The Jinba-Ittai Mazda MX-5 ND

The all new Mazda MX-5 fourth generation could be the most exciting car launched in 2015.  Nothing beat the concept of Jinba-Ittai of the MX-5 and one must take the car for a drive to experience how the driver is part of the car, and the car is part of the driver.  The MX-5 or Roadster as how it is being named in Japan is in fact, the best selling 2-seater car in the world, surpassing a million unit since it very first generation made its appearance in 1989.  The 50:50 weight distribution of the MX-5, coupled with front engine rear drive configuration always give its fans the thumb-up.  The "ND" is the shortest in all the incarnation, yet looks sexiest. 

As we knew by now, only the 2-litre version of the MX-5 will be offered here, where it could produce a healthy 158hp/200Nm of power, mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.  Manual version is set to arrive, and could be available in the 1st quarter of 2016.  That's a good news for those opting for the 1-2-3-4-5-6 hand exercise and leg clutching movement!  A lot of weigh loss designs were incorporated in the MX-5, as the front fenders, engine bonnet and trunk are in aluminium.  The roadster wheels uses 4-nut mounting to further reduce the weight, and the car has no glove box.

As crazy as American can get with in-car cup holders, the designer of the MX-5 has a modular design when the holder beside the seats could be remove and mounted to the front, right beside the bottom of the centre console.  Now, that's innovation!  The headrest mounted-speaker is back as well and they are nothing else, but the BOSE speakers!  By the way, in case you are looking for the CD player, it is located at the back centre console, right behind the cup holder in between of the 2 seats.  With 9 speakers in such a small little space, bet it could sound as good as being in an orchestra!

The ND meter cluster and center console has retain its tradition of being simple and elegant, with the southward pointing RPM, speedometer, as well as the 3-dial AC control.  The 7" MZD connect system is of course new and is almost standard now in all the Mazda range of car. 

Aircon are similar to Mazda 2, with a combination of round and flat vents in the centre, giving it a cleaner look.  As with a convertible, heater seat is available as standard, though not necessary in our weather.  Carbon fiber printing on the hand-rest of the door, as well as colour matching panel on top portion of the doors, give the MX-5 a well-thought and sportier feel, though such items attract finger prints and scratches easily.  

The MX-5 is also equipped with Mazda i-Activesense safety technology, which comprises of adaptive front lighting (directional according to steering input), High Beam control system (auto switches between high and low beam), and Lane Departure warning system.  4 airbag are standard and the side airbag is huge to protect up to the head level, acting similar to a curtain airbag.  Adding the high-strength SKYACTIV-BODY engineering, and traction control system as standard, this is the safest MX-5 ever.  

The MX-5, since its first generation is the convertible car that retain a usable boot volume by storing its top at the back of the seat instead of folding into the trunk.  The trunk size though not huge, could still house at least a cabin bag in the recess.  No spare wheel, and of course not, who want to carry the extra weight when a tyre repair kit can do the temporal job.  The ND here can be kept as stock from factory where the only mod needed could be a set of lowered suspension to make it perfect for a drive down the B-road on on the track.  

The car is available at RM220k without insurance, which is in the similar price range from the previous generation, NC.  The Mazda MX-5 does not sell as well as other high performance sport cars in Malaysia, but there are still some number of fans looking at their active page of MX-5 Malaysia club.  In couple of months time, we shall see some on our road, and congratulations to those proud new owner.

Mazda MX-5 2.0 Malaysia's Specifications and Price

Yes, the all new Mazda MX-5 is coming and it is only 3 days away.  The launching event is by invitation only and not open to the public.  This could be the largest gathering for all existing and ex-owners of MX-5 and could see as many as 40 MX-5 participating in the event.

Priced at RM226k, it is very attractive, though a lot of of us are hoping it could be around RM190k as what Datuk Ben Yeoh stated in his interview with BFM recently.  Guess with a selling price of RM206k, he is keeping to the promise, and adding the GST and insurance, which raise the price to what it is now!

Only Auto variant available, and only 2.0-litre engine choice.  In fact, the sweet spot of the MX-5 could be the 1.5-litre unit, especially when it is at less than a ton in weight.  That could bring the price down lower!

The unit we are getting is almost a full specifications version, minus the LSD and minus the manual tranny!!!  Bermaz...we want a choice of manual gearbox and we want LSD as well!!!

For now, enjoy the 3 older brothers, which are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new born!  Owners of NC, NB, NA are kind enough to loan these cars to Bermaz as a showcase for the ND launch!

Inspired by adventure, the Renault Captur

The Renault Captur is the best selling B-Segment SUV in Europe since its launched back in 2013.  Stock is limited, where TC Euro Cars only managed to import few Japanese units in for their soft launch, trying to capture the early market share from the yet to be launched blockbuster Mazda CX-3.  The Honda HR-V has already mark its incredible success as it is a full specifications car, with a decent size in the segment, back by a reputable brand.  From the slow selling record of Ford Ecosport and Peugeot 2008, the Captur could get a good start and taper off with its high indicative price of RM118k-RM123k, which sit in the range of the Peugeot 2008.

Powering the Captur is a 1.2-litre Euro-6 turbocharged engine, mated to the dual clutch 6-speed gearbox.  Engine is by Renault instead of the Nissan derived unit in the Clio or Fluence, which could distance some buyers away.  However, with 5-year manufacturer warranty stated on the invoice, owner could start worrying only after that period.  Owning the Captur sure will keep friends envy and their head turn for its handsome look and dual-tone colour scheme where the roof is available in a contracting colour of white or black.  All four colours (Arizona Orange, Ivory, Pacific Blue and Beige) looks distinctive in the sea of boring black, white and silver.

