• Cabin is small but nicely laid out
• Well-made but plastics are firmly unyielding
• Infotainment very easy to use

How is the quality and layout?

Dividing the cabin in two is the high transmission tunnel, with the stubby gearlever within perfect reach. The slick, precise mechanical change has a strong influence on how robust and well-made the MX-5 feels, and the sense of direct control is matched by the provision of a conventional manual handbrake positioned in easy reach.

The dashboard has a symmetry ahead of the driver that makes it feel focused and relatively single-minded. A central rev-counter keeps you focused too, and although the speedo – offset to the right of the binnacle – is quite small, the white-on-black design of the panel is clean, crisp and easy to read.

Material quality is impressive, but the Japanese err on the side of durable and strong plastics that are solid rather than soft-touch, and so it is here. For the most part the design is neat enough that you won’t notice, but you certainly will notice the door cards when cornering enthusiastically, as your knee is likely to bang into them – and they’re so hard this tends to hurt.

The overall control layout is generally very good – and the simplicity of operation throughout is quickly appreciated.

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Infotainment and tech

All models benefit from a prominent 7.0-inch screen, which displays Mazda’s MZD Connect infotainment system. This works rather like a simplified version of BMW’s iDrive, in that it’s easily controlled by a knob next to the gearlever. It’s a straightforward, intuitive system, and we think it works well. Good news, since Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity can be patchy in our experience.

An auto-dimming rear view mirror is fitted to higher-specification models. This may not seem like a big deal in other cars, but you’ll find with the low-slung MX-5 that most headlights behind you will beam directly onto it. Particularly worthwhile if you drive a higher proportion of time in darker conditions.

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Comfort

• Not spacious but the seats are good
• Later cars have more adjustable steering wheel
• Refinement impressive for a small sports car

The Mk4 has the shortest, most compact cabin of any MX-5, which means that it can feel rather cosy – especially if you’re tall or broad. However, the engineers have worked hard to make it usable, with perfectly aligned pedals and a steering wheel that sits straight ahead of the driver.

Initially, this steering wheel only had rake adjustment, which sometimes made it difficult to find an ideal seating position, Mazda having originally decided not to fit reach adjustment as a means of saving weight. Customer – and press – feedback soon told Mazda this lack of reach-adjustment was a mistake.

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So for the 2019 model year, on sale from September 2018, telescopic steering wheel adjustment was made standard. Other updates for 2019 include sturdier cupholders and a smoother operating mechanism for the seat-backs and the doors. Again, all of these changes were made due to customer feedback.

The basic seats are comfortable but the only height adjustment is via the angled rails, which raise the seat slightly as you move it closer to the steering wheel. This can make it difficult to find the ideal seating position.

Fabric and leather seat finishes are available, depending on trim level, but all of them are heated. Higher-specification models benefit from speakers in the headrest as part of a nine-speaker Bose sound system, which makes listening to music on the move with the top down much easier.

Some limited edition models come with more supportive Recaro seats. These are heavily bolstered to better hold you in place during spirited driving, yet provide even more comfortable than the regular seats.

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With the roof up, sound suppression is decent for a convertible – just don’t expect it to be whisper quiet inside when making the most of the MX-5’s high-revving engines. This is a sports car, after all, so plenty of engine noise is acceptable so long as it sounds good, which the MX-5 largely does.

With the roof down there is impressively little buffeting, even at motorway speeds. This is a very cleverly and thoroughly engineered car.

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