For much of the past decade, if you’ve wanted a new, standard-model Mazda MX-5 in an actual color, you only really had one option. Okay, yes, there’s Deep Crystal Blue, but it lives up to its name in being a blue from the depths. No, if you wanted a shade that couldn’t be confused with greyscale, it was Soul Red or bust. Now though, there’s a new green. Hang on, hang on, don’t get too excited yet.
See, Mazda’s in a bit of an interesting spot right now, because most of its offerings occupy a sort-of value-premium space. Generally, models like the CX-90 and Mazda 3 aim to be a bit nicer than their mainstream equivalents, and that usually results in subtle colors, materials, and finishes. Outside of the bewitching Soul Red Crystal, Mazda’s color lineup is full of muted tones, and this latest hue is no exception.
It’s called Zinc Green Metallic, and while the offer of a green sounds rather promising, Mazda’s gone with an interesting shade. The marque claims this color “takes its inspiration from the color and texture of zinc chromate primer,” but I’m not quite seeing it. Historically, green zinc chromate primer serves up an incredibly ’70s hue. Sort of like if Harvest Gold and Pea Green had a baby. It would look bizarre on an MX-5, but strange is almost always better than dull. This isn’t that.
Instead, it’s essentially a grey with a touch of green. Sort of like how a LaCroix was placed near a fruit at some point in its manufacturing process. This would be a spectacularly tasteful shade on a large crossover, suiting something with gravitas and volume and a somewhat somber image. I can’t wait for it to be offered on other Mazdas, but Zinc Green Metallic feels anticlimactic on an MX-5.
A small roadster is supposed to be joy with licence plates, a four-wheeled expression of lust for life driven with a beaming ear-to-ear smile. It doesn’t do nonchalant; its disposition is simply too giddy for muted expression. It’s the mate that won’t stop snickering, the inside joke that has you cracking up like an absolute nut. The fun that everyone else is too self-serious to have, which means they’re going to miss it all. Sure, you can order a car like this in a neutral tone, but MX-5s have always suited saturated hues.
Just look at how orange the 30th Anniversary MX-5 was. It was like driving a pumpkin, which fits perfectly because Halloween is a time to dress up, and toy roadsters like this make you feel like a racing driver. There’s absolutely nothing understated about it, nothing demure. The 30th Anniversary Edition model may be the size of a shoe, but it refuses to shrink its personality for anyone. I love that.
Flash back a generation, and you were briefly able to get the NC MX-5 in yellow, motion blur sold separately. Between that bright color and the smiley-face grille, it’s hard not to feel a little bit better just looking at this thing. If it was a dog, it would have a very waggly tail.
Okay, but what about a great green? You only need to look across the Mazda showroom to find one, with the CX-50 crossover available in brilliant Cypress Green. Admittedly, this isn’t a Mazda shade as such, but rather a happy appropriation from Toyota that comes from the CX-50 and the Corolla Cross sharing a production facility. The flipside, of course, is being able to buy a Corolla Cross in Soul Red Crystal. Given how Toyota and Mazda share equity stakes, could a fax from Yokohama be sent that goes along the lines of “Love that Cypress Green color, can we borrow it?” happen? If you can special-order BMWs in Porsche colors and Porsches in BMW colors, why not Mazdas in Toyota colors?
Don’t get me wrong, Zinc Green Metallic is an interesting color in isolation, but the MX-5 deserves something more vibrant. Dare I say, bold hues are becoming more and more premium by the day. Mercedes-Benz offers multiple cars in yellow, dentists will go to war with each other for a paint-to-sample Porsche 911 allocation, and BMW’s Individual program remains a hot ticket. Come on, Mazda. You make the happiest car on the market, why not paint it equally vivacious colors?
Top graphic image: Mazda
I have heard it mentioned a number of times that people buy grey-scale for resale, but every car I have bought (used) I feel like the colors command a slight premium. Are there people who actually want grey/white/black/beige or just people that are afraid they will lose money?
I think most people just don’t care or want white or black. Every time I have helped a family member or friend shop for a car, with the exception of my wife and little sister, that is all they want.
I’ve read many an article that says yellow cars depreciate less.
As a late Gen-Xer, I miss the great teals and dark greens of the 90s. However, with cars going for as much as they are now, I can understand people not wanting to go outside of greyscale colors so when they go to sell, it’s not color kryptonite.
