The Miata was long a staple of the roadster’s intentions: An open-faced two-seater with an emphasis on good looks and the ability to corner turns with vigor. Unfortunately, that visage of fun driving was long ago placed on a dusty old car designer’s shelf. Convertibles of today are more like open-air saloons – they’re big, bulky, cluttered, boaty-feeling (lame). But not the MX-5.
The available fastback hard top adds some serious style to the already-good-looking MX-5
The Miata makes a return to the sunny Sunday countryside’s windy roads in true fashion. But is it that cutesy little ‘vert that we loved or loathed? Not anymore. The newest Miata still shares a general layout and the same tight spaces as its ancestry, but gone are is the bug-eyed front fascia, innocent and vulnerable on roads filled with hulking SUVs.
The new Miata sports a smirk and some haunches of muscle within its profile. It lets you know that it’s matured. It’s been down an alleyway or two, went through an awkward break-up, ditched the braces, and flourished into a magnificent thing you stare at as it goes by in its red dress.
If you can shell out an extra $300, that is. The primary available colors are white, off-white, gray, and black, with red and blue optional for the best-equipped models. Pair anything but white with the Miata’s gunmetal wheels, you’ll wind up with a roadster that’s as brooding and aggressive as any Miata will ever look.
The new Miata’s front end eschews a bug-eyed smile, in favor of a matured smirk
But the Miata doesn’t just look fierce, it feels like it has some actual gumption, too. Although its 2.0L 4-banger is shared with every other Mazda sold today, the Miata takes those 155 horses and 148 torques and puts them to the best use. While those numbers might sound paltry, the new Miata even gets from 0 to 60 in less than 6 seconds, rather impressive for what most consider an economy roadster.
What’s more, Mazda’s SKYACTIV motor management nets the MX-5 a combined 29 MPGs. With a curb weight of just 2,332 pounds and a nearly perfect 50/50 weight distribution, the new Miata feels and acts like a proper driver’s car. Option yours with the available big Brembo brake kit, and you can net almost 0.9 G in the figure-eight test. For comparison, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta pulls 0.88 G.
For all that push-and-pull cornering, the Miata doesn’t feel like a rattly-boned ride. Most new drivers comment on the perfect balance of stiffness and roll. The Miata certainly provides just enough composure for spirited driving, even an occasional road course, without making you hate yourself for taking your Miata on that 2-hour trip to the beach through old, scenic roads.
The MX-5’s interior is small, but not cramped – and it’s well-appointed
The Miata’s fun-to-drive factor doesn’t clash with its well-appointed interior, either. Even the standard Club package comes with an automatically tinting windshield, power retractable fastback roof, auto-dimming mirrors, automatic climate control, remote keyless entry, push-start ignition, a leather-wrapped wheel and shifter, and a BOSE 9-speaker system with AudioPilot. The center console includes a 7” full color LCD screen with Mazda’s CONNECT infotainment system.
With a starting price of just $24,000 the Miata finally brings back affordable roadster fun – a big void left in a market distracted by crossovers, comfort, space, and irrelevant tech gimmicks that ruin the driving experience.
