The joy of driving: 2024 Mazda MX-5 vs 2025 Subaru BRZ

Yesterday at 02:43 PM

There's a term we use – incorrectly in a technical sense – regularly in the Drive office. That term is 'palette cleanser'. It's a term that gets bandied about regularly, and with good reason.

RELATED: Is the Mazda MX-5 a good first car?

When you spend so much time testing vehicles that are primarily heavy, you need to hit the reset button. SUVs, whether they are medium, large or upper-large, dual cabs, larger trucks, medium and large sedans and wagons, and electric vehicles all have one thing in common – weight.

The inclusions of the all the requisite safety technology – both active and passive – has added inescapable weight and complexity to the modern vehicle, such that the concept of a car weighing in anywhere near the magical 1000kg mark is something of a pipe dream.

That means the Drive team spends a lot of time in heavy cars that lack the sense of connection you could get 20 or 30 years ago. That's not a bad thing either, to be fair, given how much safer and more advanced cars are. In general, the driving public is a lot better for it.

Back to the idea of the palette cleanser.

The concept itself probably has as much to do with nostalgia as it does a physical reset, truth be told.

Here's why. Unless you came to driving age in a parallel universe, where you had access to high-end sports cars and supercars, most of us started in the same place, certainly if you're older than 25 or 30. And, in another 30 years, most kids will have had their first driving experience in heavy, electric cars. The starting point for most of you reading this, however, was different.

That starting point was a significantly less complex car, whether it be a hatch, sedan, or sportier car if your budget allowed, and it would have weighed a lot less than its modern equivalent. Suzuki Swift, Holden Barina, Toyota Corolla just to name a few.

By the time the first-gen Mazda MX-5 was 10 to 15 years old, it had become affordable to young drivers. Even if you had the most basic, least performance-focused version of any of these cars, they had a sense of connection and interaction that has become dulled the heavier and more technological the car gets.

That's why when we talk about palette cleansers in the Drive office, we drift off into discussions about Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86, Mazda-MX-5, Suzuki Swift Sport, and previously Ford Fiesta ST or even Kia Picanto GT.

These cars don't need to be powerful, they don't even need to be fast. They only need to reward the driver with that impossible to quantify feeling of engagement and connection that puts a silly big grin on your face every time you drive them.

It's in the snick, snick metallic connection of the gearshift, the response through the steering wheel, the way the front end behaves when you tip it into a corner, the buzz of the engine, and the bite of the brakes. The lighter the car, the better. Any road is a chance to find a reason to enjoy your drive, and you don't need to wait for the weekend.

Subaru BRZ vs Mazda MX-5

Rob and I have picked two of the best to escape the office for a day – Mazda's legendary MX-5 and Subaru's excellent BRZ.

We couldn't get our hands on a soft top MX-5 for the day, so we secured the keys to a retractable hardtop, which has proven popular with Aussie buyers not ready to commit to the full soft top experience.

We got lucky with the weather, but it wouldn't have mattered if it was bucketing down. These cars are sensational on any road, at any time, in any weather. And that's the key. We spend a lot of time testing cars against others in their segment in order to help you spend your money in the smartest and sharpest way possible, but this drive is all about the other reason you buy a car.

The joy of driving.

The case for the Mazda MX-5

I still remember my first time behind the wheel of an MX-5. It was 1989 and it had just been awarded a Car of the Year title and on the back of that accolade, a mate had bought one, in resplendent Eternal Blue, with the personalised number plate, 'COTY'.

I'd never driven anything like the MX-5 before, my motoring CV up to that point running to a series of asthmatic Datsuns and a pair of V8-shod Valiants. The MX-5 in that company was something else altogether: nimble, light, low-slung, powerful enough, and deliciously tactile.

Fast forward 35 years and Mazda's recipe has remained unchanged. Sure, the ingredients are a little better, more refined, modernised, but at its heart, its very soul, today's Mazda MX-5 is the same delightful, engaging, charming and most of all, absolute-joy-to-drive roadster it always has been.

And I was reminded of exactly that when Trent and I headed out of town for the day to rekindle an old flame – driving, for the joy of it.

Our Mazda MX-5 of choice is an interesting one. We've taken the less obvious road with the hard-top GT RS. Yes, traditionalists might baulk at the MX-5 'coupe', but to our mind, it represents the best of both worlds – the option of open-top motoring when the weather plays nicely with the added security of a hard top when it doesn't.

And while that might seem like a compromise, it doesn’t take long to realise that having extra metal over your head hasn't diluted the MX-5 experience one bit. It remains an analogue car in a digital world.

The 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder under the bonnet makes 135kW and 205Nm which isn't especially gutsy. But when paired with a six-speed manual sending drive to the rear wheels (is there a more classic combination?) and a kerb weight a tickle over 1100kg, the ingredients for a fun day out behind the wheel are in place.

