Our regular contributor Richard is speaking to you in the first person for the first time, because according to him, this time it simply cannot be done any other way.
This entry in Alain Delon's journal is different in its form. Every month we try to provide you with guides, recipes or tips for gourmet experiences. However, this time I bring you my story of the Mazda MX-5, because any attempt at an objective assessment fails.
It's very easy to rent a car for a few days and recommend buying it because it's the best thing you've ever been in. You test its performance, fun behind the wheel, or practicality, if that's the case, and then return the car after a week. In short, no-obligation fun.
However, this time I put my hand in my wallet and actually did what I recommend at the end of the article. After driving the new Mazda MX-5, few people will do anything differently.
OK, enough of the boring "push-pull", let's fast forward a few months. It's the end of June and there's a new red MX-5 parked in front of the house. No test car, my name is on the papers.
How many times did I drive a Mazda before I signed the order? Once. Twenty minutes. That's exactly how long it takes for the MX-5 to absorb you. The idea of going bankrupt before signing the lease became a part of everyday life until D-Day. Anyway, the car is home and the first 1000 km are behind us. So it's time for me to bring you something more than a test from Pezinská Baba.
The motorway is not exactly the new MX-5's favourite battlefield, and above 100 km/h you feel like you've packed a small high-revving blender into the cabin. The weight of just 1100 kg, including my little thing, was achieved thanks to small weight savings throughout the vehicle. Since we now need navigation or heated seats, the goal of achieving the same weight as the first-generation model from 1991 had to be achieved by cutting down wherever possible. This, of course, also affects the soundproofing and the thin fabric roof, which makes noise due to wind and road.
As soon as I turn off the main road towards the gateway to the Dolomites, the Tre Croci Pass, the noise from the highway is gone.
I don’t have time to spare, so I set off first thing in the morning towards Passo Giau, where the Mazda MX-5 once again shows off its athletic skills. The limited-slip differential gives me the courage to switch off the stability control and I’m suddenly regularly sending the MX-5 into U-turns with the doors in front. The Miata’s chassis gives you incredible confidence. While cars with three times the power would make you afraid to even look at the gas pedal, the MX-5 motivates you to go full throttle, to floor it and leave long tire lines on the road without ending up at the nearest tree. I stop at the top of Giau just for the obligatory photo and immediately fly across the Falzarego, Valparola and Pordoi passes. This series of hills with the wind in my hair and the sun overhead, together with the sensations that the Mazda overwhelms you with, gives a person an experience that is difficult to describe. The end result is a smile that will have to be surgically removed from your face.
And when it's time to go home, I close the roof and my heart is warmed by one thought. I don't have to return the car on Monday. I can pull it out of the garage at any time and repeat the experience behind the wheel over and over again.
But I have to say one thing at the outset. Until recently, I was not a die-hard fan of this little roadster, and its essence always eluded me a bit. Not enough power, a design that neither angers nor pleases, a brand name that doesn't send shivers down your spine when you mention it. Simply put, I've always respected the Miata, but never loved it.
Until one fine day, pictures of the new fourth-generation MX-5 appeared on the web. There are certain cars that are love at first sight, and this was it. For the first time, I said to myself that I had to drive a Mazda. Whether it was frustration with the current heavy ships, the new attractive design of the Miata, or a combination of both, it's hard to say. But from the first moment, I knew that I had to get behind the wheel as soon as possible.
So one fine morning I throw only the bare essentials into my micro suitcase and head towards my favorite destination in the world. Highway towards Klagenfurt, then through the districts to Cortina d'Ampezzo, to be in the heart of the Italian Dolomites in seven hours.
The Dolomites, a racetrack created by God
Almost everyone knows the famous Stelvio Pass and the Transfagarasan Highway, which the three guys from Top Gear called the best roads in the world. Forget them, if you are serious about driving, the Dolomites are the lost treasure of Alpine roads. Dozens of passes connecting each other create a circuit of over two hundred kilometers, during which you will not breathe for a minute. One pass, then another, slow switchbacks alternate with fast hairpins. All complemented by scenery that changes as you climb from fragrant coniferous forests to fabulous green meadows dotted with flowers. But suddenly, all life disappears and you arrive at the stone mountains themselves, reminiscent of an uninhabited planet.
