The fourth generation of the MX-5, the ND, turns 10 years old this summer. Ten! And by staying on into double figures it will become the longest lived of all MX-5s. It will likely hold that title to the end.
What makes it even more remarkable is its freshness as a design. If Mazda were to reveal the ND at the Tokyo Motor Show in November later this year it would barely look out of place at all. It certainly wouldn’t look 10 years old.
Few manufacturers manage to achieve such a feat. Most designs are representative of the time in which they were conceived; not many manage to achieve the goal of being truly timeless. The second-generation of Lotus Elise is one such car, and it, like the ND, managed to instantly age its predecessor. The spectacularly innovative first-generation Elise looked dated when the sharp Elise was revealed, and the lithe ND has made the NC MX-5 look big and bloated. Both remain great sports cars, of course; it’s simply a case of aesthetics.
The ND is shorter and lighter than the NC, and much was made about how the ND was closer than ever to the original MX-5 in terms of proportions. In fact, it’s more than an inch shorter nose to tail than the NA of 1989, despite a slightly longer wheelbase.
Every generation of MX-5 offers a driving pleasure that is unmatched at its price point and beyond, but the ND reins things back to the rawness of the original. The seating position is sunk low, which combines with the minimal luxuries to create a stripped back air. The cabin boasts barely more comforts than the car that broke the mould more than three decades ago. Though there are now screens, including Apple Car Play and Android Auto, away from that the technology is rather more discreet and the door padding minimal. It’s close but not cosseted.
The steering wheel remains small and quick in response, but something has been lost here. Only when skipping along does the ND offer real feel through your fingertips, otherwise it’s a little too light and rather un-MX-5. It serves as a reminder that the best MX-5s have always been the ones without power steering. This updated 2025 ND has an improved steering rack and electronic power steering system, but sometimes less can be more.
The poise remains remarkable, though. Keep the electronics on and you can push, and push, and push without ever unsettling it. The balance is so well set that the car’s limits are beyond anything you’d reach for on the road, yet it remains a car to drive simply for driving’s sake. Switch everything off, with the added bonus of muting all the safety bongs and pings, and your right foot begins to rule but it is still the right side of fun. It is a remarkable feat, to get something so continually right for so many years.
Its wonderful gearbox helps. Again, nothing can touch it and it’s so good that Morgan has borrowed it along with innumerable others, whether for homebuilt specials and kit cars or a whole cottage industry of small-volume makers. It has to work with more power today than the small output of 1989, now with 181bhp in top 2.0-litre form, but it is still a ‘box that simply is without equal.
Much like the car itself. Here’s to the next 10 years.