The current Miata is so pretty, any actual color would look great even yellow. I hate yellow on a car.
Early Gen-Xer here, and I’m also a fan of those ’90’s teals and dark greens. Ford’s Cayman Green was a particular favorite of mine at the time.
Ford’s Eruption Green on the Bronco is so nice!
I recall a report from a couple or years ago that indicated the wild colors – the reds, yellows, blues – had the highest resale value. I’d imagine that this is doubly the case for enthusiast car.
I like it. That being said BRG would be better. It’s good for my budget though as I don’t know if I would be able to resist a new Miata in BRG. Ideally with a black interior but I could be convinced to go with Tan (and probably seat covers for my greasy lifestyle).
One of the worst parts about the Miata is the dismal exterior and interior color choices. Would it kill them to offer a tan interior in any color other than white?
I was clicking through the configurator yesterday, and, of course, I had to pick tan with white. Mazda has a nice burgundy leather that they offer in the Mazda3 – why can’t I get a red interior with my white Miata so I can pretend that MX-5 stands for Mach 5? (Hey, a Miata with Speed Racer livery makes a lot more sense than a Batmobile Intrepid. 😉 )
Also, tan would look great with Soul Red or Jet Black, so why can’t I get it?
I wanted to do a dark blue with tan leather interior but for some reason Mazda thinks the only acceptable interior color is black. Madening.
The roads are filled with black, white and various shades of grey and silver. It’s depressing. I long for the 90’s when colors were available.
The Miata needs, no deserves a bright lively color palette. It needs a British racing green, a bright blue, a red more like the red on the OG Miata and a white. Then with these four colors it needs a racing stripe package. Maybe a couple that are tailored to the base color. Make them a low cost option. I suspect they would sell in significant numbers.
It’s tough to believe that we once made fun of beige Camry’s and Accords. We didn’t know how good we had it.
I’m going to be charitable and say maybe it looks better in person?
That’s certainly how I feel about Polymetal Gray, so I’ll reserve judgement for now.
Not ashamed to say I think this color is fantastic.
Yup it looks gorgeous to me too. I have had a 2016 Mustang GT in Guard metallic and a 2023 Hyundai Tucson PHEV in their Amazon Gray that were quite similar to this shade of green. It’s a deep vivid green color in the sun and up close. I prefer this over the Kermit the frog green of the Mazda 2.
I’m with you…love it
Yeah, we need real colors… especially on a Miata! Also, a brown manual diesel wagon, ha ha. At this point, I think unless it’s your favorite color or whatever, if you drive a greyscale vehicle…you are a boring person and have no personality. “It’s what they had” Well, get on it and save for some rattle cans of a real color, ha ha
100% agree on the Cypress Green!
“Come on, Mazda. You make the happiest car on the market, why not paint it equally vivacious colors?”
Clears throat… Sniffs deeply…
We at Mazda are now a Preemeeumm brand, and the colors of our freak flag are 50 muted shades of gray because everyone, and we mean everyone, knows that high value is signified by, (glances over at Apple and Tesla color palettes-raises eyebrow at lime green MacBook Neo) dull and inoffensive tones that have no actual color.
I think the color looks fine….for one of their SUVs (and with a brown interior). Give me a fun color for a Miata. Saw a purple M Edition on an auction site recently and I’d say that is peak Miata paint.
it’s fine for the majority of cars that are utilitarian appliances. But that’s not why ppl drive mx-5s
Bring back the fun colors from the first gen. Yellow, true red, and that baby blue that looks like the current Honda boost blue.
Not impressed with Zinc Green. Meh…too much like grey. Only a few bright colors out there on new vehicles. Seem to see same colors on couple different brands. Remember when we had 3 tones? The good old days.
Cypress Green is better, but I like it. I’m glad the top isn’t black. I wish the wheels weren’t black.
Mazda is long overdue for another special edition proper British Racing Green (BRG) like my delightful 91 with its single stage green paint + tan leather ( camel color) interior and real wood wheel, shift knob and brake handle. Black or tan convertible top and wire-style lightweight wheels.
The new green is a swing and a miss.
Cosigned.
