Mazda MX5 Long Road Trip Review - 7 Countries - 2600 Miles - 12 Days

[@mikemorley2797]

Regarding the lumbar support I can give you a tip, the back of the leather seats are zipped and if you lift the zips up you can insert a cushion into the frame. The ideal shape of the cushion would be the type that fits on a sunbed i.e. long and thin this type tends to stay in place when you close the zips. I have fitted a fairly firm cushion into the framework and it makes the car much more comfortable for people with lower back problems like myself.

[@RichardFanders]

Thank you, I do know about that from a Facebook group. I'm finding it comfortable at the moment with the seat tilted back slightly but I'll bare that in mind if it gets uncomfortable.

[@moddude101]

Or keep a small towel handy to roll up for your back.

[@MarkPMus]

Bear that in mind, not bare. Bare means naked!! Sorry, just a spelling mistake that bugs me. I love all your videos and am bingeing my way through them.

[@quadraticfunction8045]

@@MarkPMus 🤣🤣

[@toxicaziz6440]

@@MarkPMus who gives a fuck Oh it's you

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Extremely good and comprehensive review of this car. Probably the best on KZbin. Well done. 👍

[@Lee-70ish]

We just did 1200 miles in the UK in the wife’s ND . Surprisingly comfortable for a little roadster and we are in our 70s . Only used a single case then roll pack all the other clothing around it got plenty in what is a tiny boot. Hers is the original 2016 1.5 and we averaged 49.9mpg ,mixed motorway, town and Devon single track lanes

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@jeremybrown9179 - That's the way to cruise. Miatas are great cars, so fun to drive, but not the best choice as a highway car (other than the great fuel economy).

[@conradopacheco2835]

I´m from Mexico, i was looking for a review like this, thank you Richard Fanders. You did a good video :)

[@ajkosolofski7763]

Great vid covered all my daily life/travel concerns about the car. Liked and subbed!👍

[@楊展-b8d]

As a fun car for weekend, mx5 is more fuel efficient than I imagined.

[@AndresGarcia-qk3sj]

It's very light and has a somewhat small engine, there's no way it wont be fuel efficient lmao, weight matters more than anything but engine size when it comes to fuel economy

[@jeffatturbofish]

Even when traveling at speeds that may or may not be at the speed limit, I will still have used less fuel than pretty much anything else on our highways. Heck, I will get worst fuel economy in my wife's brand new 2022 Honda CR-V than I would in my 2021 MX-5 on the highway when attempting to have a 85 MPH average.

[@frombrum]

trips of 120 miles mostly at 70 mph give me fuel consumption or nearly 50mpg funny though big smiles around country roads and it drops to 30, i wonder why?

[@gotworc]

I mean it's really light, small and has a small engine

[@user-wq9mw2xz3j]

most cars are more fuel efficient than you probably think. This was a long ride, of course fuel efficiency goes up actually 6+ is high and I reckon it could do 5.5-5.8 easily. In a bit over 100km a mercedes e class e400 managed to do 5.3, and that's a way bigger, heavier car with big engine..

[@gerrynorris1421]

This is brilliant mate! I just bought a MX 5 manual and I have very little experience driving a manual transmission. To prepare, I watched loads of Conquer Driving videos which have proved to be very helpful - just got it yesterday and in large part due to you I'm fairly comfortable already. Also, I'm about to take it on a road trip as well in a couple weeks. Clicking on this random MX5 review only to find out it's you, marvelous! Cheers mate!

[@carlosbrigett2574]

Last week I bought a 2023 MX-5/GT. I'm very impressed with this car, it being the 4th MX-5 and using the same Racing Beat muffler on all 4 now. I started with the 2015, then the 17 then the 19 and now the 23. Loved every one of them.

[@azteka6103]

Not worth the manual hassle anymore

[@jhonon1]

Thank you for this. I've had my MX-5 for a couple months now and am planning a 1500mi, each way, trip to visit family next month. Feeling very confident that it is gonna be a blast

[@daveycody]

Good and pleasant review. Down to earth. Thanks for the time you put into it!

[@timothycoyne5874]

Excellent review! Thanks for posting a terrific video from your amazing trip. It's great that you pointed out the negatives in addition to the positives. For the few people who will daily drive and put a lot of miles on a car like the MX-5 , it's important to know the pros and cons going into it. If it's just a fun car for nice weekend days, you can live with some negatives much more easily than if you're driving the car everyday. Fortunately, even the negatives on an MX-5 are not huge, and the car can be daily driven if you're willing to live with some compromises, mainly on storage space and trunk capacity. I should mention I am biased. I daily drove an ND1 for over 4 years and absolutely loved the car. I will probably buy another one sooner or later!

[@HoH]

This was great, Richard. Thanks for this video. I'm looking for a secondhand MX5 to go on a similar roadtrip (from NL to Greece) in September. Good to know you're so happy with the MX5!

