The new hard-top lowers itself at the touch of a button, a latch and another button. The whole process takes about 12 seconds. Impressively, the trunk is not affected by the rigid roof although the weight of the car climbs by 36 kg or close to 80 lbs. Some advantages to the new roof are less wind noise, nicer interior finish and a tad more headroom.

Fit and finish is, as always, far above average.

Fine, but where is the Turbo?
The MX-5 sole means of motivation comes from a 166-hp 2.0L 4-cylinder engine. Depending on trim, a 5 or a 6-speed manual transmission can be had. The tested GS featured a 6-cog box manipulated through a light clutch and precise shifter action. The more powerful 2.0L (compared to old 1.8L) does not render the MX-5 any quicker; it has more weight to handle although sitting as close to ground as you do in the roadster, you get the impression that you are moving faster than you actually are. A Mazdaspeed MX-5 would have you thinking that you are flying.

As always, the MX-5 is as nimble as any car could hope to be. Starting with the responsive well-assisted steering complete with a tight turning radius, the 2-seater gobbles up kilometre after kilometre of back roads and highways alike. At speeds surpassing the 120 km/h mark, I would encounter a mild lifting of the front end of the car; nothing alarming but I admit to never having noticed this before. The suspension offers up a plentiful amount of wheel travel for urban driving comfort. This, of course, represents a compromise where an important amount of the original Miata's reflexes have been dulled in exchange for a smoother ride.

I actually split a week between two MX-5s with different shells. Apart from the aforementioned advantages, I noticed the heavier car to be slightly less eager to do anything. Both roadsters are still impeccable performers but I found the soft top car to be more agile and lithe.

Part of the MX-5's magic comes from this 2-liter 4-cylinder engine.