The Mazda MX-5 RF with its solid, retractable all-metal roof generated quite a bit of interest when it was first revealed in spring this year at the New York Auto Show. Indeed, its sleek profile and that roof made it one of the most-talked-about stars of the show with Kevin Rice, Mazda’s European Design Director, describing it as having a sixties sports car feel. Can’t argue with that.
Looking back, the Mazda MX-5 RF was almost universally proclaimed a good-looking vehicle, but drew some questions over Mazda inevitably having to move the vehicle away from its established affordable sports car roots.
The profile of the Mazda MX-5 RF is undoubtedly a classic looking – sixties looking – and seemingly universally appealing sports car, and not too dissimilar to the profile of the BMW Z4.
Details
Part of the revised profile is down to new bodywork required to accommodate the retracting roof. The 12-second process of lowering the 4-part structured roof involves part of the rear roof/body lifting to make room for the central section of the retractable roof to slide in and hide away. Once this has happened, the rear roof/body is then lowered to give a sleek profile not unlike a classic Porsche Targa. You will only be able to do this in slow moving traffic or at a standstill as the lowering process can only be carried out at speeds up to a measly 6mph. The rear glass can also be lowered independently of the roof.
The forward planning behind the roof design was for the wheelbase of the MX-5 to remain the same and for a minimal increase in weight.
To accommodate the new bodywork design and that unique roof, the power steering has also been refined while the suspension has been retuned accordingly as well.
This is not the first time Mazda has delved into the realms of retractable roof models though, and the company’s previous, maybe less refined, version was a very big seller for the company which must give Mazda supreme confidence going forward.
Power
The Mazda MX-5 RF (RF stands for Retractable Fastback) Launch Edition will retail at £28,995. This special edition will feature BBS alloys and house a 2.0 litre petrol engine with the addition of a Safety Pack and Recaro seats. The entry level 1.5 SE-L Nav will retail from £22,195, with the 2.0 versions starting at £23,095 and the Mazda MX-5 RF Sport Nav versions will cost from £24,795.
Release date
The Mazda MX-5 RF Launch Edition is due to go on sale in the UK on 4 March 2017 and all 500 have already been sold. In Los Angeles though, Christmas has arrived early for some as the RF has taken people by surprise and turned up in some dealerships two months earlier than expected – and MAZDA CEO Masahiro Moro has already handed one lucky owner the keys to his new sports car at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show.
For more articles like this, receive our weekly e-newsletter, including partner deals and all things motoring, register your email below.
Please note: You cannot subscribe to Smart-Motoring unless you put a tick in the checkbox below to indicate have read and agreed to our privacy policy.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.