2025 Mazda MX-5 RF
Price: $42,450 CAD
Colour: Jet Black Mica
I’ve had the privilege and luxury to drive the Mazda MX-5 several times in the last couple of years. I’ve always been impressed by its simplicity and commitment to purpose. It’s a rare thing in the current car market and something to be appreciated. As a practical vehicle to get from A to B and complete your daily chores and tasks almost any vehicle would be a better choice. As something to stir your soul every time you wedge yourself into the tiny cabin, there are few things better. How then to improve on such perfection? Add a hard top.
The MX-5 has forever been a manual soft top vehicle. You pop the latch and flip the roof down. One and done motoring. It makes enjoying even a brief moment of sunshine an easy affair. There was a minor rumbling in 2016 when Mazda announced the “RF” variant. RF stands for “retractable fastback” which added a retractable hard top and associated buttresses right behind the seats. I may have railed against such heresy at the time of its announcement, but time has a way of shifting perspective and in 2025 the RF may be even better than the soft top. I know, I know…
One of the criticisms of the soft top MX-5 has always been its diminutive stature. It’s a small car with tiny proportions. This is of course by design but here in North America we believe all things are made better by being bigger. The MX-5 has retained its tininess and I love that. The designers may have heard about this perception regarding size and have attempted to counter it with the RF. The retractable hardtop is a wonder and nearly as easy to use as the soft top. One toggle raises and lowers the roof and the whole thing is done in less than five seconds. You can comfortably raise and lower at any red light. More than that hardtop though are those buttresses. They add such weight and beef to the MX-5 that it almost feels like a different car. It’s like a super jacked gym rat who is only 5’5” tall. It defines small but mighty looking. The weight and heft of this design change hasn’t compromised the overall dimensions to any great extent but they offer such a different experience in the MX-5 universe.
My son is 15 years old and (as so many teenagers are) an expert in everything. He is adamant that the RF is inferior to the soft top because it’s not as pure an experience. When I pointed out the fact that he can’t even drive yet he laughed me off and continued to besmirch the RF as a marketing exercise to be ignored and dismissed. I can’t do that to a vehicle like the MX-5 RF. It’s far too good, unique and special. It adds to what was already a beautiful car and offers people a different experience and set of sensations. If you’re looking to invest in a small, impractical 2-seater that will make your heart soar every time you drop the top and put your foot down, give the RF a look.
