul hockey gear? Will it survive a blizzard? Can I go to Canadian Tire without looking like I stole my kid’s toy car?” The 2025 Mazda MX-5 RF answers all of these with a big fat nope, but makes you grin so wide you forget you even asked. This car is not about practicality, cargo space, or dignity. It’s about fun. It’s about driving for the sake of driving. It’s about rolling up to a Tim Hortons drive-thru and suddenly feeling like you’re qualifying in Monaco.
First impressions
The MX-5 RF is basically two cars in one; a coupe when the retractable hardtop is up, and a roadster when it’s down. Think of it as the Clark Kent of cars, only instead of it becoming Superman, you become “Person Who’s About to Get Sunburnt in Traffic.” Mazda nailed the look. Long hood, short tail, sharp lines; it has all the proportions of a classic sports car, just shrunken down. Park between two F-150s and you’ll think you accidentally drove a Hot Wheels. The soft top gets our nod as the enthusiast’s pick, but here’s the kicker: the RF looks more exotic than the soft top. Dare we say it’s almost 911 Targa-ish with the roof down, minus the Porsche tax.
Step inside and you’ll quickly learn “cozy” is the theme. If you’re over six feet tall, good luck. Storage space? Forget it, the 127-litre trunk is about as big as a Leafs fan’s hope during the playoffs. You can fit couple of duffel bags or a carry-on suitcase if you share, maybe a couple of pairs of shoes for you and your companion, and that’s it. If you’re heading to Costco, you’ll probably have to get creative with the passenger seat and footwell. The upside is that it’s all geared towards driving. The steering wheel, shifter, and pedals are lined up just as Mazda engineers intended as part of their horse-and-rider-as-one engineering philosophy, instead of how many cupholders they could cram in. Heated seats are standard and the Bose sound system works well top-down thanks to the headrest speakers.
What’s under the hood?
The MX-5 RF has a 2.0-litre normally-aspirated four-cylinder pumping out 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. On paper, that’s the kind of power number a Toyota Corolla owner would shrug at, but the MX-5 weighs less than a moose calf. Since it’s so light — around 1,118 kilograms or 2,465 pounds — it doesn’t need huge horsepower. Every stab of the throttle feels lively, whether it’s a roof-down cruise on a crisp summer night or bouncing off the redline, pretending you’re flying down the Mulsanne Straight on the way to Sobeys. The six-speed manual is the star of the show. It’s the best-feeling manual shifter I have felt in any new car on sale today under $50,000. Short and snappy throws make you feel like you’re in a racing sim, except your steering wheel doesn’t suction-cup to your desk. You could get the automatic, but that’s like ordering poutine without cheese curds. What’s even the point?
Mazda built the MX-5’s reputation on handling, and the RF keeps the tradition alive. Equipped with Bilstein sport dampers and a limited-slip differential, it feels like the car can read your mind. You don’t so much drive the MX-5 as you wear it; every corner is an excuse to grin like a lunatic, on-ramps feel like clipping apexes on racetracks, and although Mazda caught some flack for steering feel early on, they’ve improved significantly. The downside to all this is ride quality; the RF’s suspension will make you feel every single bump and pothole, but honestly, it’s worth it.
What’s it like to live with?
Let’s be real: the MX-5 RF is laughably impractical. You’re not hauling hockey sticks, you’re not road-tripping with three buddies, and you’re not hitting a ski hill without renting something bigger. [You remember what Bond drove in Cortina, right? —Ed.] With proper tires, winter is doable, but you’ll learn quickly that rear-wheel-drive in January means you’ll keep your car-control skills sharp. Want to bring a friend? Sure, but remind them to pack light and that the cabin is intimate. But the magic is that none of this matters. You won’t care that you can’t fit Costco hauls or that you fishtailed out of your driveway the morning after a snowstorm, because the MX-5 reminds you why you bought it. It’s not a tool, it’s a toy that makes every drive genuinely fun.
Despite being a sports car, the MX-5 RF politely sips fuel. Expect around 8.0 L/100 kilometres combined, which I averaged over the week. It proved to be much thriftier compared to the similarly priced Mustang EcoBoost and GR86 Hakone, meaning you can blast around backroads without burning through your RRSP contributions. A rare win.
Is the MX-5 RF worth it?
Our MX-5 GS-P tester sits at $42,450 as-tested. For that, you get rear wheel drive, a manual gearbox, and the kind of driving experience that would make a Porsche owner sweat. Besides the GR86 and BRZ twins, most other “sports cars” at this price are just sedans with spoilers. The MX-5 is the real deal, and while $40,000 isn’t cheap, it’s a bargain for the amount of joy you’ll squeeze out of it.
The 2025 Mazda MX-5 RF GS-P is not rational, sensible, or practical — but it is pure joy. It makes every drive, even crawling through stop-and-go traffic, feel like an event. This isn’t a car you buy with your head. It’s a car you buy with your heart, and maybe a little recklessness. It’s the cure for boring commutes, Leafs playoff heartbreak, and the crushing monotony of Canadian winter. If you want practical, you won’t get it here. If you want fun, get the MX-5 and don’t look back. Just don’t expect to bring home your Costco-sized toilet paper pack in the trunk.
