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Mazda has added an exciting new dimension to the world’s best-selling roadster, a powered retractable hard top model that boosts the MX-5’s practical appeal, while maintaining the car’s legendary fun to drive feel.

Dubbed Roadster Coupe the new model compliments the existing soft top MX-5 line-up and benefits from the same passion and detail design that created the third generation canvas-topped sports car.

That attention to detail has produced a powered retractable roof model that is the only car of its type to maintain the same boot space, top up or down, as the donor vehicle.

It also boasts the fastest hard-top roof mechanism, taking just 12 seconds to open or close.

Acknowledging that the lifestyle of sports car owners has been changing, Mazda was able to achieve these world firsts by developing the Roadster Coupe at the same time as the soft-top model.

Mazda MX-5 program manager, Takao Kijima is convinced “that we will expand the worldwide fan base of the MX-5 with the new model.” While he understands that MX-5 enthusiasts may still prefer the soft top option. “Even so, there are many potential customers who, while wanting the exhilaration of open-top driving, have hesitated to become owners because of concerns about security and comfort. We realized that with an easy to use hard top, a great design and the same agile chassis, we could bring these customers into the MX-5 fold,” Kijima explains.

The advent of the baby boomer retiree has also had an impact on convertible car sales. Not content to be seen in a dowdy “old person’s car”, these baby boomers are wanting the fun and excitement of convertible driving with the ease of sedan travel.

Mazda Australia managing director, Doug Dickson, understands this viewpoint. “We want to create cars that appeal to a wide range of people with changing needs. We must be able to adapt. This car embraces all that is great about the original MX-5, while providing another option for drivers.

“Of course, we will continue to offer the soft top roof and we are sure that it will maintain its popularity. We view this car as an expansion on the current MX-5 and forecast a changing demographic who will purchase the MX-5 Roadster Coupe, for reasons different to a soft top MX-5 driver.”

However, Kijima did not want this model to be a knee-jerk reaction to growing customer demand. Instead, he wanted the MX-5 Roadster Coupe to be dynamically, technically and aesthetically equal or superior to its original cousin.

Central to this development was one overriding goal: that the lightweight roadster was in no way, shape or form to be diluted. Engineers strived to keep the weight of the coupe version as low as possible – it weighs only 37 kg more than the soft top model.

At the same time, the design of the Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe should remain close to that of the soft top model. Its silhouette – with a low, flowing shoulder line and, unlike nearly all other coupes/convertibles, a short rear overhang – gives the MX-5 Roadster Coupe the same lightweight, sporty road presence as the soft top. “And the nice thing is,” added Kijima, “the car looks great with the top up.”

Another goal of development was achieved by the MX-5 engineering team. The hard top doesn’t fold back into the boot, but into a space just behind the seats. This maintains the original model’s boot space, making Mazda the first carmaker in the world to preserve boot space in a hard top convertible.

The powered retractable hard top also cuts cabin noise on the highway and reduces unwanted traffic noise seeping into the cabin during city driving.

Key to the original MX-5’s success was its affordability. This quality is not lost on the new MX-5 Roadster Coupe. Priced from just $47,660 for the leather trimmed and Bose sound equipped car, it remains the only powered folding hard-topped sports car priced under $90,000.

Roadster Coupe adds just $2930 to the price of the leather and Bose equipped soft-top model, or $10 less than the fixed hard-top offered as an accessory with all soft-top MX-5s.

Safety has also been upgraded in this latest model with the introduction of Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with traction control (TCS). DSC is being progressively added across the range at Mazda and MX-5 Roadster Coupe benefits from this new policy. Other standard safety features include ABS anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, dual front and front side airbags that offer both chest and head protection, seatbelt pretensioners with load limiters, an intrusion minimising brake pedal and anti whiplash seats.

Roadster Coupe buyers will also appreciate the car’s cruise control, six stack CD player, wheel-mounted audio controls, tilt adjustable steering, leather seat trim and a premium 200 Watt Bose sound system incorporating seven speakers and an automatic sound compensation system that adjusts the sound for open or closed-top motoring.

The popular soft top MX-5 line-up has also been improved with the introduction of DSC, including traction control, as standard on all models. The soft top range is priced from $42,870.

Adding the Roadster Coupe to the MX-5 stable is the latest chapter in the 17 year old MX-5 story.