[@jonathansapier7574]

I got my MX5 brand new last May after having a series of Mercedes Convertibles. I love it but had to laugh when you mentioned the noise of the wiper motor. I thought it was just me who’d be irritated by it. Apart from that I’m loving it. Great reviews

[@heshtele]

Very nice review, keep it up! If I may, I would like to add some personal experiences on the same topic, after 4.5 years of dailying an ND1 2.0 and having had at least 1-2 major (3k+ km) roadtrips every year (mostly in summer) with it. Here goes, in no particular order (long read ahead): I never realised until now that the wipers are indeed a bit loud/annoying; thanks for that, now I will be hating on them every trip. The seat is generally ok but for me (roughly same height as you) it gets a bit uncomfortable after 4-5 hours of driving. The AC/heater/heated seats work perfectly; maybe also because the indoor space is so small, it's super easy to get the car hot/cold rapidly or to drive with the roof down without feeling cold (it's actually, in my experience, much nicer to drive the car with the roof down between 10-20 degrees C than between 20-30 degrees; after 30 it's roof-up for me automatically). The general road noise is ok; you don't notice that it's pretty loud unless you also drive another "normal" car on a regular basis (and I don't). Start/stop is useless because the gearshift knob (and the entire car for that matter) shakes quite violently when the engine starts, so I always turn it off each time I start the car (it's a reflex by now, same as putting on the seatbelt). Fuel economy is great; I measured it with an app (not via the on board computer) since the very first kilometers and up to almost 60k and it's 7.02l/100km, which I find rather impressive for a daily driven sports car). I too got tricked into spending 40 EUR (that was the limit on my plan fortunately) on data (in Andorra, not Switzerland) by Android; I guess you just have to learn :) More than once we drove in the rain and it's perfectly fine unless it's a really heavy rain; in that case, you have to keep it really fast in order to keep the water out and it doesn't feel safe anymore. We also are a bit scared each time the temperature warning pings; moreover, my car tends to always throw a false tire pressure warning at the beginning of each major roadtrip. I've used both Android Auto and Carplay and, in my view, Android is easier to use with the controls, but Carplay looks nicer; my (smaller) phone tends to stay put in the little compartment without any extra support but that was a nice tip with the magnet holder. During spirited uphill driving is also where I've seen the temperature needle moving from it's stable 90 (?) degrees position; so that tends to confirm your theory about the engine running hotter; I didn't notice any burning smell though; and maybe the engine power loss when running hot is by-design, to avoid overheating? One thing you didn't say anything about: suspension. I have the stock one (not Bilstein) and it is (for me, not a track boi) simply brilliant; it eats bumps and (small) potholes very nicely, but still feels rather sharp once you start pushing it. Countries and roads: we've been roadtripping to Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Andorra (damn roaming). The best roads for the car are probably (for us at least) the ones in Switzerland; all the mountain passes are great and the vineyard roads around Lausanne/Vevey are wonderful. In Italy I had the same feeling as you did, felt everybody was driving a bit more fast/careless than they should; and the backroads are quite bumpy and bad. In Spain, on the very first trip with the car (it had maybe 5k km), "the devil got into me" one night as I was chased by a BMW on a windy road I was driving for the first time; nothing bad happened but in retrospect I think I should've kept my cool and drive slower (it's still is a very vivid memory since my wife was speechless for a good 20 minutes, presumably because she was a bit afraid). There's some very nice roads in France as well (not the motorway) - even if they're not uphill or spectacular, they seem to have a nice vibe and they're usually quite nice in terms of quality. We plan to do Norway this year, the usual summer week in Switzerland and maaaybe, if we manage, attempt Scotland (N500 or parts of it). Do you think it's going to be ok driving there with a LeftHand Drive? I did drive before in UK/Malta but with local cars having RHD. After that, the car will be traded-in for a replacement; we hesitated a lot between an ND2 and a CX-30 but in the end the CX-30 won, just because we like experimenting. Hopefully in 4-5 years when it's time to change again, a new MX-5 model will be available :)

[@RichardFanders]

I agree that roof down is better when it's cooler. Most convertible owner soon discover that. The ND2 has a different tyre pressure monitoring system, so far I've not had a false alarm but I get them in my Leon which uses the ABS sensors for the tyre pressures. The NC500 is beautiful. Personally I would just do the west and north side to save time or spend more time there. Isle of Skye is not part of it but has some wonderful roads. I don't think it will matter that your car is left hand drive. Especially as there are no tolls.

[@jeffatturbofish]

I had to take a picture of my car temp reading when I was parked after driving around - temp 108 F and still running much cooler than what I was. We will use my wife's new Honda SUV CR-V on our next massive road trip [4,000 miles] but she was comfortable enough on a 13 hour segment of highway miles in my MX-5. Ok, she did complain slightly. No warnings of tire pressures ever given when the temp was above 100f but yeah, I had warnings with my ND2 and NC when the temp was below 32 F. But so did everyone else.

