New Mazda MX-5 RF Crosses Over to ‘Dark’ Side

NEW YORK – When it goes on sale is to be announced, but Mazda enthusiastically shows a new retractable hardtop version of its MX-5 convertible roadster at the New York International Auto Show.

The automaker says the ’17 MX-5 RF (retractable fastback) aims to make open-top driving more accessible. Mazda also hopes to broaden the appeal of the MX-5 family.

The 2-door RF’s fastback styling features a roofline that slopes down to the rear end.

“It was designed to showcase the fastback; that was the No.1 factor,” Julien Montousse, Mazda North American Operations’ design director, tells a huddle of journalists at the vehicle’s initial unveiling in a converted warehouse in Lower Manhattan. The car later moves uptown to the auto-show venue.

“Its profile touches every driver enthusiast,” Montousse says, pointing out the highlights. “The cabin pulls back rearwards to get more dynamism. And we tried visually to remove a lot of the mass. You want the car to anchor the road as low as possible.”

A so-called flying-buttress treatment of the rear pillars gives the car a beefier look than the regular MX-5 that, rightly or wrongly, some people deigned as appearing “too cute.”

The RF looks more like a ready-to-rip sports car with “a dark attitude to it,” Montousse says.

Under the hood is a 2.0L direct-injection engine that produces 155 hp at 7,600 rpm. Torque is 148 ft.-lbs. (201 Nm) at 4,600 rpm.  A 6-speed automatic transmission delivers the power.

The previous MX-5 hardtop was a $1,700 premium over the standard soft-top model. Other points of distinction for the RF version include a nappa-leather interior treatment and a different exhaust tone.

Design challenges included making the roof able to fold into a fairly small trunk, Montousse says. “It was a feat to do so.” The nesting hardtop occupies the same amount of trunk space as the MX-5’s soft top.   

When does it show up in showrooms? “We can’t disclose that but fairly soon,” Montousse says. This year? “Fairly soon.”

The MX-5 clan lives up to a Mazda credo, Robert Davis, Mazda North America’s senior vice president, tells the warehouse crowd. “Cars are supposed to be fun.”

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