Mazda MX-5 RF, Audi TT Roadster Wow the Los Angeles Times
From grocery store runs to jaunts through the canyon, roadsters from Mazda, Audi keep the affordable sports car dream alive.
There are plenty of drop-top machines with big power ready to go at a moment’s notice these days. Porsche has the 718 Boxster and a few 911 cabrios. Ferrari and Lamborghini have their own takes. Even the Corvette will return once more with a convertible waiting in the wings for the 2020 model year.
Yet, all of the above also come with a high price tag. Where can one find a cheap, fun sports car to drive with the top down these days? According to the Los Angeles Times, two such examples can be had from Mazda and Audi, in the form of the MX-5 RF and TT Roadster.
Both cars were dropped off for review by the Los Angeles Times for the day. The first one out was the Audi, whose “intelligent details” include “the clean digital instrument panel and the flat-bottomed sports steering wheel,” as well as temperature controls in the vents.
From there, the newspaper took the Audi through Mulholland Drive and the canyon roads of Malibu, where each turn felt “as effortless as playing a video game.” The car’s all-wheel drive kept everything together, while the 2.0-liter turbo-four’s 228 horses made for such a spirited drive, that both time and miles were eaten away.
After bringing the Audi back, it was the Mazda’s time to shine. The retractable hardtop was only a lure for the excitement awaiting inside, thanks to both the spirited 181-horsepower, 2.0-liter inline-four, and the “user-friendly” six-speed manual. For the Los Angeles Times, “every stoplight felt like the starting line of a race, and every curve an opportunity to explore the car’s nimble handling.”
“For the quality, performance and heritage you’re getting, cost of entry for either car is real-world (don’t rule out used versions, as there are many great bargains to be had),” said the Los Angeles Times. “Applaud these two manufacturers for keeping small sports cars alive in the face of sedans and wagons getting pulled from production left and right to make room for the evermore ubiquitous crossovers.”
Photos: Audi, Mazda
