MX-5 is now a little more of a fireball

* The new Mazda MX-5, above and below.

Mazda MX-5 RF road test by Steve Rogers

Maza has beefed up the world's favourite sports car.

The MX-5 has been given a power boost, an extra 23bhp for the top of the range two-litre, yet it is the sound rather than the extra grunt that provides most of the thrills.

This is a car that makes a big noise thanks to some tuning trickery with the exhaust silencer. It gives a more powerful note and had me thinking the little sports car was a lot quicker when the reality is only around half a second off the sprint time for the hard top RF I was driving. On the convertible it's more like a second, lowering the sprint to 62mph to 6.5 seconds.

The extra horsepower isn't down to just chipping the engine on a computer. The engine has been heavily reworked with lighter pistons and con rods, changes to the camshafts, new fuel injectors, throttle and exhaust valves.

Crucially the red line has been raised from 6500 to 7500rpm and this has made a big difference giving the MX more legs when pushing hard. To round things off the engine upgrade, emissions are lower than the old 157bhp version.

For now the revised engine is only in the top of the range GT Sport Nav+ but it will filter down the model range over the next few months.

There are no visual changes, the MX-5 is already perfectly formed, but more safety features have been added and the steering wheel now adjusts for reach, a little thing may be but something that goes a long way to achieving a comfortable driving position. That's not always been easy for people with short legs.

Since the day it was launched in 1989 the Lotus Elan look-a-like has been a hoot to drive but what we have now is probably the pinnacle of the MX-5 experience. The car's balance and sticking power is phenomenal, coupled with super quick and accurate steering. You point and it hits the target with pin sharp accuracy.

Not always the most comfortable but why would you expect anything else from a short wheelbased sports car? And although the gearbox has a nice short throw gate it is on the notchy side. There is barely any space for oddments in the cabin and boot space is tight, probably no more than a cabin sized case plus some bits and bobs but such imperfections are easily forgiven.

If more space is important then have a look at a Mini cabriolet.

So the big question. Soft top or RF? It has to be the RF (retractable fastback) beautifully crafted and a proper all year round sports car.

The folding roof has to be the cleverest design of all time. The hard top is made up of three sections with two folding away leaving the side fins and roof bar in place. The two folding sections tuck neatly away above the boot line so nothing goes into the boot.

The roof sections are made of steel, aluminium and plastic and have added just 45kg to the car's weight so you will notice no difference in handling over the ragtop.

Nearly all the Mazda range now has the excellent head up display projecting speed and navigation directions in the driver's eyeline on the windscreen but it is yet to come to the MX which is a disappointment given the small speedometer and no digital read out. Certainly something to think about.

The beauty of the MX-5 is that it is affordable with the soft top starting at £18,995. Okay, it's not got the raw power of an Audi TT RS or Porsche Boxster, but it is a traditional two seater roadster providing adequate performance and a polished driving experience.

The facts

MX-5 RF GT Sport Nav+
£27,795
2-litre; 180bhp
0-62mph 6.8secs; 137mph
40.9mpg combined
Emissions: 156g/km
Road tax £140 (first year £515)
Insurance group 31

Covering of snow above Llangollen

Llangollen awoke to a covering of snow this morning (Wednesday) masking the view of Castell Dinas Bran.

Campaign aims to keep dogs on lead

Denbighshire County Council and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty have joined forces to launch this year’s campaign encouraging people to keep their dogs on leads in the county’s open countryside.

The Take the Lead campaign is now in its third year and is being launched ahead of the start of the holiday season this Easter.  

It is targeting local residents and visitors to the countryside and wants to build on the success of previous years’ initiative.

The campaign includes production of videos that will be shared on social media, features in the local media and online and direct engagement with people visiting the county’s scenic countryside.

Councillor Tony Thomas, Cabinet Lead Member for Housing, Regulation and the Environment, said: “We were delighted by the success of last year’s campaign and it seemed that people were listening to the message. We saw far more people acting responsibly and taking their dogs on leads in the countryside – and we would like to thank them for their efforts.

“However this is a kind of message that needs to be repeated time and time again to gain its maximum impact, so we will be sharing our campaign messages with locals and visitors and encourage the small minority who flout the law to take action.

“We have seen some incidents where sheep have been injured or killed as a result of attacks from dogs off their leads. We have spoken to farmers who have lost sheep or have had their animals attacked.  This really can be avoided by working together with dog owners, sending home the message that dogs should be kept on leads.  We can really make a difference.

“We appreciate why people would want to go on walks in our scenic countryside in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Many walkers bring dogs with them and whilst we want that to continue, all we are asking is that people respect the Countryside Code.

“There are plenty of warning signs and information about taking dogs on leads and we will be out and about over the coming months talking to owners and sharing our message to as wide an audience as possible."

First Minister questioned over waste disposal

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has today questioned the First Minister over what is being done in Wales to deal with radioactive waste.

According to the Welsh Government's Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Consultation Document, 'Radioactive waste disposal is a devolved matter -the Welsh Government is responsible for determining the policy for this within Wales.'

In the Assembly Chamber this afternoon, Mr Isherwood asked Mark Drakeford what action is therefore being taken by the Welsh Government to dispose of this type of waste.

As you say, this is about higher-activity waste that's been accumulating over 60 years, and you referred to the Statement by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs. I understand that she said a Geological Disposal Facility ‘provides a permanent solution to the long-term management of higher activity waste, rather than leaving the responsibility for future generations’.

“Given that the UK Government, through the Radioactive Waste Management Subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, has carried out geological surveys, and has been carrying out consultation events in Swansea, Llandudno and six sites in England, what engagement are you having with those other potential six sites, where, as you said, there's a collective responsibility to address this, and geology will, ultimately, determine where it's safe to put this stuff?” 

The First Minister replied: “We will not, and have not identified such sites, and we don't intend to do so. It is for any local community that is willing to come forward to do so, and if no community comes forward, there will be no disposal here in Wales.

“Even if a community does come forward, there is a very strict and lengthy process, lasting up to 20 years, in which any initial expression of interest would have to be negotiated. That local community would have the right to withdraw from those discussions at any point in that 20-year process, and that process would come to an end. And as I said, any local authority within which such a community were located would have the power to over-ride that expression of interest by that local community by declaring that, as a local authority area, it is not prepared to see geological disposal within its boundaries.”

Council says no to nuclear waste disposal in county

Councillors in Denbighshire say they will not be supporting the location of any form of nuclear waste disposal facility in the county.  

Their decision has come in response to a national consultation on the process for identifying potential sites.

In May 2015  the Welsh Government adopted a policy supporting geological disposal for the long term management of higher activity radioactive waste. 

A programme, funded by the UK Government, has been set up to seek a single disposal facility from Wales, England and Northern Ireland and will be delivered by Radioactive Waste Management Ltd.

In January the Welsh Government issued a policy statement setting out the broad outline of arrangements for working with potential host communities in Wales, should any wish to seek discussions about potentially hosting a geological disposal facility in Wales.

Councillor Tony Thomas, Cabinet Lead Member for Housing, Regulation and the Environment, said: “At a meeting of the full council, councillors agreed to respond to the consultation, expressing their firm views that they want the county to be nuclear-free and would not support any such facility in the county. 

"They raised concerns about the effects on the landscape, the environment and on future generations in the county.

“Whilst we welcome the opportunity to respond to the consultation, we will be setting out our objections in the clearest of terms and forwarding our response to Radioactive Waste Management Ltd.

"We will also be contacting other councils in North Wales to see whether they wish to issue a regional response."

Art group stages exhibition at museum

Llangollen Artists stage Pavilion exhibition