The answer is "yes"...if you are happy with a "sports car" with family stodgemobile performance!Begs the question...how do they get these 0-60 times? Likely by banging the clutch at 5krpm+..so they mean nowt really in everyday driving. The Mk3.5 1.8's seemed very under powered in real life driving, and over all pretty underwhelming..."emasculated" by comparison to even (relatively weedy)
standard MX5 "benchmark" models like my Mk2.5 Sport.
I had, for various reasons, the opportunity to drive 2 Mk3.5 1.8's, and 2 x 2.0ltr Mk3.5's last year, and had the chance to "ask of them what Mazda intended" over hundreds of collective twisties & dual carriageways.
Plus points for the 1.8's were excellent MPG, comfort, and very smooth engines & gearboxes. Interiors looked and felt like Revelle rejects..cheap & nasty. The door cards were already showing gouges with the belt buckles impacting them...careless usage...but.
"Sports cars" though? No.Just nice two seater saloons.
Relative to our 02 Sport, they felt soft & gutless (124 bhp?)In both cases the handling felt "loose"..soggy initial understeer with hints of oversteer. On the second example, on a spirited club X country run, there was no chance I could stay with a well driven 02 Sport in front..and the guy in front was not really trying.
I had to back off when the brakes began to stink....simply could not trust the thing, and I had not enough punch to do so anyhow. Perhaps, in both cases, because they were under 200 miles each, the tyres had not scrubbed or perhaps it was the much reported odd handling. (Hence much Eibaching & WIM-ing going on)In short..to be avoided if you want a 2 seater which won't embarrass you through the twisties when an overladen milkfloat with flat batteries is up your rear.
Conversley, both (new) 2000cc examples, even the paddle shift...were different animals. They really do need the extra bhp. Meagre though it is, it really counts and you can row them along well. Straight line, I don't think our Sport would have the legs...but perhaps(just)through the twisties it would give a good account.
I tried to stick (in our well sorted 02 Sport) with an equally sorted 2000cc Mk3.5, aligned and Eibached...no chance. Same for a Eibached & aligned Mk3..once it had the twisted bush issue sorted) In all cases..if any one is wondering, I checked all the tyres at cold to the correct PSI's
Bottom line for me is..if you want a Mk3.5 and cannot go for a 2ltr, forget it and use the cash to hunt for cherished, WIM'd & Eibached prepared Mk3.
Might sound harsh, but in my view, 1800cc Mk3.5's are poor performers, and bad value in standard form. As has been said...how much wonga do you want to spend to go quicker? I would say...why bother? Get a good Mk3 2ltr if you really want to swap, or seek out a cherised late Mk2.5 Sport..perhaps the best of the bunch prior to the Mk3 launch. I daresay the Ford "Duracell" 1800's work well enough in a Focus...but they just don't, from my experience, have quite enough to make a Mk3.5 a decent mover.
None of my comments are scientific, but these cars were driven for up to 2 tankfulls so I had plenty time to take notes!