[@khelgarironfist3301]

Have you had a flat tire? Probably my biggest issue with this car would be the lack of a spare. Would hate getting a flat in middle of nowhere. Would you recommend run-flats for this? How's CX-30 driving btw, does it make you miss the Miata?

[@heshtele]

@@khelgarironfist3301 actually had a semi-flat; we were in france and I could feel i "stepped" on something with my left front wheel; it was a part of a shoe heel and we were not losing a lot of pressure so I managed to drive it like that until the next day when we fixed it. moving on the cx-30: only have it since mid-november so I don't miss the miata yet, the weather is pretty bad around here so I appreciate the heated steering wheel and the overall comfort (at transmission, smoothness, adaptive cruise control, etc). maybe when the spring comes, I will start missing the miata more but for now I only get a bit nostalgic when I see pictures with it but other than tht the cx30 is great so far so nothing to complain about

[@xuro4337]

never seen such an in depth and awesome review! thank you so much for it. i heard everything i needed to know to make me buy one myself! :D definitely worth a sub :D keep it up!

[@kevinbessant8085]

Excellent - thank you. I've watched enough reviews and fancied one for a while so it's time to get serious and buy one.

[@dennisrainville1809]

My longest drive in my new ND3 was about 6 hours. I checked into the hotel and immediately went out for a drive... Zoom.

[@tonigarcia7787]

40 minutos de charla y que no hable nada tu señora, es un gran logro, si señor eres un crack.

[@davijuli50]

What a lovely review! I'm now in my third year of my bachelor at university and in my free time I'm working a lot to save enough to buy this beautiful car. If I calculated it correctly I will be able to buy it upcoming May and I can't wait 👌👌👌

[@uk7866]

Love this longer detailed review. Really appreciate the intricate details of how the car holds up without any fanaticism in the remarks

[@aspiratedaloha2946]

Thanks for the comprehensive review. The most detailed I’ve seen on KZbin. This gave me all the info I needed to green light a 2500km road trip in one of these. Cheers

[@RoadRage0]

All the long trip infos that I needed about this car, this video had all the answers. Thank you! You sir, just earned a new subscriber.

[@flyingproofficial]

Do you really think he cares about a sub

[@RoadRage0]

@@flyingproofficial I didn’t think that much further when I was making the comment. I expressed my joy about the video that’s it my guy

[@flyingproofficial]

@@RoadRage0fair enough

[@davidhalliwell6844]

The best ‘real’ long term reviews of this car….any car…I’ve seen. Well done sir.

[@peterfrost696]

They must be doing something right now on our 5th I think I’ve lost count and latest is closest to the original . All 100% reliable,and great fun. Just back from a Brittany tour and still enjoying at 75! We overpacked needless to say and providing you can accept the roof up on a journey there’s yet more space behind the seats where the hood down is stored. Thanks for great video.

[@WizardTerence]

Very good review ! Good idea to review how the car performs on a long trip !

[@RX7Cody]

What a well done video! Really enjoyed it and appreciate all the extra effort with conversion constantly on screen! I would NOT roadtrip in my 2004 miata hahaha

[@JoshuaLaPorte]

Totally agree about the blind spot monitoring. It's excessively sensitive and beeps at me when there is no car in the lane I am planning to merge into. Interestingly, I bought a 2015 Mazda3 with the same system and in it worked so much better in that car, the system rarely would beep at me when a car was two lanes away. I suppose it's good to know that someone is over there, especially in the congested and chaotic roads around New York City where I live. But, exactly as you pointed out, it causes me to hesitate, do a second head check, take my eyes off the road, etc. Your videos helped me confidently buy this car (2021 soft top) a few weeks ago. I am in love, more so as I get used to the car.

[@richardbarrett4104]

Well Richard, I enjoyed that immensely, came a good time for me as I'm looking for a MX5 soft top now.

[@htenthusiast2897]

Great real life review. We got an MX5 for our daughter as she wanted a convertible and this was the best option IMO, being reliable and fun to drive in a nicely designed and feature packed roadster. It was refreshing to drive a more analog vehicle, yet with modern features. I very much dislike the lane assist and any of the modern car assistances and get my cars with the most basic assistance feature and turn everything I can off. My latest vehicle came without blind spot monitor due to Covid, which is so refreshing not having that light and warning that never served for anything other than annoy me when changing lanes. I fully agree with your comments and much prefer a vehicle without all unnecessary assistances and warnings. Driving top down with the heat and music on is pure bliss, the sound system is really good and the seat speakers a great addition. I received a phone call and it was loud and clear on both sides of the call. Nice that the voice comes from the headrest speakers. Also the navigation directs the voice to the driver side speaker door for clear route guidance understanding even with the top down. My daughter is loving her Miata and we enjoy going on rides together. Although I tried convincing her to choose the manual shifter, she preferred the automatic, which diminishes its spirit a little. Oh well teens nowadays just think different and are not so much into fast and furious driving, which is safer… and good for me as a dad. ✌🏻😎

[@jeffjoe7851]

Thanks for a comprehensive review. Answers a lot of questions. Maybe I will buy and drive year round.

