Mazda’s cure for depression

The old Mazda MX-5 was the world's bestselling sports car for about 25 years, says Jeremy Clarkson in The Sunday Times. That was down to its unique combination of low price, ease of use and a "smile-a-minute factor that's up there alongside a game of Twister with Scarlett Johansson and Cameron Diaz". And this new one shows that Mazda has not made the mistake of trying to improve the old formula with loads of fancy new technology.

It remains "organic and raw and simple", and feels "just like a sports car should". It's a "lovely little car to drive" and will make you feel as "eager and sprightly" as it does. "It's a cure for depression, this car, it really is. You just can't be in a bad mood when you're driving it."

Once upon a time, cheap, fun, convertible sports cars of the Mazda's ilk were two-a-penny, says Alex Robbins in The Daily Telegraph. Now, however, this "delightful" car has the market to itself. It's accessible and reliable too, meaning anyone can own one and enjoy the experience. The car "harks back to a simpler time when power wasn't the be-all-and-end-all", and yet it doesn't feel old fashioned to drive. Indeed, it's "a truckload more fun than any roadster this side of £30,000". It looks "fabulous" too.

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Price: from £24,295Engine: 1,998cc, four cylinders, petrolPower: 158bhp at 6,000rpmTorque: 147 lb ft at 4,600rpm0-62mph: 7.3 secondsTop speed: 133mph