#X A V I ♕ Posted December 25, 2018 Posted December 25, 2018 Cars that engage their drivers rarely if ever achieve it with power alone, and that’s a song Mazda has always sung heartily with the MX-5. Too heartily, perhaps. Until now, the most powerful factory car touted just 158bhp from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and so companies such as BBR GTI, whose sympathetically fitted turbo kits provide power enough to properly exploit the perfect weight distribution and rear-driven handling, have thrived. That hasn’t gone unnoticed in Hiroshima, and for 2018, Mazda has revised this larger Skyactiv engine. (The 1.5-litre remains largely unchanged.) Mechanical modifications – including lighter pistons and conrods along with revisions to the camshaft, injectors, throttle valve and air intake – have increased its output to 181bhp and yet emissions have fallen with the adoption of an engine stop/start system. Mazda has made no changes to the chassis – not publicly, at any rate – and the MX-5 retains its double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension with a passive spring and damper set-up at each corner. All 2.0-litre cars use a mechanical limited-slip differential, while those in range-topping Sport Nav+ and GT Sport Nav+ specifications also benefit from Bilstein dampers and a strut brace. Find an Autocar car review Driven this week Mercedes-Benz C220d Coupe 2018 first drive review - hero front 21 DECEMBER 2018 FIRST DRIVE Mercedes-Benz C-Class C220d Coupe 2018 UK review Entry-level diesel motor makes a lot of sense in the sleeker, two-door C-... Litchfield Alpine A110 2018 UK review - hero front 21 DECEMBER 2018 FIRST DRIVE Litchfield Alpine A110 2018 UK review Litchfield’s very well-judged engine remap liberates more power and torque... 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And this is not solely because of the additional power, which doesn’t so much electrify progress as dispel the slight lethargy of earlier Mk4 cars. And that’s all we ever really wanted. Even more power would be nice, but the important thing is that never do you feel now as though you need it, or that you’re somehow missing out by not having it. The lovely thing is that 181bhp in a sub-1150kg chassis also isn’t so much that you can’t stretch this engine right out, time and time again, to its new 7500rpm ceiling – some 700rpm higher than before. In second and third gears in particular, the final thousand of those crisply responsive revolutions seem to relay an extra energy on top of a base that’s already lean-sounding and wonderfully cammy in the manner of many older performance engines. There are (relatively) practical benefits, too. Because peak torque arrives 600rpm earlier at 4000rpm, fourth gear is no longer useless if you don’t happen to find yourself on a racetrack and still want to arrive on time. The engine also now has reach enough for second gear to be snagged for corners taken at speeds closer to the national speed limit, which allows you to indulge in this engine where it’s at its best, more of the time. You’ll snag second neatly, too, and not simply because this six-speed ’box is a tactile delight. A more generously ported exhaust manifold along with a lightweight flywheel and the same beautifully positioned pedals also make it even easier and more gratifying to roll your right ankle and precisely blip the throttle during downshifts. In fact, were the clutch action a touch heavier, the MX-5’s control weighs would be approaching Porsche levels of excellence, because the brakes are still quick to bite but only modestly servo-assisted and instinctive to modulate. We should also mention that Mazda has finally relented and given us telescopic reach for the steering column. Taller drivers will have to temper their enthusiasm at this news because we’re only talking 30mm of travel, but it has helped to address a significant weakness in the MX-5 package and removed an element of the toy-car vibe. There’s very little that’s juvenile about the way this MX-5 takes to a challenging B-road, though. All 2.0-litre models get a mechanical limited-slip differential, but if you want to avoid a slight propensity for the rear axle to bob and hop over awkward surfaces, go for the Bilstein dampers that come on Sport Nav+ models, too. A strut brace is also included, although honestly you’d never tell difference unless you drove the cars back to back. Those dampers and incremental changes to the suspension set-up in the three years since the car was launched mean it not longer so awkwardly collapses over its outside edges through corners. Fellow Autocar scribe Dan Prosser was told at the time that this trait was engineered in. Why? To simulate involvement for those lacking confidence to properly exercise this chassis. It was an odd approach for a self-professed driver’s car, and although there’s still significant roll through slower corners – more so in the slightly softer RF – the car now feels well supported. The key here is that Mazda has allowed the powertrain to gain parity with the chassis without feeling the need to up the ante in terms of grip and stiffness. The RF therefore still possesses adequate grip to make quick, safe progress but no more. The benefits of that are ever-present, whether it’s a quarter turn of opposite lock under power or the subtle satisfaction of sensing both axles move as one through a tighter second-gear corner. In terms of meaningful fun (that is, beyond explosive exhaust sounds and acceleration so brutal you could choke on it), there isn’t a supercar to match it in real-world driving conditions. No car is beyond criticism, though. The RF’s centre of gravity feels a touch higher than it should and there’s some lateral play in the rear suspension that can make it difficult to tell what’s going on at the contact patch. The RF’s slighter softer springing also gives it a propensity to rebound with too much enthusiasm from moderate loadings. A more committed driving styles solves this problem. Lastly, a couple of cars we’ve tried also seemed to have a lightly weighted clutch action: make sure the one you buy doesn’t.
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