[@Saboda53]

A tip you may like: at high Autobahn speeds, try Bose Noise-Canceling headphones - with no music playing. (I believe they were originally developed for airline pilots to reduce in-cabin drone.) They make a big difference, making the MX-5 pleasantly quieter, eliminating most of that drone.

[@RichardFanders]

Thank you, I used to use them in my VX220. One of my reasons for buying the MX5 was so I didn't need then anymore. It's very quiet compared to the VX220, quiet enough for me.

[@gotworc]

Noise cancelling headphones seem a big dangerous don't you think? You can't hear anything going on around you

[@thewindow6]

@@gotworc arguably if the car is very noisy you can’t hear anything over it anyway and they do no harm. Similarly legally deaf people can drive just fine, you just have to be aware that you’re one sense down and adjust your behaviours to compensate, look around more than you would etc.

[@Saboda53]

@@gotworc Not a problem as I use them “on” but with no music. So I can still hear sirens, horns, etc. only minus the road roar.

[@peterlewis3540]

My 2021 Sports Venture edition, has been the most reliable car, ive ever owned. Nothing has gone wrong with it, no dashboard lights have appeared, totally faultless, and that even includes being laid up in my garage for nearly six months over the winter. The battery never went flat, tyre pressure remained the same, oh wow, i only wish every car ive owned could have been as trouble free as my MX Even the tyre pressure has remained constant, and i check it every week, it always stays rock steady at 2 BAR, it never moves. I much prefer the character of the 1500cc engine, as it returns better fuel economy than the 2 Litre, is cheaper to insure, and gives more than enough performance for such a lightweight vehicle. Im 5ft 11, and the driving position is perfect for my height. I could go on and on, speaking about the virtues of this wonderful little sports car. The best decision i ever made, was to buy this superb car. If your thinking of buying one, DO IT NOW, you will never regret that decision.

[@andreapuddu2320]

What a good review, Richard you are amazing. I enjoyed a lot this 40 minutes. Thank you

[@edwardtye4119]

A tip for when your ears keep popping and you can't hear yourself is either do a big yawn or swallow quite hard. I use it quite a lot and it works 90% of the time, but I am a bit bunged up at the moment. Edit: Also, I think the cruise control buttons increase the speed in increments of 1km/h even when it's reading in mph, and it rounds it up or down to the nearest mile per hour on the display, which is why you need to effectively press + 1.6 times to increase the speed by 1mph.

[@RichardFanders]

Thank you. The cruise does do 1mph at a time, it just doesn't like me going much above the set speed.

[@edwardtye4119]

@@RichardFanders Ah, I see.

[@stephenbacks3100]

Craven Speed sells a phone holder that fits into the cup holder bracket in the passenger footwell. It’s about $100, but well worth it. It’s also magnetic, and you can see the phone screen while driving. I have one in my 2018, and highly recommend it.

[@guidoinperu]

Nice video! Two tips: use offline Google Maps and Spotify lists! Both can be downloaded before you travel on wifi, and you'll only use minimal data for traffic information on Maps. Another tip: an eSIM in case you want to use data ;-)

[@bricksbeersbeards9368]

I live in Colorado in the US, the city I live is slightly more than 1 mile elevation, I drive it through the canyons - haven't noticed any additional power loss yet, steep climbs obviously the car has to work harder...but that's normal. Seeing this does make me wonder what I might be missing with the car at low altitudes! Time to plan a long road trip! Great video! Regarding fuel efficiency, I just got 49.3 mpg US on a 48 mile trip, driving 40-65 MPH (45 mph average), very pleased with that.

[@TypeVertigo]

Great review. Only real complaint I have is not hearing your passenger's perspective after the whole trip was done. One of my many concerns with the ND MX-5 is how the passenger's comfort seems not to have been much of a priority, what with the way the cupholders can be moved into their footwell, and the shape of the footwell to begin with, due to the transmission tunnel eating into it a little. Everything else is as comprehensive as I'd like. Well done.

[@RichardFanders]

My other half doesn't want to be on camera. She was very comfortable throughout the trip though. She is 165cm so it's perfect for her, she doesn't usually have the seat all the way back. Tall passengers over 182cm though struggle for space, ok for short journeys but probably not for all day journeys.

[@danielboyd9380]

I did the same years ago in an Austin mini. Right hand drive that I bought in London. Prepare for a awesome trip. It would be so much fun in that car.

