Mazda's first all-electric car arrived back in 2020 and the five-door MX-30 came with a few surprises.

Its handsome crossover styling was easy on the eye but its freestyle doors with their rear-hinged opening puzzled most people and divided opinion. They certainly helped to make the car look sporty but their design hampered vision and made access to the rear seats difficult.

However, the main drawback of this otherwise talented vehicle was its very limited 124-mile range - enough for most daily commutes but well below that offered by the opposition and not near enough to alleviate range anxiety worries for prospective buyers.

Mazda has now tackled the problem by introducing the MX-30 R-EV an extended range version which is being sold alongside the regular EV.

While most manufacturers would have solved the issue by just fitting a much larger battery - that is not the Mazda way - and they have once again delivered a unique solution.

Back in 1991 I was at Le Mans when Mazda stunned the race world by winning the 24-hour race with a rotary-driven car. The same technology was then used in a range of great sports cars but the much-loved RX-8 was the last of them.

The Japanese company has always had a passion for rotary technology and so the MX-30 R-EV comes with a tiny 830cc rotary engine which acts as a generator and delivers power to an even smaller 17.8kWh battery which delivers power to the front wheels. At no point is the engine directly connected to the drive.

With 170PS and 260Nm of torque, the newcomer is not as brisk as many all-electric models but it can complete the 0-62mph sprint in 9.1 seconds, and has a top speed of 87mph.

Most importantly it can cover 53 miles on electric power - more than twice the average daily commute according to Mazda - and the rotary magic with a 50-litre petrol tank means that a 400 mile range is available.

Prices start from £31,250 and customers can choose from three trim levels called Prime-Line, Exclusive-Line and Makoto. I sampled the Makoto models costing £36,000 on some dramatic Welsh roads.

The Mazda is well built and good to look at thanks to its sleek dynamic lines and in this model you get adaptive LED headlights, signature front LED daytime running lights, a black grille housing the Mazda badge, a gloss black contrast roof and spoiler, black B and C pillars, tinted windows, a power tilt and slide sunroof, plus 18-inch black diamond cut alloy wheels.

Until you get up close it looks like a two-door thanks to the odd rear doors which have no handles. To open them you have to open the front door first and then pull a lever. Not very practical but they will appeal to those who like their cars to be a bit different.

The interior is superbly crafted and uses cork as a nod to Mazda's history as well as recycled plastic. It has a premium feel and style and an 8.8-inch infotainment screen handles the tech via the usual Mazda rotary dial.

The tech is impressive and includes a fine12-speaker Bose surround sound system, navigation - including five years of European updates, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, a rearview camera and much more to play with.

A lower seven-inch touchscreen operates all the climate control settings, including heated front powered seats, and a smart heated steering wheel. This model can also be used to power external systems.

It may not be the quickest EV on offer but it will be quick enough for most buyers and it drives really well. Well balanced with stacks of grip it handled the twisting country roads with ease and also cruised comfortably on motorway sections of the test route.

Good mpg figures could be achieved in town and country but the range did plunge when you pushed things on the motorway.

You can select from three drive modes. In Normal mode, the car will use electric drive with the rotary engine inactive unless extra power is required, such as under heavier acceleration. In the EV setting, the vehicle stays in fully electric mode for as long as the charge lasts and finally, in Charge mode, the EV range can be boosted and saved for driving in areas such as restricted emission zones.

Regenerative braking can be adjusted via steering wheel paddles and the car has a carbon emissions figure of just 21g/km - making it very attractive to company car drivers.

The front seats are very comfortable and there is lots of room but back seat passengers will find things tight with limited legroom. The rear windows are also very small and fixed which can make things feel a little claustrophobic.

On the practical side the boot can hold 332 litres of luggage and this increases to 1,137 litres with the split-folding rear seats folded flat. More storage is available inside the cabin.

The car’s small 17.8kWh battery can be boosted from 20 to 80 per cent in just 25 minutes using a 50kW DC unit, while it takes one hour, 30 minutes if connected to a 3 AC port or four hours, 50 minutes via a 2.4kW domestic socket.

The RE-V has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating thanks to its comprehensive list of safety features and driver assistance aids.

Mazda's engineers and designers should be congratulated on finding a new solution to the range problem and although this vehicle is still quirky and a bit flawed I enjoyed it very much.

NEW LOOK FOR MX-5

The world's most popular sports car has received subtle exterior design change - its first since the current generation model arrived in 2015.

It made its debut at the recent Japan Mobility Show.

The 2024 MX-5 is marked out by a new LED headlight design that now incorporates the daytime running lights, while the rear LED lights have also been redesigned

The new-look MX-5 was unveiled at the show alongside a concept sports car design that uses a dual rotary powertrain mated to an EV platform – a system seen in the new Mazda MX-30 R-EV.

Inside the new MX-5 the car now has a larger central 8.8-inch touch-screen multimedia display and an updated instrument panel. The larger central screen allows for clearer navigation mapping, while the more advanced MZ Connect system helps user functionality, additionally USB-C ports have been introduced.

As before, the MX-5 has wireless Apple CarPlay. The 2024 Mazda MX-5 also has a new frameless rear-view mirror but the interior retains the same driver focused cabin and driving position.

Over more than three decades and across four generations, the Mazda MX-5 has always been the benchmark pure lightweight sports car with driver engagement at the centre of its appeal.

As before 2.0-litre cars with the manual gearbox have a front strut brace, limited slip differential and Bilstein dampers as standard.

The 2024 MX-5 features a new Asymmetric Limited Slip Differential - a cam mechanism has been added to the conical clutch, which is lightweight, compact and highly durable.

There’s also the introduction of additional safety features including lane-keep assistance and intelligent speed assistance on all models, while traffic sign recognition has been updated with improved signage recognition.

Arriving in the UK in March, the 2024 Mazda MX-5 continues the winning formula that has seen more than 25,000 fourth-generation MX-5s sold in the UK since its launch in 2015.

The 8-model range features an unchanged engine line-up with both the Roadster and Retractable Fastback RF models offered with a choice of 1.5-litre 132ps and 184ps 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G petrol engines.

Commenting on the 2024 Mazda MX-5, Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson said: "When it comes to driver engagement, the current generation MX-5 has established itself as a benchmark sports car, and with the 2024 Mazda MX-5 we continue to offer one of the most exciting and satisfying to drive cars money can buy."

Full UK pricing and specification of the 2024 Mazda MX-5 will be announced at a later date.

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