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

I would love to do that road trip

speaking of 2 door cars, and since you compare it to a hatchback, how do you compare it with the practicallity of a mini cooper?

Is the 1st gear problem a problem just for your car or all NDs? I can't believe this would be a widespread problem when the ND gearbox is considered one of the greatest of all time for everyday cars!

Amazing trip. thanks for this!

That 1st gear problem sounds annoying, I have the same issue with reverse in my fiesta which is annoying but 1st would be a lot worse

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.

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.

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.

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?

I love Miatas (MX-5s) and have owned 1, as well as 2 other convertibles (Corvette & Z4). They make lousy highway road-trip cars. Too cramped, way too noisy and too firm. They're great for summer cruising around town on warm summer nights. Other than that, I find that they're borderline useless. I doubt I'll ever buy another one, however tempting.

I bought a used S-Class with air suspension, double paned glass and inch thick insulation throughout. It is by far the best road trip car I've ever owned (and I've owned 50 different cars over the years). Serene, comfortable, quiet, nice european road feel and AWD for those rainy-day trips.

Thanks for the great review, but treat yourself once and rent a luxury car for a long road trip. You'll enjoy it.

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

I'll never get why people use data to listen to music. I use MP3 files and play all songs from A to Z

My VW also gives me a warning when the temp is around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. I guess in some world, water freezes at that temp... ? LOL

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.

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 ?

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

Where can I find one in California?

Спасибо за ролик. Жаль у нас цены на эту машину жутко неадекватные...

6l/100km is awesome

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.)

Thanks for the video. I didn't understand the part about changing gear, using the clutch differently than on other cars, etc. Could you please explain that more?

It’s crazy to think the speeds you were doing on the autobahn could get you arrested in the uk

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.

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

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.

I thought british people used the metric system...

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 🙄

45 MPG is amazing

How did you withdraw money in different countries and is just using ENglish online sufficient for all those countries?

🤔Richard, the world Elitists are against you. They want your money, so they play music whilst picking your pocket.

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.

Topless is always more fun

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.

excellent review 👍🏽

When he was at the twisty roads the speed limit was 70 kph, but in Hong Kong it is 40. Which sucks:(

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

do you have any paint protection on it? hows the rock chips

I like that you use liter and km/h.

Love Mazda. But the mx5 engine is a disappointment. When a Prius has 220 hp. Your sports car has a bit of an identity crisis. Sold my 2020 BBR Club

Bro what’s your. Racing crew

Love this video!

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

I know I'm late but you shoulda come to Slovenia. It's great for mountain driving. Best wishes to you.