[@tjacobsen5131]

Did a similar trip in our G160 from Norway to Italy and France through Germany, Austria and Switzerland last summer. I've put 135tkm on it since I bought mine in 2016. Never changed a lightbulb. Just brakes and tires. Love the reliability and fun. It's a keeper 🙂 Nice video. But the mask thing 🙄

[@Danielagostinho21]

23:16, I have a toyota yaris and have the same problem. The solution i've found is to avoid lifting the clutch in neutral or if you do antecipate when you need 1st gear and clutch in way before puting in gear. The problem is when you lift the clutch in neutral, the gearbox starts spinning and when you clutch in, it doesn't necessarly stop, it will just gradually stop because of friction of bearings and gearbox oil. If you rush it, basically the synchros need to stop the gearbox from the idling at 800rpm to 0rpm.

[@RichardFanders]

The trouble is, the reason I use neutral is to come off the clutch. I've gotten into the habit of doing a double push forwards to first gear. Works quickly but it looks like you don't know what you're doing, as in you didn't get it in first time and need a second go.

[@brinkeguthrie]

REALLY enjoyed this video, never been to Europe and I felt like I was there in the car. Well done, mate.

[@wufson-cz]

Great video and here is a tip for you 21:47 you talked about the data roaming problem, there is a simple solution, turn data roaming off like you said but before that download the map data from the google maps app pretty much any navigation app lets you do that, I don't have roaming data in my data plan so I use this and it works fine.

[@iansmith371]

Great video. At age 62 I like to list the 'characteristics' of my 1.5 RF and the noisy wiper motor reminds me of the 1972 Ford Escort of my youth. Nothing at all wrong with that, young man. Once again, well done.

[@richfixescars]

Good review thanks. I had a 2.0 Sport Nav for 18 months. I did find the lack of a glovebox and door bins frustrating, nowhere for your wallet, keys or mobile. Also tall passengers can't get their legs down under the dash because of the subwoofer under the carpet. I found the seats a bit under supported on long trips. Despite all this, it's a lovely nimble car to drive, will be getting another asap. Might get an RF retractable hardtop next time, quieter at speed, easier to clean, but you can still get the wind in your hair!

[@hypnotechno]

subwoofer only a problem for driver in RHD?

[@zajka00]

i forgot the video was about the car haha, had fun being the passenger on the trip

[@zydomason]

38:50 damn I was so confused what was happening in the background and then realised you were on a train lol

[@BadeniaFilme]

Thank you for this video. This was exactly what I was looking for.

[@xavierxavier6186]

I like your video. congratulations to the passenger who accompanied you. I plan to soon experiment with this little car to use it every day and go on a trip. in my opinion, I have this respect for a passenger in such a small car: - after 200km, she is impatient to arrive. - after 300km, she kills me. - after 500km, there is no trace of me and my car from our stay on earth. congratulations to the passenger. I don't advise you to go a race track.

[@RainmakerAnton]

I was wondering about the gear stiffness in my used MX-5 RF 2018, thanks for bringing it up, it put my mind at ease :) Very nice review, good job!

[@RichardFanders]

I think mine is getting gradually worse, I don't remember first needing two pushes when I got the car new, I will look into changing the gear oil.

[@RainmakerAnton]

@@RichardFanders It'd be great if you could post an update if you ever do it.

[@TheFlyingClutchman]

@@RichardFanders my 2019 ST has the same issue. I think it's because of the super stiff gearbox mounts (same reason you can sometimes hear a gearbox whine when accelerating hard). Guess you need the stiff mounts to get that lovely notchy gearshift

[@lucianolucidi8624]

@@TheFlyingClutchman 0

[@ericjohnson8847]

Thanks for the Trip review. I've wanted one for a long time and finally really considering getting one, now that that last of my children are graduating and will be out of the house. My only concern is that I'm 6 foot 2 inches tall. Hope to go test drive one this weekend! 🙂

[@RichardFanders]

I hope you manage to fit well.

[@kssrider6766]

Same thought here, although my turn to get one will be in 6 years time. Can't afford a brand new one but a 7-8 year old model. Keeping fingers crossed it will go according to plan.

[@baldobaldo6118]

just a tip, place your hi visibility on passanger side so u can pick and wear it before u exit from the car. oc for the next travel.

[@johncanela1921]

Awesome review! I just bought an MX-5 and I loved all the details you shared. I learned a lot !

[@PaulA-zp7hn]

Thanks for taking us along on your road trip. I love this little car but just not practical enough for me...but I love the power to weight ratio. I wonder how your trip would be with a Mazda 3

[@RichardFanders]

It would have been very similar to be fair. I didn't really get to push the car much on this trip.

