It’s one of the hottest days of the year so far, but Mazda managed to bring the rain for the debut of the new MX-5 Roadster Coupe.
To show off the speedy action of the new folding hard-top a burst of water showered the stand here at the British motor show. It was an impressive demonstration: the MX-5 raises or lowers its roof in just 12 seconds at the press of a button - pretty much as quickly as any soft-topped rival.
The new folding hard-top folds away behind the seats, meaning that boot space is unaltered whether the roof is up or down at 150 litres. To achieve this, Mazda has tweaked the MX-5’s rear deck, which is slightly higher on the Roadster Coupe than on the soft-top. It’s more noticeable in the metal than in photos, but overall barely alters the MX-5’s svelte lines. The hard-top also adds a mere 37kg to the car’s weight.
The small increase in weight means the Roadster Coupe should be as good to drive is its soft-topped sibling, while the extra insulation of the hard top should improve refinement.
The Roadster Coupe goes on sale at the end of the year for around £17,000 (prices are yet to be finalised).
Other British motor show news
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Lexus launches limited-edition GS300
New Vauxhall Corsa is go
Focus CC priced to beat TwinTop
Seat unveils 237bhp Leon Cupra
Ford's 'green scheme' marches on
Q&A with Jaguar's Ian Callum
More Rs in Jaguar's range
Q & A with M Division boss
Kia reveals new Focus rival
No charge for electric car
Q&A: Citroen designer Leighanne Earley
Connaught's V10-powered British coupe
Ford boss reveals vision of green future
Caddy Escalade heads for Blighty
