Mazda MX-5 2004 review

Mazda's venerable MX-5 is one such car and it is heartening to find that although the next generation is almost with us, the company has not given up striving to improve.

The MX-5 has been a benchmark for affordable soft-top motors. It was designed as a driver's car. Creature comforts were minimal but what a chassis! The model has soaked up a string of power increases without so much as a hiccup and is essentially unchanged in more than a decade.

If there was a pinnacle for the car it was surely the limited run of 100 turbo SP models out of the Australian garages of Mazda Motorsport boss Allan Horsley.

What a cracker. Mazda Japan said it couldn't be done; wouldn't be done. Mazda Australia said it could and it would. With the Turbo SE, headquarters has sort of said, "we were wrong" in a very face-saving way. The new SE – shamelessly and thankfully aimed to keep up the interest in MX-5 until the all-new car arrives late next year – is a low-blow version direct from the factory with only a fraction of the extra power, torque and sheer in-your-face attitude of the locally-developed car.

However, for its $45,490 – a mere $5000 more than the naturally aspirated model – the SE comes with limited slip differential, 17-inch alloys shod with 40-series rubber, a body kit including a restrained rear spoiler and signature exhaust, painted brake callipers, drilled sports pedals and new seat trim. The Turbo SE adds some 14 per cent to the MX-5's power output, lifting it to a handy 121kW, but more significantly boosts torque by almost 25 per cent, taking it to 206Nm for the 1.8-litre four.

The delivery is noticeably different for both the normally-aspirated model and the SP. While the turbo cuts in about 2000rpm to provide an initial surge, there is a clear second effort at just over 4500rpm when the engine appears to be most comfortable. Why it is there at all is a question even Mazda can not answer.

Keeping the revs in the play range takes a little getting used to and can prove costly in regard to fuel economy but the rewards are so satisfying that the occasional spirited drive should be budgeted for. While the suspension, as good as it is, can still be unsettled by sharp corrugations, ride quality is good for the class of car. The MX-5's suspension comes into its own in sweeping bends where the shift in direction is absorbed seamlessly allowing the driver to press on with confidence-inspiring balance.

The addition of the slippy diff only enhances the car's ability to drive out of corners under load, and while the 17-inch rubber and sharpened steering ratio have changed the feel of the car on turn-in, it is all for the better. The SE comes as a six-speed manual only – a precise and enjoyable box with ratios to encourage a maximum of time spent in third, fourth and fifth.

Inside the SE is a typical MX-5. Space can feel at a premium but once you have settled in it fits like a well-cut suit.

Roof operation remains manual and can be a little fiddly. It is easier to drop than put back on with the need to operate twin locks.

Airconditioning is optional ($2000) and leather is an extra $1000 but neither is essential to the enjoyment of the car.