Currently reading: Japanese Mitsuoka Roadster launched in UK
Mitsuoka Roadster pays tribute to classic British roadsters, and uses Mazda MX-5 underpinnings

The Mitsuoka Roadster has been launched in the UK, and the company aims to offer British styling on a modern sports car.

Based on the underpinnings of the Mazda MX-5, the Roadster is the latest retro-styled vehicle from the company that specialises in hand-built luxury models. The Roadster is a two-seater that is powered by the 2.0-litre petrol engine from the outgoing MX-5.

The 16-valve 158bhp unit is unchanged from the MX-5, and it is capable of a 0-60mph time of 8.1 seconds and a top speed of 127mph. It emits 181g/km of CO2 and has an official fuel economy of 35.9mpg. 

The Mitsuoka is also available with a choice of the same six-speed manual and six-speed Powershift automatic gearboxes from the MX-5.

The standard equipment includes 17in alloy wheels, heated leather seats, leather trim on the steering wheel, gear lever and hand brake, Bluetooth, cruise and climate control and power steering. The manual model also comes with sports suspension, whereas the automatic comes with a softer setup.

There are very few optional extras on the Mitsuoka, although the company says it will offer a bespoke customisation service if buyers want anything specific. A spokeswoman said that this could include different alloy wheels or even a turbocharger fitted to the engine.

As it is, the Roadster costs £53,800, with metallic or pearlescent paint at £620, and £580 for satellite navigation the only official options.

The Roadster is available to buy in the UK from selected dealers in the south of England, with the first cars being delivered at the end of June. The company is looking to sell around 20-25 cars in 2015 and is also looking to go on sale in Germany later this year.

Mitsuoka was founded in Japan in 1968 and has produced several small-run hand-built models and replicas including the Orochi.

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jonboy4969 1 June 2015

not pretty at all - in fact

not pretty at all - in fact none of there cars are pretty.....
xxxx 1 June 2015

Should do well in the middle east

Light car, only 158 hp but mpg figure of less than 36. If that's the combined figure then it must have a hole in the petrol tank!
EndlessWaves 1 June 2015

Look at the competition.

xxxx wrote:

Light car, only 158 hp but mpg figure of less than 36. If that's the combined figure then it must have a hole in the petrol tank!

You'll struggle to find a similar driving-focused car that does substantially better. A quick check shows cars like the Clio Renaultsport, Fiesta ST and Sirocco all have thirty-something real world reported fuel economy. As does the MX-5 it's based on.

Of course, the likes of the Sirocco claim mid-40s but as this is a £50k car from a low sales volume manufacturer with no emissions targets I'd expect none of the exaggeration you get from VW et al. It should quite comfortably do the claimed 36mpg.

It's good to see more Mitsuokas being sold new in the UK. It always seemed strange that if you wanted something that looked like a traditional British design with none of the classic car headaches you had to import it from Japan.

Fingers crossed that this is a success and we get the Viewt and other cheaper models.

Sporky McGuffin 1 June 2015

EndlessWaves wrote: the

EndlessWaves wrote:

the exaggeration you get from VW et al

You do know the official figures aren't just made up by the manufacturers, right?

Ruperts Trooper 2 June 2015

Sporky McGuffin wrote:

Sporky McGuffin wrote:
EndlessWaves wrote:

the exaggeration you get from VW et al

You do know the official figures aren't just made up by the manufacturers, right?

You do know the official figures are based on a test that isn't repeatable in normal driving ?

Sporky McGuffin 2 June 2015

Ruperts Trooper wrote: You do

Ruperts Trooper wrote:

You do know the official figures are based on a test that isn't repeatable in normal driving ?

Of course.

Doesn't change that the figures are the results of an official test, not manufacturers' "exaggeration".

Hence my responding to that point, not to the point you hadn't yet made. The sooner people stop incorrectly blaming manufacturers for unrealistic published MPG figures the sooner the official test can be made more useful.

EndlessWaves 6 June 2015

Sporky McGuffin wrote: Doesn

Sporky McGuffin wrote:

Doesn't change that the figures are the results of an official test, not manufacturers' "exaggeration".

But those tests clearly vary from the real world by different amounts even among the engines of the same cars. Given that it's always the efficiency-focused engines that have the most exaggerated figures it seems likely to be through some mechanism in the manufacturer's control

The manufacturers have influenced the test upwards. That sounds like the definition of exaggeration to me

Sporky McGuffin wrote:

The sooner people stop incorrectly blaming manufacturers for unrealistic published MPG figures the sooner the official test can be made more useful.

So who is to blame? Given the manufacturers benefit at least three ways (MPG figures, company cars rates, CO2 penalties) they certainly gain a lot from this.

xxxx 2 June 2015

Facts, and track focus doesn't mean poor performer

EndlessWaves][quote=xxxx wrote:

Light car, only 158 hp but mpg figure of less than 36. If that's the combined figure then it must have a hole in the petrol tank!

You'll struggle to find a similar driving-focused car that does substantially better. A quick check shows cars like the Clio Renaultsport, Fiesta ST and Sirocco all have thirty-something real world reported fuel economy. .

quote]

I'm only interested in camparing facts, the Fiesta has alot more power than 158hp, the Mitsuokas reported figure is less than 36, if that's the combined figure, then compare against the Fiesta which is rated at 47.
People just say real world whenever they're onto a loser!

BenC30 1 June 2015

Mitsuoka

Having been aware Mitsuoka's work for about a decade now, I've always admired what they've done, mostly because I've tired of so many of our emotionless mainstream cars. Clearly there is a market in Japan for modern vehicles with a retro feel and Mitsuoka certainly provides. I'd love to see some on UK roads, but the biggest problem for me is the price. £50k is a vast amount of money for a car like this. I'm guessing buyers would rather look at a Morgan first, especially as resale values wouldn't be as strong with the Mitsuoka. However, it is wonderful to see and fingers crossed that they sell some.