beefola

Okay, so before i start, i know what the general concensus is on this site of the MX-5, but....
Autocar this week, the Handling Day.
Take a Murcielago, 911 GT3, Zonda, Radical, Sti Spec C, and many others including the MX-5...
And it wins!!!!

Now i know everyone thinks its a hairdressers car, and it may be, but for a £15k convertible to be voted a better handling car than all the other luminaries must surely gain it some kudos.

A mate of mine's daily drive is a Boxster S, and recently he hired an MX-5 whilst in Cumbria, and he was actually DISAPPOINTED with the Boxster when he drove it again...

All hail the MX-5, birds car, but damn good drivers car!
Beef

P1Fanatic

/me pinches self

Are you for real or are you trippin?

Simon

beefola

Nope, hence the post...
I just think its about time the MX-5 gets the respect it deserves as a drivers car. You can't argue with the tests!
Beef (definately male, and not gay, or a hairdresser)

Luke

Even Pete Lewis has one!!!!!


Still one of the best cars in the world. Cant wait to visit japan to buy one.

MarkCSC

Yeah but didn't Pete Lewis also have an XR3i convertable?

Dapster

Sorry to completely hijack your thread but did you see the shot of the Porsche Cayenne being jumped a few pages further on? I looked like they had got about 10 feet of air! Incredible. NEVER EVER buy an ex-press fleet car....

Also the newly launched £100k S65 AMG Merc sounded quite scrummy with 750lb/ft of torque.

Kussimurran

I've always liked the MX5, but then I also dress up in my wife's nurses uniform from time to time...

DanTheMan

There was a tuned 5 at japfest on the track scaring the scoobs, ok so he might have been running slicks but hey it was still a 5

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

left a UK scoob and a Jag standing in my roadster tonight(straight dry road). Think it might struggle against a properly sorted JDM scoob. It think it is feels slower than my WRX (300bhp ish)

Better handling than the scoob but the scoob is definately the quickest thing A to B. A friend of mine who had a Boxter thought it was very tame compared to an Roadster. He has just bought an Sti4 and loves it....good lad.

Best wishes
Steve

image doctor

Agreed beef.

Most on SN are only concerned about the quickest a to b and 0-60 times.

There is more to driving than that.

id

Olly

But, but a Scooby would beat it in the twisties.....

Agreed with ID, seems that Scooby owners rant on about handling when most couldn't even provide a definition of the word.

There are a lot of car snobs about. I'm wasn't your stereotypical MX5 owner, (6'1, building trade, sawdust in me hair, pencil behind me ear) and as a result the lads did take the p1ss at my lipstic red Mk2 1.8is at first. Who cares, I bought mine for opposite lock fun and entertainment, which it provided for 18 trouble free months.

Those that scoff with the usual hairdresser jokes are missing out. Stuff the fact that girlies like 'em (not a bad thing sometimes), the MX5 out-entertains ANY scooby I have owned or driven (which covers virtually evey derivative).

dnb

Have to say I like the MX5 too. Shame the garage wouldn't let me have all afternoon playing with their demo car.

At least I can say it's Nic's car if anyone asks

beefola

Yes, yes, that's right brothers, unite, UNITE!!!
Muhahhahha....

Ahem, must apologise.

Also, someone at work saw me posting and said
"Yeah, but those Autocar guys are all overpayed racing wannabes"
Fair point i said, but the Best Handling Car accolade was decided upon by Justin Wilson (Jag F1 driver), Tiff Needell, Takuma Sato (ex-F1 driver), Phil Bennet (touring car driver and holder of fastest lap around Nurburgring) and others.
Now thats a decision i trust.
Beef

Duck_Pond

<Northern Ireland voice>

Perfumed Ponce!

</Northern Ireland voice>

Phil M

My mate has a 1.8i Sport ( i don't think he is gay!) and it does handle awesome, it has LSD just could do with some more squirt for the straights and to get the back end right out on the power.

Roojai

Lots of similar feelings about the MR2. Both the MX5 and MR2 are under rated by a lot of people because of image.

Neil Smalley

The cynic in me thinks that they only chose the MX5 because it's the only car they can afford to give away as a prize..

beefola

You could be right, but i don't think they're short of a few bob down at Autocar HQ. After all, they appear to be paying Chris Harris enough for him to be able to afford a Lambo Gallardo....
Hmmm, maybe i'm in the wrong job...
I'd love to see Mazda find their cojones and make an MPS MX-5 with c.220bhp, nice wheels, subtle bodykit etc, should be a stonker.
Beef

wilf

Good result for the MX5 but how come it hasnt won the handling award consecutively for the last 10 years if its that fantastic and seeing as its not a new model we're talking about. Wonder if it has anything to do with all the advertising revenues....

sempers

Drive one

Put more smile on my face than any other car I've driven.

