Blog Auto Review

Focusing on sports styling and acknowledging Mazdas growing involvement in motorsport - from its MX-5 GT4 contesting the 2012 British GT Championship, to the recently announced SKYACTIV diesel racing engine programme for Le Mans and the new MX-5 GT Concept road-legal trackday car being revealed at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed - a new Special Edition Mazda MX-5 Kuro goes on sale on 1 July 2012.

The name Kuro, meaning Black in Japanese, is echoed in the sporty, dark accents of this latest pair of Special Edition models. A Brilliant Black roof, Brilliant Black door mirrors and dark gunmetal 17-inch alloy wheels, contrast dramatically with the three exterior colours - Velocity Red Mica, Crystal White Pearlescent and Brilliant Black.

Based on the MX-5 SE and Sport Tech models, the Kuro will be available as a 1.8i Soft-top and a 2.0i Roadster Coupe with additional specification highlights over the donor car that also include: a diffuser-style rear sports bumper, larger diameter sports exhaust, unique race car inspired exterior graphics, Black detailing around the front grille and front fog lights, plus unique Kuro Edition badging.

Inside, Mazda MX-5 Kuro has unique Stone and Black heated leather seats, Stone leather door inserts, with contrasting red stitching, a silver interior deco panel with red accents, alloy pedals, premium floor mats with race inspired logo and climate control air-conditioning.

Available until 31 July 2012 with 0% APR finance over 36 months (50% deposit) or 5.9% APR, the MX-5 1.8i Kuro Soft-top is priced at £18,495 and the MX-5 2.0i Kuro Roadster Coupe costs £21,995 (OTR).

A genuine special edition, only 200 examples of the Kuro (Soft-top) and 400 of the Kuro (Roadster Coupe) will be available in the UK.

"Special Edition models of the MX-5 are incredibly popular in the UK and now the Kuro offers a unique combination of sports focused exterior styling and sophisticated leather interior fittings - in a sportscar that remains unrivalled as an exhilarating drive that can also be used everyday," comments Peter Allibon, Sales Director, Mazda UK. "With their low running costs, enviable reliability and our current low-rate finance offers, the Mazda MX-5 Kuro duo makes a compelling ownership proposition - a thoroughly modern sportscar that people can buy with their head and their heart."

The new Kuro models have all the dynamic attributes of the worlds best-selling sportscar. Featuring a front-engined, rear-wheel drive chassis to deliver perfect balance, with razor-sharp handling and pure driving exhilaration, the MX-5 has been voted Best Roadster by Auto Express magazine for six years in a row.

Mazda MX-5 Kuro customers have a choice of two powertrains - the 126ps 1.8i with a five-speed gearbox (Soft-top) and the 160ps 2.0i with a smooth-shifting six-speed manual transmission (Roadster Coupe). Like other MX-5 models, the Kuro duo combines beautifully balanced handling with lively performance - sprinting to 60mph in 9.9sec (Soft-top) and 7.9sec (Roadster Coupe), and capable of going on to reach top speeds of 121mph and 136mph respectively.

For optimum handling stability, all MX-5 models feature Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and a Traction Control System (TCS). Two-litre models are also equipped with a Limited Slip Differential (LSD) for enhanced handling precision and side airbags for added protection.