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All-new Mazda MX-5 wins best roadster and Spider in the sunday times top 100 cars

All-new Mazda MX-5 takes Best Roadster and Spider category in The Sunday Times Top 100 Cars.
Latest in a growing list of prestigious awards for the all-new Mazda MX-5.
Award judged by the editorial team behind The Sunday Times Driving.
The all-new Mazda MX-5 has been named the winner of the Roadsters and Spiders category in ‘The Sunday Times Top 100 Cars'. Judged by the editorial team of the Sunday Times Driving motoring supplement, this annual feature names the top 100 cars on sale.

Commenting on the MX-5's win, The Sunday Times Driving said "in a market obsessed by huge power outputs, the MX-5 makes a refreshing change. It produces just 129bhp from its entry-level 1.5-litre engine, but Mazda's engineers have obsessively pared weight back to a lean 1,050kg. On the road the MX-5 changes direction like a featherweight boxer, revs freely and allows you to use all the power without troubling the traction control."

With rear-wheel drive, perfect 50:50 weight distribution, plus more comfort and technology than ever before, the all-new Mazda MX-5 is offered with a choice of two SKYACTIV-G petrol engines. Having gone on sale in the UK in the summer, the fourth-generation of Mazda's iconic roadster has already won a place in the hearts of driving enthusiasts, thanks to its lightweight design, sleek cabin, beautifully engineered mechanicals and balanced handling.

With nine models across five trim levels, the all-new Mazda MX-5 has reaffirmed Mazda's dominance of the affordable sports car sector. Maintaining the driver-focused ethos that has made the Mazda MX-5 the best-selling two-seater sports car of all time, the engineering philosophy behind the all-new MX-5 has allowed Mazda to retain the agility, fun and engagement that has always defined the MX-5, while at the same time meeting ever-increasing safety and efficiency requirements, alongside improved refinement.

The lightest MX-5 since the iconic original, the all-new Mazda MX-5 is shorter, lower and wider than the outgoing car, with the smallest overhangs and lowest centre of gravity yet. These dynamic proportions combined with Mazda's KODO: Soul of Motion design philosophy ensure that the all-new Mazda MX-5's styling reflects its focus on driving pleasure in an unmistakably contemporary and dynamic way.

Featuring Mazda's award-winning SKYACTIV technology, the all-new MX-5's ultra-efficient lightweight petrol engines deliver new levels of performance and economy. Across the range the all-new Mazda MX-5 features alloy wheels, LED headlights, a leather steering wheel, plus a lightweight and sleek fabric hood. SE-L models add LED daytime running lights, climate control air-conditioning, DAB radio, Bluetooth®and cruise control, plus Mazda's MZD-Connect connectivity and infotainment system with 7-inch Colour touch-screen display and Multimedia Commander.

SE-L models with the 2.0-litre 160ps engine are distinguished by 17-inch Gunmetal alloy wheels and piano black door mirrors, and benefit from a strut tower bar and limited slip differential. Step up to Sport trim and both the 1.5 and 2.0-litre cars feature rain sensing wipers, rear parking sensors, smart keyless entry, Premium Bose®Surround-Sound and heated leather seats.

With the 1.5-litre engine, Sport trim MX-5's come with 16-inch Gunmetal alloy wheels and piano black door mirrors. Sport models with the 2.0-litre 160ps engine benefit from a dynamic set-up that includes Sports suspension featuring Bilstein dampers, a limited slip differential and strut tower bar, while visually, they are marked out by their 17-inch Bright alloy wheels and body coloured mirrors.

Jeremy Thomson, Mazda Motors UK Managing Director "When it was launched in 1990, the 115ps Mk1 MX-5 cost £14,249 (equal to £31,687 in today's money), yet 25 years later with vastly more standard equipment, the all-new Mazda MX-5 costs from £18,495, meaning more than ever, the Mazda MX-5 sets the benchmark as the one of the world's best and most affordable sports cars. We're delighted that The Sunday Times has recognised that our engineers have created an all-new sports car that incorporates modern safety and superb efficiency with the value for money and driver focused enjoyment the original MX-5 was famed for."