Review

Speed and power are two things that put the Advertising Standards Authority in a tizzy whenever it has to judge complaints about car commercials.

This must give carmakers a headache when it comes to ensuring their sports cars grab the attention of the UK’s petrolhead community. Of course, a plethora of motoring magazines and websites do their best to give these halo models a good going over, but as sports cars need to be, well, sporty, we felt it was time to see how our long-term MX-5 RF compares with other new roadsters on paper.

The evidence shows our car is the third slowest to 62mph, and despite having the joint-largest engine (many rivals use smaller, turbocharged units) it has the third-lowest power output. But the MX-5 combines sportiness with value better than any of its peer group – buyers seeking stats for their pub banter will be delighted it delivers 6.16PS power output per £1,000 spent, which is better even than premium rivals. Even the more closely priced Fiat and Abarth 124, which share much of the MX-5’s underpinnings, cannot match it.

It’s easy to understand why the MX-5 remains the world’s best-selling sports car.

 

Car PS Engine 0-62mph List price PS per £1,000
Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 Sport Nav 160 2.0 7.3 secs £25,995 6.16
Abarth 124 Spider 170 1.4 6.8 secs £29,620 5.74
Alfa Romeo 4C 1750 Spider 240 1.7 4.5 secs £59,820 4.01
Audi TT 1.8TFSI Roadster Sport 180 1.8 7.2 secs £30,250 5.95
Fiat 124 Spider 140 1.4 7.5 secs £23,800 5.88
Jaguar F-Type Convertible 300 2.0 5.7 secs £55,385 5.42
Mercedes-Benz SLC180 AMG Line 156 1.6 7.9 secs £32,039 4.87

An award-winning journalist and editor, with two decades of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ)
As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is responsible for its media content, planning and production across AM's multiple channels, including the website, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM's events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales companies to examine latest developments in UK motor retail. 

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Factsheet

Price: £27,165

Engines: 2.0-litre petrol, 161PS

Performance: 0-62mph 7.4secs, top speed 134mph

Transmission: 6sp manual

Fuel effiiciency: 40.9mpg

Emissions: 161g/km CO2