Interior of the Captur is simple, and the show car now does not have a working AV system yet.  The Malaysia-spec unit should be equipped with a 7" touchscreen with navigation, as similar to the Renault Clio that we have here.  Meter cluster is very similar to the Clio as well, with the digital speedometer located in the centre.  

The small displacement engine is capable of 120hp/190Nm of power, which is similar to most naturally aspirated 1.5-litre engine.  As with how Peugeot market its 2008 as an urban crossover, the Captur share the same character, with no sport utility ability and only good for normal driving.  With a kerb weight of 1.2 tons, the engine is barely enough to pull the vehicle on the road.  A test drive shown that the Captur is not aggressive at all like how it looks, and in fact is slow.  Driving in the manual mode help a little, but the ECU kick in to up-shift the gear automatically over-riding the manual interaction.  The gear number start blinking when it detect low RPMs for the selected gear if you are trying to shift up too fast, and the ECU will shift the gear down to maintain the power needed.  Well, good design for driver seeking for an easy-drive car.  But not a good news for the sporty type.

The Captur is a symbol of of a lifestyle vehicle, thus do not expect it to have luxury interior.  In fact, hard plastic is everywhere on the dash and door panel.  The top storage cover is difficult to open as well, which could be the first sign on bad built quality.  Second sign is the gear stalk button, which feel lose and without the solid confirmation movement.

Do note that the Captur steering wheel buttons are for cruise control usage, and the AV control stalk is mounted on the steering column instead.  A smart design for this as control using finger behind the steering is always easier and safer than looking down at the steering searching for the appropriate button.  The AV stalk is friendlier to use in this manner.  Even the trip reset and trip computer control is done via buttons on one of those signal/wiper control stalk instead of beside the meter cluster.  Clean design!  By the way, lightly tapping the signal stalk to turn on the left/right turn light for few blips, useful for notifying drivers behind you of your intention to perform a lane change.

The Captur looks tiny in size when compare to other competitors, but looking at the actual measurements, it is not too bad.  Don't be deceived by how it looks from the outside.  The rear seats can slide backward to create an ample legroom for rear passengers, which could be the best in its class.  Sliding it forward creates larger trunk for your house moving needs.  Too bad that the rear seats is only 60:40 split and do not fold flat to the floor.  But for a car this size, the trunk is consider huge at 1235 litres with seats folded down.  The trunk also has a panel that split the trunk to 2 levels, offering further convenience for keeping your "barang-barang" organized.  Moves the panel to the bottom, you get one huge space.  This is very similar to how Citroen offered the same concept in their Modu-Board design which is available in the 1st generation of C3.

	Captur	HR-V	2008	CX-3	Ecosport
Length (mm)	4122	4294	4159	4275	4273
Width (mm)	1778	1772	1739	1765	1765
Height (mm)	1566	1605	1556	1535	1675
Wheelbase (mm)	2606	2610	2538	2570	2519

French always make good seats for their car and the Captur share the trait as well.  The seat cover of the Captur could be taken off easily by unzipping and pulling them out as it was hold on with velcro.  If the local distributor ever offer optional varieties of car seat covers, you could even style it differently daily for the ride.  The show car light grey seat covers were not good at handling abuse as it get dirty easily.  Wonder frequent washing it will erode off the quality of the fabric or not?

With only 30 units available for the 1st batch delivery, which could start in September, and order book of > 50 now, expect to wait till end of the year of even into 2016 for further delivery of the Captur.  

Thinking of ordering it now?  Wait for the Mazda CX-3, it shall as well.  But if this French beauty is what you love, romance is what you envy of having, the Captur is the one!  Do note that this car only come with 4-airbag, while most now have 6.  5-star NCAP rating is based on a car with 5-airbag (including a driver's knee airbag).  The Captur side large airbag provides protection to head and chest though.   However, it will be perfect if it were equipped with full curtain airbag that protect rear passengers as well!

Lastly, the EDC gearbox is again from Getrag 6DCT250 family, similar to the one widely use in Ford Fiesta.  Dry clutch seems to be on its way out, as according to Getrag, and Renault has not sold in quantity in Malaysia to proof its reliability.  Finger cross, folks!  Ford and VW has so many complaints on their dry clutch boxes...Good luck!

RON97 & RON95 is now @ RM2.45/litre & RM2.05/litre respectively

Been out of the country, and this is the second good news for August, where the 1st is the impending launch of the Mazda MX-5 ND on Aug 21st of this month, then came the news of all variant of petrol price going down by RM0.10/litre. 

Looking at the crude oil price, it has drop below USD50, and RM0.10/litre of adjustment could be a decoy from the huge donation headline.  Anyhow, public now need to donate less to keep their cars running, but only RM0.10/litre.  By the way, I don't mind some supporters donating to keep laymanauto's blog site running, so that I can turn this into my full time job, providing more interesting layman automotive news.

Mazda MX-5 ND, August 21st in Malaysia

August is always an auspicious month, and good thing happens, thus let's start the month with the best news I could share.  It's official, Bermaz is having a pre-launch event for the Mazda MX-5 ND on August 21st.  Only invited current, ex owners of MX-5 and the press are invited to the full fill  party at its Glenmarie HQ.  Will this be the largest local MX-5 gathering ever in Malaysia.  We have seen a large group during the club's Tri-5 event in 2013, but that was an event of 3 nations!  Details available here.