The Mazda MX-5 is one of the world's most popular sports cars, but what's it like around a race track? We put the CarExpert professional race driver, Chris Atkinson, behind the wheel to set a lap time and see where it places on our leaderboard.
Compare lap times: https://www.carexpert.com.au/lap-times/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=review&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=other-video
Read the full review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2021-mazda-mx-5-gt-performance-review/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=review&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=other-video
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Acceleration and braking figures 00:31
Initial impressions 00:48
Hot lap (no talking) 02:46
Hot lap debrief 03:58
Atko's verdict 05:37
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#mazda #review #mx5
Compare lap times: https://www.carexpert.com.au/lap-times/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=review&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=other-video
Read the full review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2021-mazda-mx-5-gt-performance-review/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=review&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=other-video
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Acceleration and braking figures 00:31
Initial impressions 00:48
Hot lap (no talking) 02:46
Hot lap debrief 03:58
Atko's verdict 05:37
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1
You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.
Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!
Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!
CarExpert:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au
Paul Maric:
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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric
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#mazda #review #mx5
Category
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Hey guys, Chris here, and we're back at Queensland Raceway,
00:02 our Car Expert test track.
00:04 Today, we've got the Mazda MX-5 GT Manual,
00:08 which is a two litre naturally aspirated engine,
00:10 real drive, and very lightweight.
00:13 It's 1,087 kilos, so the lightest car we've had
00:16 on the track so far.
00:17 Not the most powerful, but hopefully that weight
00:19 plays into its hands.
00:21 We're gonna go do our out lap, get a feeling for the car,
00:24 go do some flying laps, see how fast it is,
00:26 and then give you a rundown of what we thought.
00:28 But first, let's see how it performs,
00:30 zero to 100, and then braking as well.
00:32 (tires screeching)
00:36 So, initial impressions of the MX-5.
00:52 Seating position's really, really nice.
00:54 Obviously, you're down low, the car's tiny.
00:56 I can see pretty much the whole bonnet and the corners,
00:59 so that's gonna be great for positioning the car.
01:01 Steering wheel feels big, but I actually like the grip
01:05 and the positioning of that.
01:06 It's nice and firm, and I've got a good grasp of it.
01:11 Nice, precise feeling, but a little bit
01:12 of body movement there, so the car's obviously
01:14 a little bit soft.
01:15 Let's test the brake pedal out, see what that feels like.
01:18 Yeah, I like that, nice and firm.
01:21 ABS didn't kick in too aggressively.
01:23 So, that's a good start.
01:25 Manual gearbox, so we're gonna have to heel-toe,
01:28 if I can remember how to do that.
01:29 Yeah, that seems nice.
01:32 Nice position of the throttle, I can easily get
01:34 to the heel side of my foot over to the throttle
01:36 while keeping the pressure on the brake.
01:38 It's hard if the brake's moving around,
01:40 and then you're trying to heel-toe,
01:41 but if the brake can stay nice and solid, then it's easy.
01:44 All right, let's pick up the pace a little bit
01:45 and see how it feels more dynamically.
01:52 A lot of weight transfer, and engine, as you'd expect,
01:57 naturally aspirated two litre, it's not gonna blow you away
02:01 power-wise, but revving out pretty good.
02:04 I like the gear shift, they're really nice and crisp.
02:10 Easy to heel-toe and position that.
02:13 Now, traction's probably not gonna be an issue,
02:15 but it does have an LSD, this variant,
02:17 so should hold the rear wheels together nicely.
02:20 Biggest thing I'd say is the movement.
02:22 There's a lot of both roll and pitch,
02:25 so hopefully that doesn't upset the car too much,
02:29 and if we get too much weight unloading,
02:32 it might cause some oversteer on entry.
02:34 Traction-wise, then it will be an advantage,
02:36 but basically entering the corner will be more difficult.
02:40 All right, let's go for a flying lap
02:42 and see how quick the MX-5 can go.
