Mazda MX-5 2012

One would think that a car like this would never need any upgrades but Mazda has seen fit to sweeten the MX-5 a bit more. And it is now available for purchase in Japan. Both versions, the soft-top and power retractable hard top (RHT), have been given its own points of differentiation. Black-coloured highlights are used for the soft-top in line with its ‘tight sports’ concept while silver is employed for the RHT for its ‘premium sports’ concept. See how both colours are employed in the table below:

And we’ve just scratched the surface. The MX-5 has also been given a reworked face. The front grille is larger and the front chin spoiler is new, as well as the front fog lamp bezel. Mazda has dropped the Metropolitan Grey Mica colour and replaced it with Dolphin Grey Mica. Inside, the convertible gets a new colour, Glossy Dark Gray, which is used for the decoration panel and steering wheel bezel. The colour becomes an option for the soft-top S grade. There are more choices of colour and fabric to wrap your seats with – tan leather seats, black fabric, black leather and a combination of Alcantara.

Mazda has also made the roadster more ‘jinba ittai’… if that made any sense. There are fine adjustments made to the throttle management program to make the roadster more responsive when accelerating out of corners, which Mazda says that this also creates a linear and nimble feel. By the way, this enhanced acceleration control is only for roadsters outfitted with the manual transmission. Sorry auto users. The brakes have been uprated, too. Specifically, there are changes made to the brake booster’s characteristics so it is easier to control the front and rear load distribution. This enhancement applies for all.

What else? The MX-5 gets a new pedestrian safety feature. It is called active bonnet and it automatically raises the rear end of the bonnet when the sensors detect an impact. It will only work at certain vehicle speeds and when the computer thinks the impact have exceeded predetermined levels. The take back from this is that the raised bonnet acts to absorb impact energy and reduce the chance of serious head injuries. In spite of all the extras, Mazda has said that they have kept the weight down especially on the re-designed front bumper, active bonnet, 17 inch aluminium wheels and internal wiring. Prices (with tax) for the Mazda MX-5 starts from JPY2,330,000 for the soft-top S grade up to JPY2,920,000 for the VS RHT. If you haven’t already, make sure you read about the MX-5 GT Concept. It gives much drool.