2024 Mazda MX-5: several details that make all the difference

Los Angeles, California – “Has he really changed?” “. You will have the right to ask yourself this question considering this 2024 harvest of Mazda MX-5. This fourth generation model, also known as ND, first appeared less than a decade ago. So why did the manufacturer invite a few members of the automotive press to the suburbs of Los Angeles for a discreetly planned test on the winding roads of the region?

The answer is very simple. The brand’s engineers have found a way to stretch the elastic, thanks to the integration of new technologies, but also through modifications that have only one goal: to improve the driving pleasure of the most famous and best-selling road car in the world.

An image of a car that we all cherish within the team Car guide and which, for a few more years, will remain the top icon of the manufacturer … before the arrival of the fifth generation of course.

Photo: Vincent Aubé

Invisible, but noticeable improvements

Over the past 35 years—the Mazda MX-5 Miata was introduced at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show—friendly. convertible from the Japanese manufacturer has not changed much, with only four different bodies and very few changes for example. Of course, special editions have increased, like several interesting concepts, but the original idea of breeding the good years of British road travelers, but with a strict measure of reliability is still there.

In fact, engineers were so excited about what was first introduced in the late 90s that they took inspiration from this first one. MX-5 Miata develop ND slightly more than ten years ago. And the accolades have continued to pile up ever since. But for 2024, there is something new, and even if it is not visible to the eye, it promises to please the most ardent MX-5 fans.

The first feature that jumps out at you from the first kilometers is the steering, which is more precise than before. The engineers wanted (among other things) to reduce rack vibrations, an explanation for some, but when it comes to a sports car driven on a demanding track, this kind of improvement is always welcome. In addition, the update of the steering control software has also improved the car’s behavior in turns or highway ramps, the steering is faster than that of the 2023 model.

Another part that is new in 2024 is the “asymmetric differential lock”. Similar to the one it replaces, the new differential is designed to stabilize the car’s handling in corners by changing the limiting force of the final gears. Mazda points out that this new feature also helps improve handling when decelerating in corners, while the grip of the rear tires is reduced when weight is transferred to the front wheels.

Finally, the engineers did not add a Sport mode or an Eco mode, but an intermediate level of stability control. Indeed, this small button painted with a small checkered flag is intended to be an option to allow when all the driving devices are working. This Monitoring Mode (Song in Shakespeare’s language) intervenes only when it determines that the driver has lost control of the vehicle during a skid, for example. This intermediate mode is designed for novice drivers who are learning the characteristics of closed loop driving.

Visible improvements… inside

Since this is still the fourth generation of the model, the tips in the cabin remain the same. The shape of the dashboard, the hood that looks at the information gauges behind the steering wheel, the position of the gearbox lever or even the presence of the handbrake, all these things have been done since the model year 2016. However, the central screen – the touch screen when this function is activated by systems of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – now takes up more space, which now measures 8.8 inches diagonally. Note also that the Mazda Connect interface is more advanced than the interface of the MX-5 out, which also results in clearer graphics.

Although space is limited in such a sports car, two adults can take their seats without much conflict. On this subject, note that the ergonomics are very good for the driver with a simple dial for the climate control, an additional button on the board of the RF variant (for opening the retractable electric roof) and a very pleasant steering wheel in the hand.

In the wheel of the future classic

The MX-5 ND may have been in service for almost a decade, but its driving pleasure hasn’t aged at all, even though the “small details” added by the engineering department make the older version a version aimed at road enthusiasts.

It is not surprising, the roads chosen by the organizers of this last minute event were interesting and clearly showed everything that the Mazda road has offered since its beginning in the late 1980s, we were able to quickly realize that this vibration felt in the steering wheel before is greatly reduced. After about fifteen minutes on the local roads, the track started spinning like a spaghetti noodle and it was at this point that the Mazda MX-5 really shined. The steering is more accurate and faster than in the past, even in the first turns, it was necessary to adjust the shooting, so the car was surprisingly fast in its operation.

Same story for the other two adjustments (asymmetrical locking differential and Track mode stability control) which proved to be very useful in certain situations, especially a very tight hairpin bend where the rear axle passed, without even worrying that the driver was behind the wheel.

For others, the MX-5 2024 remains faithful to its classic formula, that is to say with a nervous mechanics that is not afraid of the high fields of its engine speed, gear change fun to handle (or wrong) with a chassis that’s easy to hold at the end of your hands. Even the pedals are designed to make life easier for the amateur rider, with “heel-toe” that requires no effort from the driver.

Conclusion

The “Jinba Ittai” philosophy that the manufacturer has championed for several years now takes its full meaning in a toy car like the Mazda MX-5. This feeling of being in perfect harmony with the car, like “an extension of the driver’s arms and legs” as the brand strategists like to tell us, we feel it very much.

In heavy city traffic, on a closed course or on this beautiful road in the Angeles National Forest. While waiting for the fifth generation of the model, fans of driving with their hair in the wind can enjoy themselves behind the wheel of the Mazda icon, and that is very good news for driving enthusiasts.