[@BlakeMcCringleberry]

As a Mazda 3 owner, I'd bet it would be quieter, smoother, with a lot more room for the driver, passenger, and luggage. But it would not be able to put the top down, the handling and performance would be much less fun, and the Android Auto/Apple CarPlay system would be flakier. The Mazda 3 cupholders would be much better positioned, though. That makes a big difference on these long drives.

[@mmj6500]

This car looks so good 🤌🤌🤌

[@duckbizniz663]

Great video on driving around Europe. Very helpful information on MX-5.

[@Tailspin80]

Really interesting review and road trip! 21:00 copper is not magnetic btw.

[@MrProTwiX]

Neither an MX5 Owner nor am i looking for one, but this video was very entertaining. Good Video, liked watching all of it, Probs!

[@frombrum]

go and have a test drive - i dare you then see if you are not planning to buy one because i didn't to start with

[@ciello___8307]

regarding the difficulty of going into gear: miatas from before are known to be a little stubborn going into first or reverse at times. An easy way to address this is to double clutch into those gears.

[@Saboda53]

A tip: consider getting an iPhone SE; it fits in the phone cubby perfectly. Hey, we choose different luggage (softer, smaller) for an MX-5, so why not an appropriately sized phone? (Plus it fits much better in jeans’ pockets.)

[@jamesgoss9170]

Richard, I enjoyed your test. Good to see a British test, and it was very informative. I am thinking of getting a brand new MX5 RF. However, I was worried about the ground clearance with traffic humps etc. Do you have any problems with your car and traffic humps ? I note that the brand new MX5s no longer have blind spot monitoring - not even the top model - the Homura. I was told that might be due to the global shortage of micro chips. Do you know anything about this ?

[@jonneym]

I have just purchased a 2023 mx5 2.0l and drove 250 miles on the first day and 260 miles on the second day from Scotland to east Anglia. I Loved it, avoiding then Motorways as much as possible. Last year I drove my golf gti through Switzerland through some of the mountain passes and lookouts. I’m planning to take the miata next year just for the drive. I feel you missed an opportunity not researching the best driving routes on your journey, perhaps the other half wasn’t interested, my wife hates the sharp twisting hairpins 😂I must say my golf felt underpowered at times at high altitude. The steep inclines and thin air certainly put my golf through its paces. My old Mercedes 350cdi 3.0l diesel had more punch going up but nowhere near the fun to drive as the golf.

[@melaniezimmermann-jv7th]

How much HP does your golf have ?

[@jonneym]

@@melaniezimmermann-jv7th it’s a 2015 gti cabriolet. I think it’s about 207 BHP Being a cabriolet its a touch heavier than the standard gti

[@lightspeedmath8065]

Richard, you should definitely make a trip to NY. I drive standard as well and you could make a really nice video especially with your abundance of knowledge. Keep up the great work!

[@ophrasbankaccount7716]

you could be a Jim Carrey impersonator. I'm feeling the vibes here. 20:22

[@Ginbaubabe]

It’s not only the music costing roaming charge, it’s the Google map nav as well. Switch off roaming and turn off any streaming service eg Spotify if you don’t want to get stinged by roaming charges

[@uniquelypositive]

I have the first gen (NA), have driven it for about the same distance, across North America and I would conclude the same thing. Definitely have one in your garage if you can do so, you'll love it.

[@jeffatturbofish]

Took my 2021 MX-5 on a 2,000 mile road trip last summer. Wifes says that her side has more room even with that hump thing. Last day was 850 miles of rain and driving bliss.

[@RichardFanders]

I think the side with the hump is longer.

[@jeffatturbofish]

@@RichardFanders She has complained that the hump forces her to make different purse choices. Just yesterday, we made a 620 mile day trip. Complete with a flat tire and two new tire replacements.

[@NervylHraje]

I do not understand how you're able to do regular miles long road trips with these petrol prices. It's bloody crazy. But more power to you.

[@jeffatturbofish]

@@NervylHraje On our last Miata road trip, that was a point of conversation until I pointed out our last group drive, it cost us a whole $5 more than what it would have a year prior with over 170 miles of travel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2THeKx9i6yno9U Last month, we went on a 600 mile day trip in the MX-5 and got better MPG than what we would have gotten in my wife's Honda CR-V. We will take another massive road trip in a month of around 4,000 miles [yeah, she said that we can't take the MX-5] and after I did the calculations, the cost of actual travel and car rental would be half that it would be if we just did the actual miles behind the wheel even with fuel prices being double than what they were a year ago - and still be much, much higher than Europe [27% vs 61% with Europe vs US inflation on gas prices alone].

[@jeffatturbofish]

@@NervylHraje I just enjoy driving more than the increased cost. Perhaps I need to do a Gant chart on the progress beyond enjoyment and cost but, damn, as an perhaps old man, I just want to still have fun before I am dead. Plus, again, I really like driving -really, really fast...

