Faults:

Nothing. But near new.

General Comments:

What a piece of rubbish.

I realise that some of my comments (mostly negative) relate to the fact that this is a small coupe. I accept that, but most is just stupid design.

Cons:

The car is wide (1745 mm) especially relative to its length. It's actually as wide as a series one Commodore so the minuscule interior ISN'T compensated by a narrow, lithe body that you can get through narrow spaces. The flared front arches make it wide and the car needs to be at least 100 mm narrower.

I'm short and slight, but even then, to make entry and egress "easier" you need to open the big door fully. That's a metre from the car. How often do you have that space? Boom gate tickets usually can't be reached and then you can't open the door and you're stuck. Too bad!

Be prepared to scrape the door card with your foot every time you get in or out as well as the optional scuff plates that were already scratched when I bought it. For good measure, you'll probably bash your knee on the steering column and the A pillar when getting in or out!

The base RF is gone and now replaced by the RF GT at $58,000 drive away (2025) with NO cloth option available (but higher price). The ONLY seat trim is black leather. So much for choice. The car is $10,000 overpriced IMO.

The exterior mirrors do not fold in (even a CX3 does that), there is NO proximity lock/unlock, the windows are one touch down only (not up), the drivers seat only goes back/forward, reclines and has a squab tilt. The reclining lever is made from the cheapest Japan can offer and the carpet looks like it's from a 90's Barina!

The rear suspension BANGS over bumps. You drive down the road praying there aren't pot holes.

The steering wheel is slippery.

If you have a passenger, you can't even carry a box of tissues.

The "glove box" at the back between the seats requires a contortionist to access.

My car bought new in Sydney, Australia, already had some 35 kms on the clock. Had obviously been on some test drives WITHOUT my consent. Dealer delivery process also inefficient.

No spare tyre so I bought a space saver aftermarket. More cost. The standard tyres DO NOT fit in the boot so that would have to go on the front seat. If you're stranded in mega huge Australia and you have a passenger, be prepared to ditch them or your tyre by the road.

You cannot manually turn off the headlights unless in bright sun light or the car is stopped. The "off" switch is spring loaded back to auto!

If the radio is on and you turn off the car, so does the radio (fair enough). You then need to push the start button again to turn on the radio and then when finished, push the start button again which activates ALL of the electricals as the ignition is now on and hey presto, your headlights come on! You then have to push the button AGAIN to turn the car off. In an old car you simply turn the ignition off.

As a man I feel like a complete wally driving it. A test drive is different to ownership.

We have owned Mazdas constantly for over 50 years and this is not only the worst Mazda, but worst car.

No recommended servicing for a year or, I think, 15,000 kms. Mazda obviously don't care if the car lasts. I had my oil and filter changed at 1500 kms and the fuel economy improved instantly and dramatically from 10.1 L/100 kms to 7.8! That's by my calculation, not the car. Fuel tank is only 45L. A 1990 Mazda 323 had a 55L tank. You won't be driving much more than 400 kms if you don't want to run it under a quarter as Mazda recommend.

Paint (white) has a dull lustre.

Radio difficult to operate to even change a station (like all new cars).

Other car's headlights blind you front and back.

Pros:

Very good on fuel. Even in traffic and in city/suburbs < 8L/100 kms.

Nice snappy gear shift, but not much better than Mazdas cheap and cheerful budget buster Mazda 1300 from the early 70's. It's just that most haven't driven a small, rear wheel drive car so don't know that they were all like this.

Brakes are nicely progressive.

Exterior appearance impresses others (not me).

Tight turning circle.

Fit and finish very good, but it's fully assembled in Japan. Be aware, not all Mazdas are. They used to be but that was when Mazda built better cars with real innovation.

I used to have a Mazda 323 Protege and now I have this infuriating piece of garbage that I thought would be a pleasant new car. What I would do to get my old car back. Yes, I rang them to see if they'd sell it to back me but no surprise they wouldn't. It's too good!

There are many of these MX5's less than 5 years old for sale on the Australian market. If they are so good as many seem to say, why aren't people keeping them?