When the road comes alive: driving the Mazda MX-5

132 hp may not sound like much, but in a car this light they are more than enough to have fun without reaching absurd speeds. Even with the electronic aids relaxed in Track mode, the MX-5 remains predictable and progressive: it involves you, but rarely intimidates you.

There are, however, a few limitations.

The 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G inevitably lacks some low-end torque, particularly when the road climbs and hairpins come one after another. And it is precisely in those moments that a question naturally arises: what could this same car do with the 184 hp 2.0-litre engine?

It would be an interesting answer to discover, especially considering that the Homura trim, with its more focused character, almost seems to call for a powertrain capable of fully exploiting its potential.

The engine note, the driving position set almost at ground level and that wonderfully precise gearbox nevertheless make you forget quite a lot. Including the fact that, on warmer days, the cabin can quickly turn into a small sauna. Or that some interior plastics do not exactly belong in a car approaching the €40,000 mark. Not to mention the virtually non-existent storage spaces, the less-than-perfect visibility and brakes that, at least in my experience, did not always inspire complete confidence under heavy braking.

And yet, it only takes a few more corners for those thoughts to fade into the background.

Because looking at it feels good. Driving it feels even better.

The MX-5 is not perfect, and perhaps it does not want to be. But in an automotive world increasingly shaped by technology, weight and layers of electronics, it remains a rare exception: a car that does not need extraordinary speed to remind you how beautiful it can be to simply drive.

• Mazda
• MX-5
• Homura
• Jinba Ittai
• Roadster