The new Mazda MX-5 sports car range will start at £18,495 when it reaches Mazda dealers this summer.

The rear-wheel drive roadster, which uses a lightweight and sleek fabric hood, will be offered with a choice of two Skyactiv-G petrol engines, either a 130bhp 1.5-litre or a 158bhp 2.0-litre, and five trim levels.

Mazda has promised the driver-focused ethos of previous MX-5 models has been carried across to this new car, which it says has maintained the agility, fun and engagement that has always defined the MX-5 while also meets safety and efficiency requirements and providers improved refinement.

LED headlamps, alloy wheels and a leather steering wheel are all standard features on SE models. SE-L models add LED daytime running lights, climate control air-conditioning, DAB radio, Bluetooth and cruise control, plus Mazda’s MZD-Connect infotainment system with 7-inch colour touch-screen display and multimedia commander.

SE-L models with the 2.0-litre 160ps engine are distinguished by 17-inch 'gunmetal' alloy wheels and piano black door mirrors, and benefit from a strut tower bar and limited slip differential.

Step up to Sport trim and both the 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre cars feature rain sensing wipers, rear parking sensors, smart keyless entry, Bose surround-sound audio and heated leather seats. 

With the 1.5-litre engine, Sport trim MX-5’s come with 16-inch 'gunmetal' alloy wheels and piano black door mirrors. Sport models with the 2.0-litre engine benefit from a dynamic set-up that includes sports suspension, a limited slip differential and strut tower bar, 17-inch bright alloy wheels and body coloured mirrors.

Versions of the all-new Mazda MX-5 fitted with Mazda’s integrated navigation system come with three-years of free European map upgrades. The range-topping model, badged MX-5 2.0i Sport Nav, is priced £23,295.

Ahead of its arrival in UK showrooms later this summer, the new Mazda MX-5 will take centre stage at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Customers pre-ordering an MX-5 at Mazda.co.uk will be entered into a draw to win the opportunity to test drive the all-new MX-5 on the Goodwood Race Circuit and attend the Festival of Speed with a guest on Sunday 28th June.  Fifty winners will get the chance to drive on the circuit, while they and a guest can enjoy the Festival of Speed from Mazda’s VIP trackside enclosure.

Jeremy Thomson, Mazda Motors UK managing director “The MX-5 is Mazda’s brand icon and it embodies all that is great about our products. Its fun to drive character has strengthened the bond between Mazda and its customers for 25 years so there’s no better place to showcase the all-new MX-5 than in front the enthusiastic crowd at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

"When it was launched in 1990 the 114bhp mk1 MX-5 cost £14,249 (equal to £31,687 in today’s money), yet 25 years later with vastly more standard equipment, the all-new Mazda MX-5 costs from £18,495, meaning more than ever the Mazda MX-5 sets the benchmark as the one of the world’s best and most affordable sports cars."