02:46 (engine revving)
02:48 (engine revving)
02:51 (engine revving)
02:54 (engine revving)
02:57 (engine revving)
02:59 (engine revving)
03:05 (engine revving)
03:12 (engine revving)
03:18 (engine revving)
03:25 (engine revving)
03:28 (engine revving)
03:39 (engine revving)
03:45 (engine revving)
03:54 (engine revving)
03:57 So there you go, 103.22.
04:02 Unfortunately, it's not the fastest car around here,
04:04 but I don't think that's a surprise to anyone,
04:05 but it was a lot of fun
04:07 and like a real raw driving experience.
04:09 You know, hill towing.
04:11 First, the gearbox is awesome.
04:13 I love the gear shifters, so easy to pick gears.
04:16 Like even when the car was loaded, I could grab a gear,
04:19 never missed a shift.
04:20 Engine doesn't blow you away as you'd expect,
04:23 just 135 kilowatts, but it matches well to the car
04:27 and you can still get some slight oversteer on exit
04:31 with a little power slide.
04:32 Obviously in lower grip conditions,
04:34 you could have a lot of fun in this car.
04:36 I'd have to say it's maybe one of the most progressive
04:39 rear wheel drive cars I've ever driven.
04:41 It was so easy.
04:42 I was sliding through turns one and two
04:45 and the rear stepped out a couple of times
04:47 and I could just catch it, no problems at all.
04:49 So that was great.
04:50 And for someone coming to the track for the first time
04:54 or just want to explore their MX-5,
04:57 there's nothing to be afraid of.
04:58 I had traction control off
05:00 and as long as you don't do anything drastic,
05:02 then it's super easy to drive
05:04 and you can really play with the car.
05:06 Even though it's soft,
05:08 I didn't find that to be a huge negative.
05:10 The way I could rotate the car
05:11 was a little bit like a rally car.
05:13 I could get the weight transfer,
05:15 get the rear to slide a little bit on entry
05:17 and then use that weight shift to get on the throttle
05:19 and go on the exit.
05:20 So for me, it's just a nice little package.
05:24 Not going to blow you away performance wise,
05:27 but just tied together nicely,
05:30 rear wheel drive, naturally aspirated engine, manual.
05:32 It just ticks a lot of boxes and is a lot of fun.
05:35 Well, I don't mind being surprised
05:39 and that's what the MX-5 did today.
05:40 It blew my mind.
05:42 It's the slowest car we've ever had here,
05:44 yet one of the most fun.
05:45 So enjoyable out on the track.
05:47 The time wasn't special.
05:48 Doesn't have a huge power plant,
05:50 like all these modern cars,
05:51 but just raw and fun.
05:53 Like the gear shifts were spot on,
05:55 heel towing, nice and precise steering.
05:58 So many good things to say about this car.
05:59 And if you're looking for just pure enjoyment and engagement,
06:02 this might be the car for you.
06:04 I really had fun out there on the track.
06:06 My top three tips are,
06:07 one, you've got to carry corner speed.
06:09 You've got to be smooth and fast in
06:10 and you can really be precise with this car.
06:12 So really focus on that.
06:15 Traction is actually really good.
06:16 It's nice and progressive in the rear as well.
06:18 So don't be afraid to attack and have a bit of a go.
06:20 You're not going to miss out there.
06:21 And finally, like I said, just have fun.
06:23 It's an awesome little package.
06:25 Everything's put together well,
06:26 and I really had a ball driving it today.
06:28 Thanks for watching the video guys.
06:30 If you enjoyed it, hit the thumbs up button
06:31 and don't forget to subscribe and push that bell icon
06:34 so you get notified every time we publish a new video.
06:36 I'd love to hear your feedback
06:38 and also hear what else you'd like to see
06:39 out on the test track and see what sort of times we can do.
06:42 Thanks again for watching.