‘Jinba-ittai’ – the unity between a horse and its rider – is something which Mazda engineers make sure is in every model that the company sells. It’s what makes a Mazda enjoyable to drive and the MX-5 Miata shows it best. Yet, in the spirit of kaizen (Japanese for constant improvement), the engineers believe they can make it still better and for the 2022 model, they have given attention to reducing body roll further.
Body roll can be good as well as bad, and it does in some ways provide the driver with feedback during fast cornering. To reduce the roll and achieve a flatter cornering attitude, the engineers have come up with a new system called Kinematic Posture Control (KPC), which uses braking to reduce body roll. While it uses braking forces like torque vectoring, it works on a different principle to generate a downward pull on the inside rear suspension.
This ‘anti-lift’ force pulls the car’s body down when the brakes are applied, thereby suppressing roll and optimising the posture when cornering. This takes into account the rear suspension control arms swinging rearwards while rising as the suspension compresses. Likewise, when the suspension moves towards the back, which happens under braking, it also moves upwards.
The difference between KPC and torque vectoring is that KPC does not rely on driver input to react. It functions when it senses the difference in speed between the two rear wheels while going round a curve. This enhanced stability, especially when cornering hard and fast, makes the MX-5’s handling even better while also improving ride comfort.
Apart from KPC, which doesn’t add any weight, the latest MX-5 RF has the same specs and features as last year’s model. The rear-wheel drive roadster is powered by the proven SKYACTIV-G 2-litre engine with a 181 bhp/205 Nm output. Customers have a choice of 6-speed automatic or manual transmission, with the latter having a top speed of 220 km/h, 20 km/h more than the automatic.
Mazda’s suite of active safety systems is known as i-Activsense and consists of Adaptive LED Headlights, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Driver Attention Alert and Lane Departure Warning. There is also Smart City Brake Support which is an autonomous emergency braking system that uses a laser sensor mounted at the top of the windscreen. The brakes will be applied automatically if the driver does not take the right action when a frontal collision is likely.
The 6 colour choices are Soul Red Crystal, Machine Gray, Snowflake White Pearl, Polymetal Gray, Deep Crystal Blue and Jet Black. Pricing starts from RM265,964 (with 50% Sales Tax Reduction until June 30, 2022). Warranty coverage is for 5 years/100,000 kms (whichever occurs first after registration) and Bermaz also includes free scheduled maintenance for the first 5 years (or maximum of 100,000 kms).
To know more about the MX-5 RF and other Mazda models in Malaysia, visit www.mazda.com.my.
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