Offered as a roadster or a coupe with a retractable roof panel hence “RF” (Retractable Fastback), the 2018 Mazda MX-5 is a 2-seat sports car that’s pure joy to drive. For some, the Miata is just too small given that I’m a man with ample proportions. It’s 4 cylinder, 180 horsepower, 205 Nm of torque, thats 24 hp added and 5 Nm of torque compared to the standard which has 155 horses and 200 Nm that really doesn’t pack quite of a punch, but let me tell you, those additional power makes a huge difference.
However, it still isn’t quite as fast as performance cars. That’s why the world has Ford Mustang’s and Chevrolet Camaro’s, two larger performance cars with back seats and optional V8s with quadrillions of horsepower. The Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins split the difference with tiny back seats and 205 horsepower. But you can’t beat open top driving experience, and let’s be honest, the Miata looks unbelievably better with all those smooth, curvy lines. This car however isn’t the standard MX-5. It’s called the “Club Edition” and immediately you can’t see anything different. So what does Club Edition mean?
Exterior: The extended roof’s supporting structure definitely adds a certain character to the MX-5 that isn’t available on the soft top. Does it make it look “less-girly”? No more or less than the standard car. If anything, the additional lines make the rear feel smaller than it is due to the height vs width differential against the soft top. It still has that aggressive front end, always ready to pounce and eat up the roads. The top looks stylish when up and Mazda says the whole car weighs just 32 kilograms more than the standard manually-operated cloth top found on the “regular” MX-5.
With the top up, the RF doesn’t do a 100 per cent convincing job of being a closed-roof car. There’s still a fair amount of road noise seeping in through its many joints and rubber seals. But shame on you for driving a Miata with the top up! As a small, relatively lightweight sports car, the MX-5 doesn’t really offer practicality; it was designed for driving thrills rather than everyday routine. This being the Club edition, it comes standard with the BBS wheels, which costs ₱80,000 each. Yes, EACH. Opt for a manual RF Club Edition with Bilstein dampers, and thats ₱15,000 a pop. Also, the color on this car is magnificent! Mazda calls it Soul Crystal Red and it is gorgeous.
Interior: The RF does have different seats from the Soft-top and the standard RF, which are meant to be a little bit more accepting of larger folks. However, they still offered great support. The Recaro seats fitted in the Club edition is absolutely sublime, with those impeccable alcantara leather racing seats which gives you full support on those tight corners, and did I mention they cost ₱ 250,000 a piece?The seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system has been tried and tested in other Mazda models and is easy to use. There are no door bins and no glovebox, with only a small, lockable cubby hole between the two front seats offering anywhere to stow your odds and ends.
Both the RF and Soft-top variants are entirely impractical and there is not even a place to store your smartphone or wallet. Both of which I find annoying, your things flying around the cabin far too often and yeah, I lost cash too while driving down coastal road. The roof mechanism is absolutely fun to watch via the digital image in the speedometer information. The little roof switch on the RF, which is positioned past the gear stick on the left of the centre instrument cluster is convenient and easy to reach.The roof takes around 15 seconds to open or shut and only works at up to 10km/h. This can leave you frustrated when leaving a car park and needing to maintain traffic speed while operating the roof. You get used to it, but it’s a far cry from the soft top which works in as many seconds as you want it to – as we measured, it can be done in less than three seconds, and has no real speed restrictions except the size of your triceps.
Drive: It’s best to get out on the road early, after the sun breaks the horizon, but before the hordes of SUVs, Trucks, and ignorant Busses create the inevitable clog and clutter. Put the top down, feel that sun on your face and that chilly breeze mess your hair about. The Miata RF has never been about immense power that enable it to drag-race. This car’s magic lies not in straight lines, but when the road twists and turns. That’s when this rear-wheel-drive 2-seater is at its best, or when simply cruising along a coastal highway.
The Miata’s 180 horsepower doesn’t sound like much, but the 2.0-liter engine loves to rev and its output is more than enough in this lightweight little roadster. With the top down on an empty road with lots of curves, nothing beats it. It begs for gear after gear of redline shifts. The rear end rotates playfully around sharp turns and there’s actually a lot of body roll in the equation. Wring its neck and zip through the gears of the MX-5’s tight 6-speed manual transmission and it will hit 100 kph in about six seconds. The RF we tested came with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The steering is quick, with plenty of feel, and the roadster’s suspension offers plenty of cornering grip while maintaining a civilized ride.
Whether you decide to spend the extra Php 436,800 on the RF over the standard MX-5 is likely to depend on which body shape you prefer and how often you plan to drive the car with the roof up. If the RF is the version you decide to go for then you’re in for a quieter and subtle feel over the soft-top. Mazda has placed an emphasis on refinement with the RF, meaning there’s an optional leather finish for the dash, giving the interior a really upmarket feel. Given the price difference of the Club Edition vs a Nappa Leather RF A/T which is around ₱300,000 so really the Club Edition actually makes more practical sense. So is the MX-5 RF worth the premium price? I personally would spend the extra dough for the RF with a manual transmission and you have my word, that i still think that the Mazda MX-5 is still one of, or if not, the best bang for buck sports car out in the market. Always remember, life is meant for great adventures with close friends…. and a MIATA!
Price:
Mazda MX-5 RF Club Edition 2.0 A/T
₱ 2,680,000
Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 A/T with Nappa Leather Interior (Machine Grey)
₱ 2,316,800
Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 AT with Nappa Leather Interior
₱ 2,300,000
Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 AT
₱ 2,250,000
Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 MT
₱ 2,200,000