Mazda MX-5 goes green, gets more kit for higher prices
The Mazda MX-5 has received its latest update in Australia, this time bringing a new paint hue, safety tech and sportier equipment for the flagship – at an increased cost.
Mazda is keeping the current ND MX-5 alive for just a bit longer, announcing a handful of changes to the popular sports car to round out 2026, coming at a higher price than before.
Now available to order, the 2026 Mazda MX-5’s headline change has been the addition of a new paint finish, Zinc Green Metallic, becoming the first green hue available on the model since the last of the NC-generation models in 2015.
Available across all grades of the MX-5 Roadster (soft-top convertible) and MX-5 RF (hard-top), the metallic finish is understood to incur the same $595 premium as Machine Grey Metallic and Mazda’s hero Soul Red Crystal Metallic.
While the price of premium paint on the MX-5 hasn’t changed, Mazda has increased the cost of every grade of the sports car, with the base Roadster and Roadster/RF GT variants up by $1950, while the flagship GT RS’s price has risen by $4950.
All variants of the MX-5 have now been fitted with an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system which can detect cyclists as well as pedestrians, while it also now features lane-keep assist, joining the existing lane-departure warning safety feature.
The MX-5 GT RS’s significant price hike is attributed to the fitment of new Recaro bucket seats, upholstered in Nappa leather and Alcantara, with grey contrast stitching.
The Alcantara treatment has also been applied to the instrument panel, centre console, console lid and door trim.
The GT RS, in addition to the new interior appointments, continues to be the only MX-5 fitted with Bilstein dampers, Brembo brakes, and BBS alloy wheels.
Mazda’s MX-5 continues to be powered by an unchanged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, producing 135kW and 205Nm, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic or manual transmission.
Jordan Mulach