And you don’t need a beguiling stretch of twisting blacktop to experience that fun. Even a lawful commute through suburban Sydney takes on a whole different perspective.

But it's not city commuting we're here to enjoy. Instead, some rural back roads beckon and it's here where the MX-5 displays the full breadth of its abilities and charm.

Here, the 2.0-litre four sings for its supper, happily revving out to redline in a cacophony of four-pot combustion. Here, the tactility of the manual transmission is simply beautiful, the stubby gear lever 'snicking' into its gate in a mechanical movement that can be felt through the palm of your hand. Satisfying.

The chassis is a masterclass in poise and agility, keeping the MX-5 tied to the road in a manner few cars of its ilk can match. Light on its wheels, the MX-5 thrives on cornering, and cornering with intent, helped by direct and short steering that simply responds to inputs to point the MX-5 exactly where you want it to go.

The MX-5 is charming in its simplicity, a driver-focused car that actually revels in being driven with a joyous abandon. A day spent behind the wheel tasting all of its analogue motoring charms is a day well spent. That you can do so with the wind in your hair and sun on your face is just an added bonus.

That's not to say the Subaru BRZ isn't without similar charms, because it is. And I'm sure Trent, my co-conspirator for the day, will present a compelling argument.

But for me, the Mazda MX-5 is the ultimate expression of pure driving joy, a joy that rewards at every turn, and with every gear shift in a time in the automotive landscape where simplicity has, for the most part, taken a back seat to technology.

The case for the Subaru BRZ

Interestingly, and not unlike the other vehicle in this story, the first BRZ was criticised for not being powerful enough. I've always believed that's a measure of an exceptional chassis, rather than an underpowered engine, so that probably showed the inherent quality of the platform.

And, here we are, in the blink of an eye, more than a decade on from the original launch. Reworked from the ground up with new styling and more power, the BRZ we're testing here remains sensational bang for your buck. Some of you wanted a turbo, maybe even a supercharger, but there's a lot to be said for the linear simplicity of a naturally aspirated engine and the way it feels when you drive.

The 2.4-litre engine feels significantly punchier than the old 2.0-litre unit, especially down low, and that's backed up by the outputs – 174kW at 7000rpm and 250Nm at 3700rpm. It's mated to a slick-shifting six-speed manual with – of course – RWD. The manual weighs in around the 1250kg mark, so while the BRZ isn't as svelte as the MX-5, it's not heavyweight either.

Like the Mazda, where the Subaru excels is its ability to turn any drive, at any time, on any road, into an enjoyable experience. Remember just going for a drive because you wanted to? You'll be finding time to do that often if you buy a BRZ. Whether you're heading to work, or rolling down the highway as part of your regular weekly driving ritual, the BRZ is a joy.

However, the opportunity to head out of town is impossible to resist in a car like the BRZ and that's why Rob and I pointed the nose west and found one of our favourite stretches of road. While there's no doubt the MX5 feels a little sharper some of the time, the BRZ is an exceptional back road companion. Its ride is comfortable, too, for the encounters you're going to have with poor road surfaces.

Fire into the first corner, and your senses are focused, you start to subconsciously attempt to nail the perfect gearshift – up or down – and there's hours of within the speed limit enjoyment to be experienced.

Rare is the day you'll be tired of driving this characterful little sports car. The BRZ's gearshift isn't quite as snappy as the MX-5 but damn its good, and if you're a little taller or broader, the extra space, more useful boot and compromised second row seats all play into the practicality consideration you might have.

Fresh out of excuses to remain out of Sydney as the sun starts to set, we make our way back to the city once again reminded of why we loved this job in the first place. The bug-splattered nose of the BRZ is the reward for a day's driving done right.

Mazda MX-5 vs Subaru BRZ: Which is better?

Asking which of these two is the better driver-focused car is liking asking a parent to name their favourite child.

Asking which of these two is the better driver-focused car is liking asking a parent to name their favourite child. Simply, you can't.
And on this day, that's the case here with the Mazda MX-5 and Subaru BRZ. Yes, both have their imperfections, but it's in those imperfections where true beauty lies.

I know Trent preferred the extra space afforded by the BRZ's cabin and while I agree, it is a far more practical car than the MX-5, the Mazda's tight confines inside lend it a more purposeful air. You feel like you're sitting in a race car, cocooned tightly into the seat and with your feet close together on the tightly-spaced pedal box.

But we're splitting hairs, really, because both of these cars and certainly on this day, reminded us that driving for its own sake can still be joyful, a marriage of the human and the mechanical that can't help but leave you grinning from ear to ear.
The ultimate winner? Driving. The simple joy of driving.

The post The joy of driving: 2024 Mazda MX-5 vs 2025 Subaru BRZ appeared first on Drive.