Mazda MX-5: There's a basic principle that should apply to every test drive: does this car put a smile on your face?
We're as guilty as the rest in forgetting this basic tenet. You get brainwashed into considering the practical merits of underboot storage or left wide-eyed in astonishment at just how little the driver has to do in modern gadget-laden luxury saloons.
Yet at no time during these drives do you ever crack a smile simply because you're behind the wheel and enjoying yourself. In the age of the SUV and people carriers, we sometimes forget that driving can also be fun.
Of course, for some motorists, such pleasures are beyond their reach, thanks to a house full of children. Yet the principles remain the same, and sometimes it's worth reminding yourself of those ideals that had you wide-eyed as a child every time you saw a well-maintained MG roadster.
There's a view that the glory days of roadsters were back in the 1960s. By the 1980s a raft of new safety regulations - and demands from owners for better reliability - sounded something of a death knell for the diminutive open-tops. What was left was a group of high-powered Teutonic racers that roared down the country lanes, offering more of a white knuckle ride than a pleasure drive.
Yet that ignores the efforts of one Japanese firm which has gone on to create new sales records for its small two-seater, while at the same time reminding millions of motorists why they love getting behind the wheel.
A week in the third generation of the Mazda MX-5 has reawakened our passion for the pleasure of driving. This little roadster has always been the closest you can get to the original templates of open-topped motoring. Forget the gadgetry that weighs down modern vehicles. It's relatively basic, it's incredibly well-balanced, and it's good value. In short, it's great fun.
For all our fondness for the MX-5, we had our fears about this new model. Mazda has changed the suspension on the car and the initial reports suggested a redesign was underway as well. Then came word that this third generation shared no components with the second generation, except for the side-panel turning-lights.
By that stage we were preparing an obituary for one of the last great roadsters on the road. Thankfully Mazda knew to leave well enough alone. Taking its cue from the likes of Porsche - where every generation of 911 has carried the initial DNA - the new car retains all the charm of its predecessors, albeit with a little more muscle in its lines.
The secret to its success is the mix of Japanese engineering pedigree - and reliability - with a look and feel that honours the roadster principles.
Don't just take our word for it: the MX-5 is already listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling two-seater open sports car ever built. We are certainly not going to argue that the best-selling cars are always the best. History shows that to be utter bunkum. However, for once the motoring buyers of the world seem to have got it right.
Contrary to popular belief, roadsters need not be about speed. You can have as much fun in a roadster pottering along with the roof down as you can hurtling towards the horizon with the engine howling. The MX-5 is no slouch when it comes to performance, but it's more about having power on tap when you need it to overtake rather than outright speed.
Although it comes with a 1.8-litre and 2-litre engine, only the former will be available here for the time being. That's more than enough to have fun in this car. You do have to rev it quite high if you want a racy engine note, but the short-throw gearbox is well matched to the engine and there's always enough power on tap. The great thing about the MX-5 is that it quickly proves to the uninitiated, there is more to driving pleasure than straight line speed (attention all Americans out there).
One of the greatest attributes of the MX-5 since its inception in 1990 has been it's handling. This latest version is no different. While there's an extra 45kg added to the car due to the extra safety features and items like the new on-board computer, Mazda has managed to retain the car's 50:50 front/rear weight balance. The end result is a car with very neutral handling, which makes it easy to drive for the beginner, and fun for more advanced drivers. Even when the rear wheel drive power provokes a little flick in the tail, it's an incredibly easy and manageable oversteer.
Perhaps the greatest practical feature of the MX-5 is the roof. Forget those whining electric motors that only add weight and still take an age to fold the roof. In this practical little car you simply pop the catch and pull the roof back. The same can be done when putting it up and all this is possible while sitting in your seat. BMW boasts its electric roof in the Z4 is the fastest in town, but I'd challenge that after flicking the MX roof up and down.
Of course, there's a litany of limitations with these roadsters, not least when it comes to family motoring.
Strictly a two-seater, you do have to crouch into the car unless the roof is down. With the roof up, it can be quite claustrophobic on a long journey, particularly with all the black plastic used in the cabin.
Then there's the squat position on the road. For all its benefits to the car's handling, it has the ability to unnerve occupants particularly in city traffic as you stare into the exhaust pipes of SUVs and buses, praying their drivers realise you are more just than a speed ramp.
The ride can also be quite harsh and even on a few supposedly national roads in Co Mayo we felt our fillings shake loose.
Then we had issues with rear visibility. The driver's rearview mirror is awkwardly located too far back in the door, while the rearview mirror is attached to the windscreen, thereby suffering from every shudder that passes through the glass.
Yet for all the gripes, it never loses its ability to charm. This is partly down to its driving characteristics, partly down to its modest demeanour when compared to the ostentatious Germans and partly down to its price.
Since the passing of the likes of the Toyota MR2, the Mazda has cornered the market for two-seater sports cars under €40,000. Of course, you could pick up a Renault Megane convertible or the new Opel Astra Twintop, but none of these convertibles have the allure of a roadster either in the car park or on the open road.
At the end of the day, every reviewer must make the call on one simple question: would I buy one with my own money? Simple answer: Yes.