[@shakur144]

Wow, great review 👏I feel like I need a road trip right now ☺️ question,.. Do you have bilstein suspension and lowering springs on your car?

[@RichardFanders]

It's standard factory fit Bilstein shocks.

[@CUTproductionsLtd]

Really like your review and car; sports cars make fun GTs, especially over Europe. Having done it many times in many types of cars I personally prefer sporting diesel estates: long ranges with plenty of storage (a whole edit suit one time); low rpm cruising; 2300rpm at 80mph in my Audi A4, with nearly 800 miles on one tank. The only electric seat control I have is lumbar and many people said what's the point but I have been very grateful for that; as I have been for cloth seats in summer Spain, even though I had buyer's remorse at first. Regarding Android Auto, if you use something like Sygic, your maps are stored on your phone and work offline, only minus live traffic; similarly with Spotify you can download the music or use an app to play tracks directly on your phone and switch off data roaming entirely.

[@angebuenchip]

thanks you, pues aun sigo soñando con comprarme ese carro.

[@aerotus888]

Amazing trip. thanks for this!

[@MajorAddiction]

Got a 2016 ND that's been my daily since 2018. I find the steering wheel too thin. It's not a deal breaker but after driving other cars (ie BMW 1 series and Honda Civic) it makes me want that type of thicker steering wheel. There are nice aftermarket ones, but they cost a pretty penny. I never really noticed the chimes being intrusive as far as the warning sounds go. The only one I get is really the [low] tire pressure one. Do love the physical buttons as you mentioned for the infotainment. No need for a large, distracting touch screen you gotta reach for.

[@smithp573]

Fantastic review and you are so right. It IS the little niggly things that need to be discussed. You’ve done me no favours though. I searched YT to find out “is the 1.5 enough mx5?”. And now I think it probably isn’t, or if I do get one I’ll always wonder if I should’ve got a 2.0. Your trip and that situation reminds me of 2001 when I bought a new NB (facelift) 1.8 and we did a tour to France but when I got back I really wished I’d pushed the boat out and got a the Sport for its 6-speed gearbox.

[@bluegtturbo]

170kmph is really hammering it! Over a ton mph!

[@vanitore]

awesome mate I goy myself a 2019 RF sport nav absolutely epic

[@jaguarplugins3493]

Suggestion for a main channel video as would be very useful for long trips like this: "how to safely use cruise control". I never know what to do with my right foot: putting it behind the pedals feels very unsafe as it's much harder to reach the break so I usually end up covering the break which is just way more tiring than using the accelerator normally and defeats the whole point of cruise control!

[@RichardFanders]

I'll be honest my right foot often goes under the pedals, but I don't have a problem braking from that position.

[@jaguarplugins3493]

Haha, fair enough. Maybe I'm just being an idiot - will try and work something out next time I'm on the motorway. Thanks anyway

[@yimengpeng7855]

What a comprehensive review. Thinking of buying a 2019 Miata recently, very useful! Thanks!

[@frombrum]

to tall people here's the trick with the seat position in the RF I'm 6ft if you lean the seat back forward slightly it allows you to move the base further back and then move the seat back against the rear bulkhead I can make a fist above my head and between my leg and the steering wheel

[@Rogue_Ranger]

you probably know this by now but you can adjust all the warning sounds on the head unit. The lane switch indicator beep is probably in there somewhere

[@RichardFanders]

I noticed that last week actually. I probably knew before but forgot.

[@gtb5]

Thought RHD all have signal indicator on the right stalk but yours is on the left. Just an advice to make sure doors are🔒when driving.

[@RichardFanders]

In the UK it's normal to have the indicator stalk on the left.

[@gtb5]

@@RichardFanders Indicator on the right makes more sense on RHD and vice versa since the other hand is used for shifter.

[@michalvalent8728]

Not bad review mate, bit of advice for your long trips... Get RainX no wipers needed and get some deflatable bags it saves massively on space...

[@akanojia]

You can change settingss on spotify to not play music when on mobile data

[@RichardFanders]

I'm using KZbin music but I think you can on that too.

[@DaBinChe]

CravenSpeed out of Portland Oregon has a product call Gemini device mount holds via magnetic that mounts into the passenger side leg cup holder. Works great, out of the way. They sell on Amazon too last I saw.

[@RichardFanders]

I'll have a look.

[@daisycutter3893]

Great review and video.

[@raylauderback5126]

Just subscribed to your channel, Sir,! Great content!👍

[@hornet224]

1st gear shifting hitch from N is a big problem in my mind. Interior noise was more than I expected with top up. A decibel meter reading would be helpful. It looks a little bit cramped for both of you. More wiggle room would be nice.

