Evergreen Mazda MX-5 updated for 2024 | GRR
With all the fuss around the new Iconic SP Concept, which previews a new rotary Mazda sportcar, it would be easy to miss that the current model, which has been with us for a leggy eight years, has been given a(nother) mid-life facelift. Unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show, it gets updated looks inside and out: new infotainment, a new Track driving mode, a new limited-slip differential and additional safety kit.
Changes on the outside are limited to new-look LED headlights, which now incorporate daytime running lights and tail lights, but as the car looks remarkably fresh even in its twilight years, no more changes were needed.
Mazda’s done the lightest of refresh jobs on the inside, too, where the old seven-inch infotainment screen makes way for one that’s 1.8 inches larger and has extra USB-C ports and friends won’t fail to be impressed by the new frameless rearview mirror.
Of more interest to the readers of this parish is a stability control system with a Track mode that holds off intervention to “deliver a more dynamic, yet secure, drive experience with first-time track drivers in mind”. A tweaked throttle and revised steering should make it easier to find and hold the Mazda on the limits of its adhesion.
As should the new LSD fitted to 2.0-litre models. It locks up and releases quicker, making the Mazda easier to control when accelerating and decelerating, ensuring “the purity of handling balance the MX-5 is famed for”.
It’s not just the improved dynamics that should make the Mazda harder to crash; it also gets new safety features, including Lane-Keep Assistance and Intelligent Speed Assistance on all models, with an updated Traffic Sign Recognition system.
Due in the UK in March next year, you can expect full pricing and specifications of the updated MX-5 in the coming months.