Launched in late 1989 the MX-5 quickly reached cult status and was recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the best selling sports car in 2005 with more than 720,000 sold. In the same year, the third generation was born, and the all new MX-5 was launched with critical acclaim winning Wheels Car of The Year and Japan Car Of The Year, along with a plethora of other awards both in Australia and farther a field.

Central to the success of this 2005 model was Kijima’s focus on Jinba Ittai – translated to mean “oneness between horse and rider”. Updated for the 21st century, Jinba Ittai is akin to the bond between a single-seat formula-car pilot and his racer. Jinba Ittai is the essence of Zoom-Zoom.

The rider-and-horse idiom and the effort to create a car universally seen as “lots of fun” served as the focal point around which the original and the all-new Mazda MX-5 were designed and engineered.

Five basic requirements were defined by Mazda engineers to realise the Jinba Ittai concept.

1) That the car would be as compact and as light as possible while meeting global safety requirements.
2) That the cockpit would comfortably accommodate two full-stature occupants with no wasted space.
3) That the basic layout would continue with the original’s front-midship rear-drive configuration with the engine positioned ahead of the driver but behind the front axle for 50:50 weight distribution.
4) That all four wheels would be attached by wishbone or multi-link suspension systems to maximise tyre performance, road grip and dynamic stability.
5) And that a power-plant frame would again provide a solid connection between the engine and rear-mounted differential to sharpen throttle response.

The 2.0-litre, third generation roadster, gained more power and torque, a bigger cabin and a host of equipment upgrades that included side airbags, a limited slip differential on manual models, 17 inch alloy wheels, cruise control, six stack CD player, wheel-mounted audio controls, a cloth soft top and tilt adjustable steering.

The same dynamic features inherent to the soft top MX-5 have not been lost on the MX-5 Roadster Coupe. This model is also powered by a free-revving MZR engine with 118kW (ECE) that, when combined with its exceptionally low kerb-weight provides the sheer driving fun embraced by Jinba Ittai.

Mazda Australia expects to initially sell about 84 MX-5 Roadster Coupes per month, with overall MX-5 sales averaging 140 per month for the remainder of this year. Overall, MX-5 sales are expected to average 100 a month over the car’s life cycle with 60 per cent Roadster Coupes.

The MX-5 Roadster Coupe, as with all Mazda passenger cars, is protected by a three year/unlimited km warranty and, like the RX-8, Mazda6 MPS and Mazda3 MPS, customers also receive 24 hour roadside assistance for the warranty period and an advanced driving course.

2. At a Glance

• Roof operation takes just 12 seconds
• Boot volume of 150 litres is unaffected by roof stowage
• Additional weight vs. MX-5 soft top only 37 kg
• Roadster Coupe 10 mm higher, otherwise identical in size to soft top
• Front end and doors the same as the original model
• Roadster Coupe has boldly contoured rear fenders
• Front edge of the rear deck (behind the seats) is 40 mm higher
• Air guide added to the aero board for low wind turbulence with the top down
• The powered hard top also cuts cabin noise on the highway and reduces unwanted traffic noise seeping into the cabin during city driving
• Local body reinforcements at the top and sides of the rear deck opening
• Aluminium, four cylinder engine with front midship engine placement
• MZR 2.0-litre petrol has 118kW and mates to a 6MT or 6AT
• DSC and traction control system (TCS) standard for Roadster Coupe and soft top models
• Innovative side airbags with two chambers that protect both head and thorax
• Produced at the Mazda assembly plant Ujina 1 in Japan
• New power retractable hard top version joins the Mazda MX-5 soft top, the world’s best selling roadster with more than 770,000 produced
• Market launch beginning September 2006

3. Design

The briefing for Mazda designers left no doubt: “Remain true to the basic design principles of the third-generation MX-5, while creating a new roadster coupe with its own, exciting identity.”

The third-generation MX-5 further enhanced the design of Mazda’s roadster icon. For the new Roadster Coupe, this same silhouette with a low, flowing shoulder line, was retained. The same goes for the car’s overall proportions, with slight changes undertaken at the rear of the car. It is here that many coupes with power retractable hard top roofs gain in size, resulting in a significant rear overhang.

