Test-Driving The 2023 Mazda MX-5

It says a lot about a Mazda MX-5 when you can give a guy who’s had 23 of them (me) one that’s white, which is the color car my 91-year-old mother drove, and not a speck of complaint does he have. The color is officially called “Snowflake white Pearl Mica.”

The thrill of the MX-5 is in the driving, the standard shift, the whipping through K-turns, the slipping through tiny spaces in between the cars, throwing the top down with ease and bringing it back up just as quickly.

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I drove it incessantly, even when it was raining. It takes almost no time to wash and dry. You almost want to fold it up and bring it in the house. Your GF may dump you and start dating the MX-5.

What’s new for 2023?

For this year, there’s a $1,000-ish price increase for the base Sport model, but it brings with it a rev-happy 2.0-liter inline-four. The MX-5’s six-speed manual transmission won’t make anyone’s heart race but it’s fun as hell. Kinematic Posture Control brake vectoring system comes standard, so you stop when you press the pedal, amen.

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In my Club trim, starting at $32,825, you recieve a front shock tower brace, Bilstein dampers, a limited-slip differential, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, and wireless Apple CarPlay. Another $4,500 delivers BBS wheels, Brembo brakes, and Recaro seats.

Go for the gold – the Grand Touring – and Mazda adds on adaptive headlights, automatic high beams, traffic sign recognition, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic climate control. There are also specific 17-inch gunmetal wheels which aren’t particularly ferocious-looking, but a nice touch.

There are a variety of other options and choices – like an automatic shift – that’ll bring your sticker up to $40,225. I can’t see paying that much for an MX-5, but you may.

The Drive

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How does it drive? Like the peanut car it is. You’ll get some decent velocity at blast-offs by giving it lots of gas and winding quickly through the gears, but this is not a car that’s in any type of hurry. You’ll think you’re doing 65 but you’ll see you’re only doing 45. Not a problem at all.

Would I want the MX-5 in a snowstorm? No. But that’s true of any little sports car.

Beefs

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*The cabin is so loud even with the top up that conversation with a partner was difficult at speed.

*Its center cupholders are positioned to the rear of the driver and passenger, necessitating an awkward reach for a sip. (Granted, there really isn’t any other place to mount them due to space.)

*The manufacturer did not provide an activated nav system nor Sirius XM Satellite Radio. But the last MX-5 nav system I tested in 2022 was a convoluted, frustrating endeavor. Since press materials don’t indicate any update, I will assume it’s the same this year and it’s just as well it wasn’t activated.

Those minor beefs are offset, though, by its smooth ride, ease of opening and shutting the convertible top and its better-than-average mileage – 26 MPG City / 34 Highway / 29 Combined. I filled the tank with a little more than 20 bucks.

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The world is changing faster than any of us can keep up with. It’s nice to drive a car that’s the “same old someone that I knew,” without it being a fogey-fest.