[@SibaNL]

12:18 This can be disabled in the settings for android auto. However it just sucks that some countries are excluded for roaming, something you need to keep an eye on before traveling. Edit: 13:40 You did switch it off. that sucks. I see that the play button is still selected, so somehow it might have registered a button press

[@Rig_JW]

I'm a single guy in my 30s living on the outskirts of a big city in Europe. I'm considering getting this as my only car. To be honest I couldn't care less for back seats and large trunk as 95% of time I just carry groceries for a week or a bag for my gym. Remaining 5% I can probably arrange in a different manner or just have the thing shipped to my flat. I also work fully remotely so it will not be driven too hard (millage-wise, I intend to use it properly) . The only downside is that I do not have a garage for it. To be honest as I see what is happening with those car norms on emissions and such I feel that this is now or never to get a sports car.

[@JoSi-of3hx]

Do it, I am selling my Tesla for the MX-5, i am also 30, single, dont carry much stuff in the trunk, so this is the perfect car for cruising around. And you are right, if you dont get one now, maybe tomorrow its too late with all those norms.... I will test drive one these days. Back then it was so fun.... :)

[@anubiasab]

The part where you talked about the warning sounds is so true. I bought a brand new Polo GTI about 3 weeks ago and it does the same thing when the temp is 4 degrees. Also bongs when you open the door with the engine on, when there's something like water droplets blocking the light assist sensor and when the fuel light comes on. Really annoying!! Surprised it doesn't bong when I just look at it.

[@RichardFanders]

Next it will bong if you fart. I do think some of these notifications are necessary.

[@marcsiedenburg]

Great informative video, thanks !

[@534tgrg6yrtgdf]

Oh nice. pilot sport replaces the S001 Bridgestones. Less drifting? No punctures in all those miles!!😀

[@RichardFanders]

I was getting it a little sideways at Croft on Tuesday. But I won't be drifting it for a while.

[@534tgrg6yrtgdf]

@@RichardFanders in your next video. Could you talk about the difference in tire performance please?

[@muhenwo]

Thanks for the wonderful review and nicely cut video. I’m 6’1 and wonder if it’s got enough leg room for me as well?

[@mcrked]

Im also 6’1, have you found an answer yet?

[@DaveSimkus]

You made the best detailed and honest review out there, thank you. I like that it's a long video with no fancy editing or music. Do you think the RF version would have been better for such a trip? The cabin noise with the soft top must get tiring, I wonder if the RF makes a big enough difference to make it worth upgrading. Some say the RF is only a minor improvement in terms of cabin noise.

[@RichardFanders]

Thank you, I haven't driven the RF so I can't compare.

[@gatoterro]

love your videos!!!

[@nihiabstracto]

Excellent review !

[@johnhall4917]

I love the MX-5, but I'm 200cm tall. I have a Mazda 2 and the starting procedure involves a 45 second 1500rpm idle before settling to 700rpm. I always wait for the revs to drop before driving. I only recently bought the Mazda 2 based on it returning 72mpg on the test drive. Very impressed for a N/A 1500cc petrol.

[@RichardFanders]

They are very efficient!

[@geofftefl]

I too have a Mazda 2 (6-speed auto) and, following its most recent service (10,000km), the settling process only goes down to just below 1,000RPM instead of the previous 750RPM. I did notice the owner's manual says don't select drive until normal idle speed. I think I might take it back for adjustment. Apart from that little peculiarity, my current (and previous) Mazda experience is very enjoyable. Definitely a driver's car.

[@Edgymemes249]

Such an informative video, thank you! My issue is cabin noise on the highway. Some people said it’s too bad, thus making me search for an RF. But then I only found soft-tops and got discouraged because of it. From your video, it seems like there is more noise compared to your Leon, but that it’s totally manageable, especially at speeds lower than ~95 mph. Does your car have the extra insulation in the soft top and could you share your opinion on the matter? It would be of great help, thanks!

[@NFSDriver]

there is a thing with phones where you can disable roaming data, so when you are in a different country the phone just never connects to the internet, you might want to do that when you cross Switzerland again. no matter how hard the phone will try to play music, you wont have internet connection at all.

[@RichardFanders]

I needed the data for the sat nav.

[@TheFlyingClutchman]

On the cruise control plus/minus buttons. I'm pretty sure the reason you end up pressing so many more times is that you can't be more than 5mph faster or slower than the set cruise control. So if you're slowing down by pressing minus, you have to wait for the car itself to slow down until it is less than 5mph your new speed before you can continue to drop the speed. Annoying yes, but I think that's how they intended for it to work

[@RajSingh-pi2oe]

excellent review 👍🏽

[@johnm5131]

I could not even imagine being folded into that thing for more than an hour..and I have a luxo RF GT. Between the lack of legroom, and the $4 cheapo center armrest, and the seating position, I'd have to bring some pillows and aspirin. My GT3 is like a limousine by comparison. Must be fun tho with top down and winding roads. 38MPG is nice too.