Any thoughts on the Mazda MX-5 RF (retractable fastback) ?

[LeeH]

Can't wait to see this in person...



What do you think?

[biosurfer1]

Looks good but my concern would be the same at the new 911 Targa, thats looks like a hugely complex open/close mechanism that is just begging for long term problems.

[porsche4life]

Good looking ride! You will be sans kids soon... Next DD?

[911dean]

That could very well be my next sports car. I've become very intrigued with Miata's since buying a track oriented one last year. It left a hell of an impression on me only driving it a couple of times before stashing in my brothers storage space. Super fun to drive and not stupid fast. Economical to maintain and easy to keep on the track. I can't wait to get it in my garage.

[LeeH]

I'd really like to see them put the 2.5L (and its 30 extra hp) in the MX5.

I like this view a lot. I'm thinking it'll look great in Mazda's Soul Red.

[Nickshu]

I love it. Could very well replace my Lotus next year. Like others I wish it had more ponies though.

[Tobra]

I bet the sales are disappointing. Too bad it is not a real fastback, I bet the aerodynamics are pretty crappy. It is reportedly 100# heavier than the rag top. I suspect they want to offer a retractable hardtop, but there was not enough room for it to fold. 100# may not seem like much, but it is a fairly big percentage increase. I wonder if it is significantly stiffer, I would guess it is not. I like the looks of it much more than the regular convertible, but it is not a car I would have much interest in purchasing. Do you suppose would be okay to take on a track without adding a rollbar? Again, probably not, and I can't imagine being able to add a roll bar to that.

[look 171]

I like it, but would live it even more if that was a hard top.

[Nickshu]

Thinking about it more, if I bought this it would be an "extra" car. I would likely never drive it in winter and rarely in rain. With that I think the hardtop might be sort of pointless for me given the extra weight, loss of trunk space, and higher center of gravity.

It does look super cool though.

[onewhippedpuppy]

It looks great, but modern soft tops are so good I doubt there are any practical benefits.

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I bet the sales are disappointing. Too bad it is not a real fastback, I bet the aerodynamics are pretty crappy. It is reportedly 100# heavier than the rag top. I suspect they want to offer a retractable hardtop, but there was not enough room for it to fold. 100# may not seem like much, but it is a fairly big percentage increase. I wonder if it is significantly stiffer, I would guess it is not. I like the looks of it much more than the regular convertible, but it is not a car I would have much interest in purchasing. Do you suppose would be okay to take on a track without adding a rollbar? Again, probably not, and I can't imagine being able to add a roll bar to that.

I saw an interview with someone from Mazda who said it's not stiffer. Because the MX5 is designed from the ground up to be a convertible, it already has a very stiff body. The hardtop/sail structure don't add any rigidity.

I'm just not a convertible fan. This, I wouldn't mind. On the rare occasions I would open the top, I'd imagine much less wind in the cabin with the targa-like arrangement. But, I wouldn't feel like a dork having a convertible with the top up on nice days either.

[recycled sixtie]

I am sure it would be a lot of fun and it is great to look at. The Miata in any form does not have much hp unless you go turbo, supercharge or install a V8. The stock Miata is a ton of fun in any form with base hp without getting pulled over by the police.

Don't forget the ND gets good gas mileage and 0-60 in 6 seconds. Pretty good for a small displacement motor.

[Dantilla]

Pretty hard to beat my early Miata with hard top and soft top.

I easily move the hard top on/off by myself, and I like the simplicity of it. The new fastback looks pretty good, but I'd rather have a manually-removable targa top than all the electric gizmos that add complexity and weight.

[scottmandue]

They make a removable fastback hardtop for the old Miata... I liked it but $$$.

Looks more aerodynamic than the factory model.

[legion]

Why the complicated mechanism? Seems to me a manually removable targa top would be lighter, cheaper and less prone to break or leak.

[BReif61]

I'm in the "looks cool, but would never buy one" camp.

[herr_oberst]

I'm thinking the proportions are wrong. Looks awkward to my eye.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by legion

Why the complicated mechanism? Seems to me a manually removable targa top would be lighter, cheaper and less prone to break or leak.

I just looked at pictures of it folding and had the same thought... that is a lot of work just to pop off a targa top that could be removed in a minute by hand.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

Looks good but my concern would be the same at the new 911 Targa, thats looks like a hugely complex open/close mechanism that is just begging for long term problems.

Im going to make a lot of money fixing those. Just like Boxster tops.

[DanielDudley]

It's a Mazda, and it is Japanese, so it will just work. I like it, but I don't like the limited side view.

I am maxed out on Targas right now, as I got tired of waiting for the new ND and bought a kick butt SC Targa instead. Then my wife bought me an X19, and I just gave up.