After 3 months of owning and driving my new (used) Mazda mx5 2L non turbo what car do I like best MX5 or my perverse VRS first of all lets have no comments on the MX5 being a ladies car or we will have loads of MX5 owners saying the Fabia is a old persons car.

Cars VRS standard apart from black roof and alloys 14tsi 180 bhp, 2010

MX5 2L 160 bhp top range sport tec 2010 to many extraS over the VRS to list.

Build quality would say not much between them as I also have a Fabia 12 sport 2008 and it still looks like new inside after 20k.

Performance

The one thing I was always doing was hoping the lights would turn red as I approached them in the VRS as it was great fun when a guy came up beside you in his 30k BMW320d and the chap in his Audi A4 2L tdi and when the lights went green wave to him in your mirror good buy.

The other great advantage was if you pulled away slow and changed your mind and put your foot down you have instant power not obtained in the Mazda if you have changed into second gear and put your foot down you ant going any were until the revs build up and by that time you have run out of road.

On a track this my be different as I think the Mazda would win hands down in the corners, and the brakes are much better but on the straight the VRS would have the straight line advantage.

Looks department

This is all about choice for me as I look down my drive and see the MX5 and my Fabia 12 sport and the MX5 puts a big smile on my face, but with the VRS I was never keen at looking at it from a front view as it looked tall and squashed.

Reliability

With a few problems with the VRS most of all the amount of oil I used and a few minor things I think the Mazda will be more reliable in the long term.

Running costs

VRS VRS VRS win hands down half the price road tax, insurance about the same petrol I would say I averaged about 35mpg in the VRS and about 27 mpg in the Mazda, service again about half again on the Fabia and my god are Mazda parts prices sky high.

But saying that on a nice sunny night pulling outside a nightclub what car would the girls like a lift home in with the roof down.

To sum up then what car do I prefer? Both of them, would loved to have a VRS instead of my 12 sport but cant afford both.

I know its hard to compare the two cars but this is only my experience and anyone thinking of buying a VRS I would say go for it as I don’t think you will ever be able to buy a hot hatch with such low running costs.

Excellent review !

Sounds quite honest... Not like some people blindly defending their choices to be the best in every possible area just because they bought one.

A friend of mine just bought an MX-5 as well, the 1.8L version though. After I test drove it I would say that, expectedly, it keeps the driver very much in contact with the road and has a sportier behaviour but that is normal with such geometrical specs (weight, height etc.) although it's spaces are actually inexistent. I wouldn't expect a lot from a small sports coupe anyway but I couldn't even fit my large travel suitcase in the back in case I needed to do a really long trip. Also, when I got out after a 60KM driving of going up/down a hill, I realised that I needed to be much more concentrated and "pressed" inside the MX-5, in a way that I almost quite tired when coming out. Most contrasting to the vRS. It can move quickly but you can be very relaxed at the same time. To make it worse, the power of the 1.8L (around 122 ps I think) was incomparably low for what you'd expect from such a car. I found myself stabbing the pedal and just waiting for ages for the revs to go really high. that would be different in the 160ps version I think. I appreciated though the increased amount of information coming from the steering wheel, which was tremendously sharp, gear stick and all but at the end of the day, I think I would be very tired to drive like this for the daily commute. For my tastes and habbits it could be a nice weekend car but not much more.

Glad you are pleased with it curs. The MX is a nice motor...but then as you say, so is the Vrs...choices, choices, choices!!! As Jonny says...nice review.