56 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 28 AUGUST 2019
Δ pedal weights and its superbly
positive, connected-feeling manual
gearbox, which is like finding an
expensive Swiss movement in a
bargain-bucket watch. The car is
only as quick from point to point as
y ou’r e pr e pa r e d t o m a k e it w it h y ou r
own investment of effort and only as
g r ipp y a nd f i r m r id i n g a s it ne e d s t o
b e t o r e m a i n s e c u r e at h i g h s p e e d s. It
continues to ride f luently over bigger
lumps and bumps taken around
the national speed limit and is so
l i v e l y a nd a dju s t a ble i n it s f a mou sl y
absorbing rear-driven handling
- a lt hou g h I ’ v e no doub t t h at ou r
test car’s dynamic credentials were
boosted by its particular mechanical
specification: a 2.0-litre SE-L Nav
(w it h me c h a n ic a l sl ipp y d i f f but
without the uprated Bilstein dampers
or strut brace of Sport specification)
with Mazda’s dealer-fit BBS 17in alloy
wheels, Eibach lowered suspension
and sports exhaust.
On the road, our winner might
have even been the most charming,
e n ga g i n g M X-5 t h at t h i s t e s t e r
has ever driven. On the track, it
occasionally showed some looseness
in its vertical body control and,
like all MX-5s, could be made to
feel slightly out of its depth when
driven really hard by its relatively
modest positioning as a compact,
lightweight, simple performance car.
But how much should you penalise
a classic one-tonne roadster for
falling short of modern hot hatchback
track pace? How much credit should
you deny it for practicality when
it’s entirely comfortable and well
mannered – and every bit as usable
as at least a couple of the alleged
‘four-seaters’ in this test? How much
more convincing, even in 2019, is
genuinely effusive charm and truly
special sporting handling in an
affordable driver’s car than another
20 horsepower, another five seconds
off a Nürburgring record, or another
few tenths to 62mph?
T h i s , w e hop e , e x pl a i n s it a l l:
the Mazda MX-5 is Britain’s Best
A f ford a ble D r i v e r ’s C a r of 2 019.
Happy birthday, little guy. MS L
`
The MX-5 is only as quick from
point to point as you’re prepared
to make it with your own eff ort
a
And the^ winner^ of^
BBADC^2019 is...^
parked^ up^ here
MX-5 driver simply
wouldn’t see which
way the Focus went