Mazda MX-5 Homur a

FIRST DRIVE Iconic sports car gets a new range-topping model

- Alastair Crooks

Running costs 40.9mpg (official) £66 fill-up

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 6.5 seconds/136mph

ANOTHER year, another name adorning the evergreen Mazda MX-5. This time it's Homura, and it's the new range-topping variant of the world's best-selling sports car. Homura replaces the old GT Sport Tech edition of the MX-5 and at £32,350, it's around £1,500 more expensive. Don't start looking for huge visual changes, because there aren't any beyond some red Brembo brake calipers adapted from those on the 30th-anniversary model from 2019.

Elsewhere, the black leather of the lesser Exclusive-Line trim level is swapped out for 'Light Stone' Nappa leather and the forged 17-inch BBS alloy wheels (exclusive to the Homura) look the part. Heated door mirrors are also fitted as standard.

The Homura can only be specced with the MX-5's larger engine. It's a 181bhp 2.0-litre, naturally aspirated four-cylinder unit that produces 205Nm of torque. It's definitely the powertrain you want; on paper it appears quick enough, with a 6.5-second 0-62mph time and 136mph top speed, but as we all know, the MX-5 does its best work on the tarmac rather than the spec sheets.

The little bit of extra torque across the revi range over the 1.5-litre engine really helps the MX-5 to feel brawnier and it's a smooth climb to 7,500rpm. The Homura's power is adequate to push the chassis, but as ever, you'll have to rely on some old-fashioned momentum to spice things up, even with the standard-fit limited-slip differential.

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