Getting up close and personal with the MX-5 RF showcases the slightly improved refinement and premium design. The fashionable Targa-style roof gives it an advantage in the style stakes, but we’ll have to wait until next year before we get behind the wheel ourselves. Still, our first impressions suggest it won’t be any kind of letdown.

When Mazda tinkers with the MX-5 it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. The new “Retractable Fastback”, or MX-5 RF for short, caused quite a stir when it was revealed at the New York Motor Show back in March.

Rather than think of the RF as a hard-roofed drop-top like the previous MX-5 Roadster Coupe, consider it instead predominantly as a coupe but with an occasional supply of fresh air. This is our first taste of the RF as we get an exclusive preview from the passenger seat.

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The focal point, obviously, is the roof. Pressing the button under the air-con controls starts the folding ritual, with it dancing away in four parts. The rear fins are raised, two roof segments disappear along with the rear windows, and then the fins return to position. It takes all of 12 seconds and can be operated at up to 6mph.

With the roof stowed, the rear section resembles the ‘flying buttresses’ that were a feature of the old Jaguar XJ-S. In the process Mazda has made the RF look more expensive than its expected £21,000 price when it goes on sale in the autumn.