THE 2024 Mazda MX-5 has finally arrived in the Philippines, nearly six months after making its global debut. This also happens to be the first time that the current generation ND MX-5 is receiving its mid-cycle facelift, which introduces a host of exterior, interior and technology upgrades, along with mechanical upgrades to further enhance the MX-5's sporty handling.
Enhanced looks, upgraded tech
First and foremost, the exterior. The 2024 Mazda MX-5 gets a slightly redesigned front bumper, because the LED daytime running lights have now been integrated into the newly designed LED headlights with a halo-like design. The side profile remains unchanged, but you now get a new set of 17-inch alloy wheels across all variants. Lastly, the rear end has also been slightly redesigned with a new rear bumper and new LED tail lights.
As usual, those available variants consist of both the Soft Top and the RF, five of which are the former and two for the latter. The Soft Top version has two color options for the roof, which can either be in black or tan, the latter being new for 2024. The RF, as usual, is the model with the folding metal roof, and its roof is matched to the body color.
Moving inside the 2024 Mazda MX-5, the overall dash design has seen a slight redesign. There's a new gauge cluster design with the 4.6-inch color multi-information display now standard on all variants, while a new 8.8-inch screen for the second generation Mazda Connect infotainment that's seen in the Mazda 3, CX-30, and CX-60, among other new Mazdas, is also now fitted in the MX-5.
Finally, a Bose sound system is also now standard across all variants, along with upholstery that's available in either black leather when getting the black roof or tan Nappa leather when getting the tan Soft Top. The tan Nappa leather is also an available option for the RF.
Ever better handling
Under the hood of the 2024 Mazda MX-5 is the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder Skyactiv-G gasoline engine that produces 181 horsepower and 205 Nm of torque. As usual, this is mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic, with the latter being the only transmission option for the RF.
What's new for 2024 are the chassis upgrades that further enhance the MX-5's handling. This includes a redesigned steering rack, which, by reducing friction and improving the electric power steering control logic, achieves a more nimble and precise response. Furthermore, exclusive to the manual variants are the already equipped strut bars and Bilstein shocks, along with a new asymmetric limited-slip differential (A-LSD) and Dynamic Stability Control with Track Mode (DSC-Track).
With the A-LSD, the asymmetry is due to the cam mechanism of the standard conical clutch LSD. The cam angles are slightly different for acceleration and deceleration, which limits the force of slip in both driving scenarios for smoother and more natural handling. Finally, the new DSC-Track reduces the intervention of the DSC to allow drivers to explore the handling limits of their MX-5.
A sports car that looks out for you
Finally, all variants of the MX-5 now come as standard with a higher amount of the brand's i-Activsense suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which includes Smart Brake Support-Front and Rear, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert with rear cross brake support (RCBS), and driver attention alert. These ADAS features come on top of the standard reverse camera, lane departure warning, and adaptive matrix LED headlights.
A Special Edition MX-5
There's also another special edition variant of the MX-5, which also happens to be the most affordable among the seven variants to go on sale. This is the MX-5 Miata Cup 23rd Anniversary Edition, which is based on the Black Top, Black Leather variant and with a special livery created by Filipino artist Jaykee Evangelista and is inspired by classic motorsports liveries.
Only 23 units of this special edition MX-5 will be sold, 19 of which in the new Aero Gray paint with white-painted front and rear bumpers, along with white, black, and Aero Gray decals. Another two units in Snowflake White Pearl with Laguna Blue-painted front and rear bumpers, matched with the white, black, and Laguna Blue decals. Finally, two more units are painted in Deep Crystal Blue with white-painted front and rear bumpers, while its decals are in white, sky blue, and Deep Crystal Blue.
Regardless of the color themes, all MX-5 Miata Cup 23rd Anniversary Edition units come with orange mirror caps, while all models come with a unique aluminum plaque. This vehicle was also developed by Mazda Japan specific to the Philippine market as a celebration of the 23rd anniversary of the Miata Cup.
Finally, as a track-oriented variant, all of the i-Activsense suite of ADAS features have been removed. All of the interior amenities are kept intact, however.
The 2024 Mazda MX-5 is now available in the Philippines at the following prices: Soft Top Miata Cup 23rd Anniversary Edition, P2.23 million; Black Top, Black Leather MT (manual transmission)/AT (automatic transmission), P2.3 million/P2.35 million; Tan Top, Tan Nappa Leather MT/AT, P2.4 million/P2.45 million; RF Black Leather AT, P2.55 million; and Tan Nappa Leather AT, P2.60 million.
2024-04-29T16:32:23Z dg43tfdfdgfd
