Review: 2016 Mazda MX-5 GT – Part 3
The interior of the Mazda MX-5 GT is very well executed. Let me illustrate it visually.
The drivers seat is clearly aimed for those who want a sport seat. If you have some girth, you might have problems fitting into it. However, it will hold you during spirited driving. The seats are manually adjusted in six ways, and I had to spend a lot of time using the manual adjustments to get a seating position that did not hurt my back. But once I did, the drivers seat was comfortable. One thing to note is that I am six feet tall and I think that I am at the upper end of someone who can comfortably fit in the MX-5 GT. If you’re an NBA player, I doubt that you’d fit.
On the doors, you’ll note the body colored panels at the top, as well as the red stitched leather inserts. If you look at the area around the window switches, you’ll see what look like faux carbon fiber trim that looks cool.
Here you can see one of the HVAC vents and below that you can see the switches for the various electronic overseers.
The steering wheel is leather wrapped and has buttons for the infotainment system as well as cruise control. If you look closely, you can see the paddle shifters for the transmission.
The instrument cluster is very clear and legible in most lighting conditions. Plus when you get into the MX-5 GT, it does one thing that is very cool and I wonder how many people notice it:
I showed this video to my wife and she said that the rhythm that this gauge flashes at is very similar to a human heartbeat. Seeing as she has a life sciences background, I’ll take her word for it. My thinking is that this is meant to illustrate that the MX-5 has a soul. Whatever the thinking, it’s a very cool touch.
Here you can see the 7″ touchscreen as well as the HVAC controls along with the engine start/stop button.
Below the HVAC controls is a cubby that easily held my iPhone 6. You can’t see it behind the shifter, but to the right of that cubby, there’s a pair of USB ports and an aux in port for audio. There’s also the controls for seat warmers. That I find interesting as the steering wheel as far as I can tell is not heated. In any case, below the shifter which is wrapped in leather is the sport switch that makes the MX-5 GT more “interesting to drive”.
Storage for your stuff is at a premium, which should not be a shock as this is a roadster after all, but there is this box to hold some stuff in…. As long as it is small. So gas cards, sunglasses, and pocket change would be the clear choices to go in here. In front of this box, you can see part of the HMI commander switch that controls the infotainment system.
Two things sit between the driver and the passenger. The first is the CD player at the bottom. The top is another storage area.
As you can see, the manuals for the MX-5 GT along with some other stuff took up all the space.
You get a pair of cup holders between the driver and passenger. But as you can see, my Venti Starbucks coffee isn’t exactly held securely. Thus spirited driving is not recommended because you’ll be wearing that coffee. Not only that, the location is not exactly ideal for the driver as the driver would have to reach back to get to their coffee. Fortunately, Mazda has thought of this and gives you another option. You can move one of the cupholders from this location…..
…. To this location. There’s one catch. When I had my wife in the car, it protruded far enough to make sitting in the passenger seat less than comfortable for her as it rubbed up against her left leg. Thus I would recommend this location for times where there is nobody sitting there. I’ll also point out the red stitching on the brake lever as well as the dash. It is very well done.
Behind each seat is a storage area like this. To get to it, you have to move the seats forward which isn’t a big deal to do. Sunglasses and other smallish items are best suited to be in this storage area.
As for trunk space, you get more than you would expect. The trunk is very deep and while it will not hold the bins that my wife and I use when we go shopping, it did hold our haul from the farmers market in St. Jacobs Ontario.
The interior is well executed and well put together. Mazda really did a great job putting the interior together. I should also note that sight lines in a 360 degree view are pretty good with he top down, and surprisingly with the top up. Also, with the top up I had plenty of headroom which was also surprising. I had no issues seeing anything that was around me while I was driving. Plus the insulation that i used in the top really makes the interior quiet. No rattles, squeaks, or other annoyances were noted during my week with the MX-5.
Tomorrow, I will be taking a look at the technology in the MX-5 which is very extensive. Stay tuned.
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