In contrast to this common design issue, the MX-5 Roadster Coupe’s proportions are harmonious. This was achieved with a design that emphasizes the MX-5 Roadster Coupe’s open-top character. In essence, the MX-5 Roadster Coupe’s design starting point was the Mazda MX-5 soft top, not a redesigned coupe. The windshield, entire front end, small quarter windows, beltline and other elements of the Roadster Coupe’s front and side panels are carried over from the soft top model.

Only the back of the new MX-5 Roadster Coupe, where the Power Retractable Hard Top is stowed, were slight, but subtle changes necessary in the area of the rear fenders and the rear deck. For example, the front edge of the rear deck lid is 40 mm higher than the soft top at this location. In order to realize a flowing, harmonious form at the back, designers raised the trailing edge of the boot lid by about 20 mm. The result: the rear end of the MX-5 Roadster Coupe falls softly, rather than abruptly. Nonetheless, the overall design seems more tapered and solid-looking compared to the soft top model.

Visual Balance Achieved by More Prominent Wheel Arches The higher rear end does not diminish MX-5 Roadster Coupe’s low, sports car road stance, because designers employed more prominently contoured rear wheel arches for visual balance. These contribute to the impression of power and make the Roadster Coupe seem to crouch on the road.

Innovative Power Retractable Hard Top Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe’s power retractable hard top delivers packaging ingenuity. It retracts into such a compact space that, with the top down, the 150-litre boot volume of the soft top remains untouched.

Like the soft top MX-5, the driver must first release the centre lock located in the middle of the front roof section.

Two Buttons on the Centre Stack Operate the Hard Top Changes to the interior are few with the addition of two buttons designed to open and close the retractable hard top, each are located on either side of the hazard-warning button in the upper section of the dashboard centre stack. There is also an indicator lamp that illuminates to warn the driver if the roof does not completely lock into place upon closing. The full 12 second open or close cycle is accompanied by a beep to let the driver know that the roof mechanism has finished. This manoeuvre has to be done while the car is standing still.

The retractable hard top was developed in-house by Mazda with the help of Webasto Japan and consists of three moving sections and the rear deck cover, which is also a moving element.

A total of four roof motors – two on each side of the vehicle – facilitate the electro-hydraulic metamorphosis of the car from coupe to open-top roadster and back again. Before opening or closing the hard top, the windows (if in the up position) are automatically lowered by approximately 100 mm to make sure there is enough room for the roof to fold back unimpeded.

Innovative Plastic Composite Material used for the Hard Top In its efforts to keep additional weight for the hard top version as low as possible, Mazda used two different kinds of materials, sheet moulding compound (SMC) for the outer panels and glass fibre-reinforced polypropylene (GFPP) for the inner panels of the retractable roof.

SMC material is a fibre/plastic composite material with high rigidity and heat resistance and, to the joy of the designers, is easily formable into shapes that would never be possible with steel or aluminium. And SMC’s smooth surface structure gives an excellent paint finish, which contributes to high levels of build quality and craftsmanship. GFPP combines the virtues of low weight and high strength. This material allowed the inner panels to have a dimpled surface, which looks so good it doesn’t need to be painted. For these reasons, Mazda engineers could do without a moulded roof liner – the combination of SMC and GFPP makes the MX-5 Roadster Coupe’s hard top just 20 mm thick.

The Power Retractable Hard Top Weighs just 18 kg more than the Soft Top These materials also ensure that the hard top structure is light and compact. The roof itself (not including rear deck cover) weighs only 18 kg more than the soft top of the Mazda MX-5.

Using plastic material for the lightweight hard top gave designers freedom to create the right shape. Its glass window with a printed heating element could be made larger than that of the soft top MX-5 to ensure a good rear view. When the top is closed, the MX-5 Roadster Coupe is only 10 mm higher than the soft top model; while width, length, wheelbase and track remain identical.

Another goal of development was to make the hard top as compact and stylish as possible. Its tautly curved shape makes the passenger compartment seem compact. To prevent the roof from seeming too upright, relatively slim B-pillar designs were employed. Added to this is a contoured edge on both sides of the roof, which optically unifies the front and middle sections of the roof.

The powered hard top also cuts cabin noise on the highway and reduces unwanted traffic noise seeping into the cabin during city driving.

