Last year I drove the third generation MX-5 and, while the driving experience left me with a big smile on my face, I was less enamoured by the cramped interior.

It’s not hard to imagine, then, my trepidation when the new MX-5, which has a smaller footprint than the model it replaces, arrived on my doorstep.

Fortunately my concerns turned out to be unfounded because despite the reduction in size, which accompanies a 100kg weight loss, improved packaging means that there was more than enough room for me to get comfortable.

Nor did I find clambering in and out as much trouble as I anticipated, despite the fact that the seating position is now lower. You’ll sit further back in the cabin as well but I didn’t really notice any beneficial increase in legroom. In fact, a combination of steering wheel and bulge in the transmission tunnel meant my left was trapped in one position and, on longer journeys, might require the odd pitstop to step out and let the blood flow again.

Left leg aside, the seating position is nigh on perfect and it has to be because there is very little scope for adjustment. Visibility out the front is excellent and there’s a certain thrill to staring down the long bonnet as it curves away from you. The view out the rear three-quarters is impaired by the fabric roof but the car’s compact size makes parking a doddle.

The cabin is a step up from the previous model, quality-wise but the layout will be familiar to anyone who drove a last generation model. The multimedia screen still looks like an afterthought, poking out of the top of the dashboard but that really is a small criticism of an otherwise ergonomically and aesthetically near-perfect cabin.

Stepping outside for a minute – for a left-leg stretch, probably – and you’ll see the Kodo ‘Soul of motion’ design language in full evidence. The front, with its large grille and sleek headlights that sweep back into the low-slung bonnet, wears an aggressive look while the rear lights, with their circular form a deft not to the MkI.

Short overhangs, a taut, purposeful stance and prominent hip line do well to emphasis the little roadster’s sporting intent and provide a subtle hint to its rear-wheel drive performance. The overall appearance is of metalwork that’s been shrinkwrapped around its chassis and, while it’s perhaps not as pretty as the outgoing car, it’s certainly more focused.

That focus extends beyond what’s on show. Mazda have been busy trimming the fat off the MX-5 to create what is the lightest version since the mk1 entered our lives. The 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G engine fitted to my test car is an impressive 8kg lighter than the motor it replaces while delivering more torque, greater acceleration and improved efficiency.

Next on the weight-loss programme was the SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission which, for the first time, has been adapted for the MX-5’s front-engined rear-drive layout. The new box shaves another 7kg off the car’s mass.

Much of the suspension – front knuckle, front upper and lower arms, engine frame and rear hub supports - are all forged from aluminium, saving another 12kg.

However, nowhere is Mazda’s concerted effort to save weight more obvious than when the sun comes out – not likely this time of year I know – and you decide to lower the roof. Gone is the power-assisted folding tin-top of old and, in its place is a simple-to-operate manual set-up.

The original MX-5 was an absolutely blinding drive. Later models have been good, admittedly, but they’ve never quite matched the mk1’s dynamic prowess. Not any more.

Right from the off its apparent that Mazda’s concerted efforts have not been wasted. The sporty exhaust note is the first indication of intent and, even at idle, gazing out the swept-back windscreen, gripping the leather-bound steering wheel, it fills the air with a real sense of mischief.

It’s once you’re on the open road that the MX-5 really begins to make sense. The ride is, perhaps, not as firm as you might expect, there’s more than a degree of suppleness, although there’s never any mystery about what’s going on under the wheels.

All 2.0-litre models are fitted with a limited slip differential and bigger brakes which improves traction and braking. Sport versions come with Bilstein dampers that firm up the ride and reduce body roll in corners.

It’s a simple trade-off between comfort and handling.

Switch the traction control off and the rear will step out readily enough although when it does go it’s progressive and easy to rein in. You’re helped by the steering which is probably light in a sporting context but turn the front in and the rest of the car will follow unerringly.

There’s a delightful willingness to change direction without any pause for thought that’s seductively compelling. So light on its feet, so nimble is the MX-5, that there’s a real sense of weightlessness, of gravity-defying athleticism when you’re stringing a series of tight bends together.

The 2.0-litre motor will hit 62mph in a reasonable 7.3 seconds while top speed is 133mph. Those numbers are never going to set the world on fire but this MX-5 is not about headline figures. It’s about man and machine – sorry Ford Sierra – being in perfect harmony and Mazda have done an excellent job of creating a bond between driver and car.

The car does suffer from a degree of whistling around the A-pillars approaching motorway speeds but that is, eventually, drowned out by wind roar so raised voices will be required to hold a conversation.

I drove the last generation MX-5 last year and, while I can’t deny I enjoyed the driving experience it was always tempered by my difficulty getting comfortable behind the wheel and my struggles clambering in and out.

Not only does Mazda appear to have found a solution to my discomfort, despite the new car being lower and shorter (but wider), they have done so while building a car that goes, stops and turns better. It’s also more frugal. I wouldn’t say that I prefer the new look, but it certainly has a greater sense of purpose and certainly more character.

It’s impossible not to like the new MX-5. It’s the kind of car that you’d just want to drive every day. It’s not the fastest, but for £23,000 – less if you pick the 1.5-litre model – it is the funnest.

Mazda MX-5 Sport Nav

Price: £23,295

As tested: £23,835

Engine: 2.0-litre petrol

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Max power: 158bhp @ 6,000rpm

Max torque: 147lbft @ 4,600rpm

Max speed: 133mph

Acceleration (0-62mph): 7.3 seconds

Combined: 40.9mpg

Emissions (CO2): 161g/km

For more information visit www.mazda.co.uk