My scoob might have been much faster and grippier, but the handling is pretty poor when you do exceed the grip.

Then again, my current car's FAR worse

- M.

ScoobyJawa

Sis owns one - they are damn good motors, almost on a par with my Pug 205 for driver fun Its a cracking motor, as was the 1990 1.6 she had before her 1998 1.8iS - seriously underated cars, and have to say, her login on here may be MX Tart, but she don't drive it like one

POC

My better half has a 1.8 MX5 import (eunos), cracking little car, massive amount of driver satisfaction..... drive one and disagree with me

The RingMaster

Anyone who slates the Mx5 obviously hasn't driven one !

yes the image is VERY gay, yes they are PIGGIN slow ,
*but*
they handle like an absolute DREAM and are incredible fun
to drive ;
the only car I have driven (and ive driven/owned some AMAZING cars) that is as much fun is the Integra Type R

Duck_Pond

Maybe the new MX-5 coupe will help change the image? There's an article on it in this week's Auto Express mag. Looks like a good car, though why do they always test yellow cars?

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

Yes mine is lowered on Eibachs and is supercharged and is an amazing drive. It is a lovely looking car, some one told me that a team of American, British and Japanese designers designed it from scratch in California and they had a huge R&D budget.
But because it is pretty it does have a very girly image and many women do buy them due to the way they look. Also in stock form it isn't a quick car which doesn't help with the 'wet' image. But that is missing the point as it is a very very involving drive.
Best wishes
Steve

IWantaScoobyNow

have to confess i have driven one and they are good. it was the eunos import but it was nice. just you do feel like a hairdresser. but then get it on a nice a/b road and its great.
not as great as the scooby but still big fun.

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

Agree the Scooby is the quicker car overall and is far more stable and progressive in the way it loses grip. I tested the Eunos up against a modified scoob last weekend. We were both pushing it.
The scoob definately had the edge in second gear/coming out of certain bends it could put the power down more progressively and before the apex. Also once I hit about 90ish the Scoob would pull away quite rapidly. However on B/A road stuff short to mid length straights and bends, so alot of 3/4 gear stuff they were level pegged. It is as quick as modified scoob in these situations. However only in the dry and it is harder work the handling being more skittish and oversteary than the scoob. It was interesting to compare cars.
My conculsion was that the scoob is the more acomplished car but the Eunos can be more fun in certain situations.

Best wishes
Steve

AJbaseBloke

Just drove a turboed MX5 yesterday - it was er, fairly 'kin quick to say the least.

No hairdresser would survive 10secs in it (bad for the hair you see .

Always loved the way they handle - a hoot at safer speeds than you have to be doing in most scoobs to get the pulse up.

sempers

Scoob far more stable and progressive in the way it looses grip???

IMHO, the joy of the mx-5 is it slides early and very progressively; you don't need to be a hero to catch it, you can play sideways, and at speeds where you have a fighting chance.

My experience of the scoob was a *massive* amount of grip, then progressive, fairly terminal understeer. But, if you did get the back end away, you wanted to be pretty sure of yourself 'cos it wasn't going to do it slowly - great fun, but you have to be on the ball! That and the fact you were probably 25% faster in any given corner then the mx5! (mine was on S-02's)

mx-5 has it in instant pickup, feel etc., but it's just not a scoob comparison - it's all about tactility, and the experience. The scoob is devastatingly fast period; but you don't need to have a clue to drive it up to loony speeds. So long as you don't go over the 95% mark, beyond which it can bite - (IMHO of course) - they really flatter the driver.

I'd rather drive the mx5 point to point on a 'twisty', esp in the wet. But I like 'playful slip' rather than 'mental grip'. And it'd take me twice the time to get there.. but wtf

igratton

I Agree...

MX-5's are top handling cars...I drove a std 1.8i Sport and it felt very nice. Any car that allows you to exploit its chassis at a sensible speed and allows you to control/balance it without being a major full-on sideways hero is a good thing.

There seems to be a little bit of longitudal twist in the shell (hey - its a convertable) but that can probably be sorted with some bracing.

We very nearly swapped my wifes Punto GT Turbo for it - but as always cash got in the way of things.

I would have no problems owning up to driving one of these cars. As everyones saying - if you haven't driven one then maybe you should.