Why Gen-4 Mazda MX-5 ditches Conventional Soft-top for Retractable Fastback?

MANILA: New York Auto Show 2016 is only a day away and Mazda is ready with a delightful Mazda MX-5 RF roadster for the world to see. The latest addition to the Mazda's roadster family has already created a buzz a few days ago with the claim that it will “blow the lid off”. This intended pun made the auto gurus thinking whether this will come as a convertible or nonconvertible.

Now with the video going viral on the Internet, all the speculations have come to the halt as the new MX-5 RF which stands for retractable fastback will arrive in the show as a hardtop with the beautiful Targa roof retraction mechanism. This gorgeous gen-four has got a dropping coupe-like roofline giving something new to the non-convertible fans. The fourth-generation “ND” has opted for a Targa-style arrangement which makes the Mazda MX-5 RF enjoyable in both full roof or with a roof stowed away.

At the mere push of a button, the rear window and a roof top can be swallowed giving a true feeling of a roadster and it can be retracted back easily at a speed of up to 10 km/h. The roof panel folds at the push of button while the rear window retracts itself behind the seats, and at the same time, the two wildly flying buttress supports lift up to swallow the folded top.

The main concern of impeding boot space is also blown away as the RF will be offering the same 130-litre boot capacity. However with the metal hardtop, it will definitely weigh more than its soft-top sibling and the top might fall in the range of 40-50 kg.

Mazda has adopted this gorgeous Retractable Fastback abandoning the conventional folding hardtop as the brand has come up with the new MX-5 in shorter length which is not enough to accommodate a conventional full folding hardtop. The MX-5 new fastback roof now fits in the same space behind the seats where previous Miata soft-top folds into maintaining the interior space and car weight intact.

As we'd expected, mechanical aspects remain uncompromised as globally, it will be available with 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G engines while the Philippines and the US market might get a 2.0-litre Mazda’s Skyactiv-G power unit. The new Mazda MX-5 RF will make its debut in Machine Gray body paint with red nappa leather inside highlighting Mazda's KODO-Soul of Motion.

Video Courtesy: theverge.com

The new Miata RF is expected to go on sale in late 2017 after the new Mazda CX-9 and it might be premium above the regular roadster by PhP 164,674.  

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