– 2001 SE caretaker
I’d buy that. The modern MX-5 curves with proper roadster coloration: delightful.
https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/682049321_10244278313512705_3714335446346613079_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=eLgbUJNlmHEQ7kNvwEPdBOf&_nc_oc=AdpPif9WnIwWNLCMJv11o4J7zQzUTewfwlVibUEVNQsZdFmSgAdCZOQspYHlpklMe80&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&_nc_gid=z4bvDF4kSpG4g4Rfz6Yqxg&_nc_ss=7b2a8&oh=00_Af8O2yiE6bHig1MAgzk12c-qqrV1UPbl2pD6p5cCIrzjHg&oe=6A240E98
Winning Blue is RIGHT THERE, Mazda. C’mon. Give your joyful little roadster some life, stop making it more and more bland.
The press release is hilarious, they try to draw a line between this and the Renown livery on the 787B. Umm, no.
Yeah, not even in the same zip code. And the Renown livery doesn’t really work on most other cars that are not of a similar body style to those Group C cars anyway. I mocked one up on GT7 for my Mazda 3 and hated it.
The only really interesting grey they do is polymetal, if only because of how often green, blue, and purple it looks depending on lighting. Had I not been sick and gone to the dealer a day earlier, mine would be polymetal instead of white… on that note, I got asked why I keep buying white cars and sticking black/red wheels on them. It’s what they had, not what I wanted! I wanted polymetal or soul red cyrstal, but none available within a reasonable driving distance in the trim level I wanted.
Emerald Mica over Tan NB owner here. I’d like to buy a new MX5, but the colors leave me cold. Yes the red is great, but it’s almost become cliche at this point.
Oh, and silver Momos.
You’re right. I think this color would be more appealing with silver wheels.
Sweet Christmas Mazda if you’re gonna build the ND for over a decade at least give us some more real colors! Even the Germans have started doing fun colors again in the intervening decade, the Germans!
They do need some colors. I’d love to see them bring back something similar the “Winning Blue” that is on my NC. And “competition yellow” commands a premium price on used NC’s.
I have two cars right now and both are silver because I bought them used and the used market only has access to the all the boring colors the first person chose to drive off the lot.
I loved that orange limited edition Miata, but I think they were all pre-sold before they hit the lots. The first picture I saw of the fifth generation Prius was orange and ironically never offered in that color. I would totally rock an orange Prius.
I actually quite like it; I despise the black wheels, though. I generally agree with the general disdain for grayscale color options, but I am very interested in not standing out. I do not want to be noticed. This green offers a little bit of color, without being bright orange. I also quite liked the special edition that was a darker red with the tan roof; that was very nice.
I’d argue black wheels are a bigger problem than greyscale color options.
I agree with you about muted colors and not wanting to stand out. When I was Mazda3 shopping, I was looking for either Soul Red (the best red, but it stands out), Machine Gray, or Whatevertheycallit White in that order. Looking online, Polymetal Gray seemed very meh. Then I saw it IRL and noticed the subtle way it changed from a light blue to a medium gray depending on the quality of the light that hit it. (It helps that I was car shopping late in the afternoon, so I got to see it in full sun and evening twilight.) I wasn’t prepared to like it as much as I did, nor to decide that I didn’t *need* a Soul Red one after all. So, I’ll wait to see this so-called green in real life before I pass judgement.
Black everything is a fad that needs to die a quick yet excruciating death. Black wheels in particular look like the alloy equivalent of the old school steelies on a bottom spec car.
I’d take black wheels any day over the cancer that is chrome
At least steelies were cheap, durable, and easily covered with simple hubcaps.
Absolutely agree
As someone that works at a company that deals with metal plating (we make stuff to measure it), when I hear zinc chromate I see a rainbow finish of colors. Not gray.
I don’t hate it, always thought the Concrete gray on the Scion tC was neat. But a British Racing Green would be fun.
I had my first Miata, which was white, painted British Racing Green.
The compliments came in non-stop. Mazda definitely needs to have BRG as part of their standard, permanent palette of colors.
At this point it’s just become absurd: what new shade of grey will Mazda offer this year? The only new shade that wasn’t grey was literally beige.
I will go buy one tomorrow if they offer it in a real color. (I wasn’t really into the 30AE orange, but at least that was a color.)
It’s better than that hideous Zircon Sand Metallic, but that’s clearing a ridiculously low bar in my opinion.
This color made me reach for the Saturation control on my monitor. This isn’t green, it’s grayn.
And for the record, I am strongly against the grayn.