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Driven: 2017 Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 G160

To make things clear from the beginning, before I took a 2017 Mazda MX-5 RF for a spin, all I had on my mind was how boring it's going to be writing this text.
2017 Mazda MX-5 RF 76 photos
Photo: Florin Profir
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Before you take this the wrong way, let's just say that explaining how an MX-5 drives is almost always like those “you had to be there” moments. It's like when you're trying to explain a funny memory to someone, and it just doesn't sound as amusing the second time.

Believe me, though, the MX-5 in RF guise or not is a hoot to drive, and that's probably the understatement of the decade. To somewhat start with the conclusion, it's the only vehicle whose gear shifter gifted me with a callus on my right palm, and I enjoyed every moment of the otherwise painful experience.

For the very few who are not up to date with the Mazda MX-5, known as the MX-5 Miata in the United States, let's just tell them that it's the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history, as the Guinness Book of World Records acknowledged as early as 2011.

2017 Mazda MX\-5 RF
Photo: Florin Profir
Now at its fourth generation, the tiny little roadster that could has two distinct versions, if you're not counting the nearly identical Fiat 124 Spyder. One is the regular MX-5, which can be equipped with either a revvy 1.5-liter engine or a more “big-block-like” 2.0-liter that revs lower but has more grunt.

The other one is the new Mazda MX-5 RF, with the RF coming from the cool-sounding “Retractable Fastback.” I got to play with the MX-5 RF in 2.0-liter guise and with all the bells and whistles ticked on the options list, apart from the utterly unrewarding six-speed automatic transmission.

In theory, the RF version is not a roadster in the traditional sense, but more like a semi-convertible or a Targa-top. Not only is Targa a registered trademark of Porsche AG, but the funky looking MX-5 RF has a roof mechanism that is somewhat similar to what you can find on the latest 911 Targa.

Sure, it has a much smaller engine that is fitted at the other end of the car, and it costs about five times less if you don't put any options on the Porsche, but they are still very similar.

2017 Mazda MX\-5 RF
Photo: Florin Profir
When you push the button to expose your better-looking half to the sun it only takes 13 seconds, and the procedure catches everyone's eyes. The two fastback hunches and part of the roll-bar jump back, making room for the hardtop to neatly fold way underneath them, leaving you with miles of headroom. Conveniently, the not-exactly-cavernous trunk space is uninhibited by the roof or the robotized convertible mechanism and is identical to the one sported by a soft-top MX-5.

At this point, I should probably talk more about luggage space and interior space inside the MX-5 RF, because it's obviously not its biggest quality, or a quality in general for that matter. Our photographer is about 1.96 m (6.4 ft) tall and was a passenger most of the test drive. Let's just say that with the Alcantara-engulfed Recaro seat moved all the way back, you couldn't fit a credit card between his knees and the space usually reserved for a car's glove box. This is good, because the MX-5 doesn't have a glovebox anyway, and nor does the RF version.

2017 Mazda MX\-5 RF
Photo: Florin Profir
On another plus side, I'm not short, I'm just concentrated awesome at 1.65 m (5.4 ft), and someone my size doesn't step in an MX-5, it mostly wears it. This feeling is reinforced whenever you downshift and enter a corner carrying just a tiny bit more speed than you should and then keep on accelerating.

Mazda talks about the so-called jinba ittai when driving any kind of MX-5/Miata, and after testing one, you will never say that it's just marketing language. In short, jinba ittai describes the connection between a rider and his horse in Japanese mounted archery, known as Yabusame. Like I said earlier, you wear a Mazda MX-5, you don't drive one.

There is no glove compartment and no door pockets but there is a rather accommodating cubby space between the seats, and creature comforts usually expected from a modern car are kept to a minimum. There is a reason for this, though, and a rather important one.

Everything that's missing from the car is to help in one way or another with the overall mass, which is ridiculously low. Even the Retractable Fastback I drove, which is about 115 kg (250 pounds) heavier than an MX-5 soft top, weighs only 1130 kg (2,491 pounds). The closest thing to it is a modern sub-compact that has been on a diet.

2017 Mazda MX\-5 RF
Photo: Florin Profir
To give you an idea of how schizophrenic were the Mazda engineers that developed the car, the MX-5's sun visors look and feel like a smartphone bumper cases, the trunk lid has no interior liner and the two exhaust pipes have no tips to keep the weight down. Wherever they could save a couple of grams, they did, there's no arguing about it.

After first sampling an MX-5 Roadster with the high-revving 1.5-liter four-pot I wasn't expecting to be blown away by the direct-injected 2.0-liter that the RF was fitted with, and yet I was. Mostly because of – or thanks to - the lack of too many sound-deadening materials, the engine sounds like that of an old-school British roadster, a feeling that was likely built-in by Mazda engineers.

It revs a lot less than its tinier version, but it pulls a lot stronger and sounds at least as nice. Thanks to SkyActiv technology, including the rather annoying I-Eloop stop-start system, the powertrain is not that thirsty either, especially for a naturally aspirated mill. During my most spirited driving sessions, which were close to what some may call hooning, I managed to get it to around 12 liters per 100 km (19.6 mpg). Over the course of the test drive, the average was approximately 7 liters/100 km (33.6 mpg), which is almost unbelievable for something that was driven in this manner and is not a diesel or a hybrid.

Compared to the 1.5-liter version I had driven earlier, the 2.0-liter RF was also fitted with Bilstein sports suspension that transforms the car from being rather wobbly at lower speeds to something like a MINI Cooper S with longer suspension travel. In other words, the ride is almost perfect.

2017 Mazda MX\-5 RF
Photo: Florin Profir
That being said, the MX-5 RF's biggest attribute over its more plebeian brother is obviously related to the model's looks, which are gorgeous from just about every angle. Sure, it has a slightly higher center of gravity that can be easily taken car of by simply going topless, but the difference in mass between the two models is negligible regarding driving feel and even performance.

With a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 7.4 seconds, it probably looks a bit faster than it actually is, but this is not the kind of car you review by looking at the spec sheet. If you're somewhat below average in height and aren't horizontally challenged by too many burgers, drive one and all the hype will turn into truth. If I were to drive a manual car for the rest of my life, it would be this little Mazda.

It's not the most practical car out there, nor the most practical roadster for that matter, but as a weekend toy, it's worth every penny the dealer asks. The Mazda MX-5, in RF guise or not, is not about the hp per dollar ratio or about normal things, like drinking your coffee while driving to work, but about the smiles per mile. In that department, it may actually be unbeatable at the lower end of the sports car segment. Even those that will never own should be grateful for its sheer existence. I know I am.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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