Mazda takes over at the top

According to some, the trend for folding hardtops has become an epidemic, with everything from Nissan Micras to Volvo C70s being offered with folding metal roofs.

This can be good news in terms of insulation, security and longevity, but it can be also bad. Adding a folding mechanism to a small car invariably adds weight.

The Mazda MX-5, as we saw from last week's Motors review is one of the most entertaining and rewarding cars you can buy, so the thoughts of adding a heavy, cumbersome mechanical roof seemed like motoring sacrilege.

But thankfully fears were allayed at the Austrian launch of the MX-5 Roadster Coupé, to give it its full title, as the design of the new roof is somewhat ingenious. Firstly, the car looks identical - there have been virtually no changes to the dimensions of the car apart from a 10mm increase in height. Rather than being stowed in the boot, the Mazda engineers have utilised the rather small space behind the driver and passenger seats in the soft-top version and have used this as an area to store the two-piece folding roof.

The roof itself weights a mere 18kg and the overall increase in weight is a mere 37kg. It takes 12 seconds to open, making it the quickest of any car with a folding roof. With the roof up the car becomes very quiet and well insulated and roof down you get the same thrilling, wind in the hair experience as with the standard car.

Crucially there is no difference in the excellent handling in the MX-5 so there are no compromises in choosing this model over the traditional soft-top.

Mazda Motor Ireland will only be offering the 1.8-litre version, with 126bhp and a 5-speed manual transmission in SE spec only. The Roadster Coupé is expected to make up about 35 per cent of the total sales of the MX-5 across Europe, but it is a case of "wait and see" for Mazda Motor Ireland's managing director David McGonigle.

What this model does is offer an additional option to the MX-5 range which starts at under €30,000. Final prices have yet to be confirmed but McGonigle pointed out at the launch that they hoped it would be "under €35,000."

The car will be delivered to customers in early January, although dealerships will take deposits immediately.