There was a time back in the '30s and '50s when the words 'sports car' meant a convertible two-seater, with mostly road holding setting it apart from the stodgy four-door saloon siblings available then.

Nowadays it's not that simple ? the name 'sports car' encompasses hot four-door saloons, but with barrels of power added.

The Mazda MX-5 is still in the old mould, with just road holding and looks offering the 'sports car' moniker it's bequeathed with. And in the looks department it does please, though the shape may be a trite long in the tooth ? even with the more aggressive touches the latest version gets. The all-new press-button retractable hard top does offer that extra attraction, but has also added an extra 35kg in kerb weight.

And as of old, on the road it's the handling side that impresses with dynamic performance being of secondary importance. The up-to-date all-round independent suspension ? high mounted double wishbones at the front and 'multi-link' at the rear ? offer ultra positive feel, response, sharp turn-in and control.

A highlight of the MX-5 is its lower centre of gravity resulting in little body roll and better road holding. The latter characteristics are in part achieved by incorporating a low, slanted radiator and redesigned and repositioned fuel tank, the latter ensuring the same boot capacity as the normal cloth top convertible version. Though, to be sure, the buyer-profile of most MX-5 owners is such that they really wouldn't bother much about such matters ? the open sky above and wind in your hair feeling being more the attraction.

A feature of the new retractable hard top is it can be lowered or raised in 12 seconds and is totally concealed by a unique rear-deck cover that not only protects the hood from weather but also reduces wind and road noise.

In performance terms the 2.0-litre MX-5 compares with its sibling Mazda3 four-door though pulls much better in the mid-range at low revs. But, strangely enough, exit speed at the end of the standing quarter-mile is almost identical ? this even though the MX-5 offers a smaller fontal area. It also compares well with rival Peugeot 206 CC test figures but sets you back some R32 000 more.

Though performance is brisk, it's not going to tempt speed junkies out of their Honda S2000s. Come on Mazda, you have the perfect platform ? where's your answer to the Honda?

Even though the new top makes the MX-5 look like a coupe, the extra cost over the soft-top version (some R30 300) does seem somewhat heavy. But in overall terms this historically most-sold sports car on the globe is still a fine buy for those seeking to be different.