I recall a couple of years ago writing that I didn’t envy the designers tasked with producing an all-new version of the world’s most popular two-seater, the Mazda MX-5.
It has been Mazda’s mainstay for well over a decade, and the car is really responsible for the revival of the roadster against competition from “hot” hatchbacks and saloons which are sometimes stronger performers and, let’s face it, more practical.
I shouldn’t have worried. The latest MX-5 has a more modern, muscular look, more safety equipment, a wider choice of engines and yet it retains that involving, classic sports car feel which makes it so charismatic.
And, for the first time, buyers have the option of a retractable metal roof instead of the traditional soft-top.
This version is simply named the MX-5 Roadster Coupe, since it can be turned from a hard-top coupe into an open topped roadster at the touch of a button in just 12 seconds: in that sense it’s certainly the quickest in its class.
Everything else about the car is the same as its soft-topped sibling except, of course, for the price but that in itself is perhaps a surprise.
Take into account the standard climate control air conditioning, and the hard-topped 1.8 and 2.0 cost just £1,200 more than the soft-top equivalent: in other words, about the same as the optional bolt-on hard-top some owners bought for winter motoring.
Folding metal roofs, of course, are almost de rigeur for open-air enthusiasts these days, usually for coupe versions of standard cars from the likes of Vauxhall and Peugeot.
The Mazda’s can be singled out not only for its speed of operation but also because of its compact construction: it replaces the soft-top without taking up any more cabin or boot space.
The boot holds 150 litres, enough for a good sized suitcase or a couple of large weekend bags.
Some pundits have written about the hard-top’s weather resistance and security - I’m not sure I subscribe to that, as the latest fabric roofs with excellent locking devices are a world away from earlier convertibles with canvas tops press-studded on to random pieces of bodywork.
Roof-up noises levels, though, are a little lower and there is extra convenience of the rapid electrical operation.
There’s also the look of the car, although that’s subjective and there are likely to be as many fans of the soft-top’s looks.
The new MX-5 has a more rounded, yet more muscular look than its predecessor, emphasised by larger wheelarches, and inside there’s a new five-dial fascia reminiscent of the Porsche 911.
I drove the 2.0i Sport, which at £21,000 isn’t cheap, but apart from the metal roof it also has the highest level of standard equipment in the range.
An excellent radio/CD player with remote controls on the sports steering wheel, leather ‘bucket’ seats, climate control, electric windows and mirrors, alloy wheels central locking, an alarm and an immobiliser are part of the package.
It also comes with a slick, six-speed close-ratio gearbox, uprated suspension, seat heaters, brushed aluminium rollover bars, fog lights and electronic traction and stability systems, most of which are options on the rest of the range.
The 2.0 litre engine turns out 160bhp, enough to take the MX-5 from a standstill to 62mph in under eight seconds, yet because of its favourable power to weight ratio it still averages just under 35mpg, and its CO2 rating is 193g/km.
But it’s not how fast the MX-5 goes that makes it so special: it’s the way it does it. It retains the front-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout of classic sporters, allowing the driver a more direct feel through the steering wheel and chassis which makes you at one with the car.
Combine that with a drive back from work with the roof down along leafy lanes instead of the motorway it must be better than a psychiatrist’s couch for banishing stress.
While in every sense it’s a thoroughly modern car, this is the side of the MX-5 which invokes memories of motoring’s golden age and the exhilaration of the open road.
We still hear from Jobs who prophesy doom from the combination of rear wheel drive and bad weather.
It is different to a front-wheel drive-hatchback, but the low profile of the MX-5, with the bulk of its weight so close to the ground, its sophisticated suspension and modern tyres make this a very stable car.
The electronic traction and stability systems fitted to the test car, the most powerful in the range, as standard are your “guardian angels” but certainly weren’t required during my week of wintry motoring.
There are six models in the MX-5 Roadster Coupe range, starting with the 1.8i with option pack at £18,210 (there isn’t a 1.6 engined version, as with the soft-tops).
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