High-Mounted Brake Light with a White instead of Red Lens A new design accent is created by the MX-5 Roadster Coupe’s high-mount brake light. It is placed further forward than that of the soft top model, is thinner and uses a white lens instead of a red one. The rear combination lights and rear bumper are identical with those of the soft top version.

The new Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe will be offered with seven exterior colours, including two all new colours – Stormy Blue Mica and Highland Green Mica. These new colours deliver exciting contrasts in different light conditions.

These new colours are also available on the soft top models.

The new Roadster Coupe will be offered with leather trim which is available in black or saddle tan.

Premium Technology – iPod-Compatible Audio System A new iPod accessory is also available in the Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe, which is a world first for an volume-selling car manufacturer. The system is able to play MP3 music files from an iPod using the normal audio controls of the car. For installing the iPod, there is a special jack on the passenger side in the glove compartment.

This feature is also available on soft top MX-5 models.

4. Chassis

The soft top version of the Mazda MX-5 owes its unusually agile and linear handling characteristics to a strict gram strategy applied during the development of the third-generation version. One of the main goals in developing the new Roadster Coupe version was to keep the unavoidable gain in weight as low as possible. Only by delivering this, could MX-5’s famous Jinba Ittai driving dynamics be assured for the hard top version as well.

The Roadster Coupe version is just 37 kg heavier than the soft top model. Of this weight, 30.2 kg come from the roof itself, the rear deck cover and other small related parts, 3 kg for the steel (rather than aluminium) trunk lid, 1.6 kg for the complex wiring harness switches, 0.3 kg for additional material at the aero board and trim configuration modification and 1.4 kg for the additional body reinforcements and sound insulation features.

Because the Roadster Coupe’s body opening for stowing the hard top is 45 mm wider and 82 mm longer than that of the soft top model’s, local reinforcements had to be employed to compensate for a slight loss in body stiffness. These include:

• A 1.8 mm thick reinforcing bracket at both corners of the rear deck opening,
• Increasing the thickness of the front surface of the rear deck from 0.7 mm of the soft top model to 1.8 mm for the Roadster Coupe model,
• Strengthening the sides of the rear deck opening by inclusion of a closed-section structure that extends through the front surface of the rear deck.

These local reinforcements make body shell stiffness of the MX-5 Roadster Coupe virtually the same as the soft top model. Here as well, developers kept the weight gain as low as possible, limiting it to just 820 grams.

Larger Front Stabilizers and Stiffer Rear Springs and Dampers Settings Because there is slightly more weight at the back of the Roadster Coupe when the hard top is stowed behind the seats, engineers optimally tuned the rear springs and dampers. At the same time, a larger front stabilizer is introduced (increased in diameter from 21 to 22.2 mm) along with new settings for the front dampers. These features give the Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe handling characteristics that provide further refinements compared to the agile and nimble handling characteristics of the soft top.

Driving the rear wheels all MX-5s employ double wishbones at the front and a multi-link set-up at the rear.

It features large disc brakes front and rear and a stiff, light and linear power assisted rack and pinion steering system with 2.7 turns lock-to-lock.

5. Powertrain

The new Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe will be launched with the lively four cylinder engine as the soft top model. As a member of Mazda’s MZR family of engines it has four valves per cylinder and a displacement of 2.0 litres. Installed in a front midship location this places it closer to the vehicle’s centre of gravity than an east-west mounted engine, for outstanding handling characteristics.

The MZR 2.0-litre produces maximum power of 118 kW at 6,700 rpm and maximum torque of 188 Nm at 5,000 rpm. At least 90 percent of this is available at engine speeds of between 2,500 and 6,700 rpm, making the Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe fun to drive, even at low engine speeds.

The new MX-5 Roadster Coupe comes with either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed activematic gearbox complete with wheel-mounted gear change paddles.

Fuel consumption remains the same as the soft top at an impressively economical 8.5L/100km for manual models and 8.8L/100km for the six-speed Activematic.

Like both early generations of the Mazda MX-5, the newest model has an aluminium powerplant frame in the transmission tunnel. This Z-shaped member functions like a strong backbone that connects the transmission and the rear differential and can be traced back to similar structures in the Mazda RX-7 and the current rotary engine sports car, Mazda RX-8, which is produced on the same assembly line in Japan as the Mazda MX-5 soft top and the MX-5 Roadster Coupe.

6. Pricing