I’ve been trying to think of a car that’s been iteratively improved for as long as the Miata (or MX-5 if you prefer) without becoming a fundamentally different car. The F-150 is an incredible truck and, yet, you’d never mistake a new one for a ’90s model, let alone one from the ’60s.
A Porsche 911? Amazingly fun and capable, in every generation, serving approximately the same audience and purpose no matter which one you buy. Even then, a 993 generation 911 does not feel like a 996, which does not feel like a 991. They’re all 911s and they’re all amazing, but they’ve grown bigger and nicer over time. That’s generally a good thing.
Mazda has somehow nailed making four generations of Miata without aggressively changing the formula. If you park an ND Miata next to an NA Miata they are both entirely the same layout and roughly the same size (the wheelbase has increased by less than two inches). Even with all the new options and safety equipment the newest soft top, magically, is within a few hundred pounds depending on trim and that added heft is more than compensated for by an increase in horsepower.
I borrowed a 2024 Miata MX-5 in Grand Touring trim, with the six-speed, for a trip up to Lime Rock Park. I’d heard from friends that changes to the steering rack and LSD resulted in an even better Miata. This made me nervous. It’s not hard to imagine Mazda making a Miata so good that it’s no longer quite a Miata.
As usual, I was worried about nothing. The 2024 Miata is, indeed, better than the old one, while still being every bit a Miata.
The Basics
Never has the term “the basics” been more appropriate, for even in the highest-end Grand Touring trim the Miata is still one four-cylinder engine connected via either a manual or automatic transmission to the rear wheels.
- As-tested price: $36,200 (with $1,165 in delivery/handling fees)
- Powertrain: 2.0-liter DOHC inline-four
- Transmission: Six-speed manual
- Combined power: 181 hp/151 lb.-ft. of torque
- MPG: 26 mpg city, 34 mpg hwy, 29 mpg combined
- Only option: $750 for Snowflake White over Tan Nappa interior
- Thing you definitely couldn’t have spec’d on an NA Miata: rear cross-traffic alert
What Did They Change And Should You Be Mad About It?
I was up at Lime Rock Park ostensibly to help Parker with his Lucid experiment, so I’d have been fine driving up in my Honda CR-V Hybrid. Thinking it would be a nice day I instead ordered up a new MX-5. This was the correct choice.
Lime Rock Park sits like a pat of butter nestled in mashed potatoes, though in this analogy the mashed potatoes are the Taconic Mountains, which are a part of the northern end of the Appalachians. If you drive a little further north and east you’ll hit the Berkshires.
Normally, the smoke coming from the Massachusetts side of the border is of the jam band sort and usually not anything to worry about. On the day I was up at Lime Rock the whole place smelled like a campfire and what I took to be a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter circled overhead a few times before flying towards wildfires in the area.
The dull white smoke in the low winter sun collecting in the little valley only enhanced the golden hues and made even my iPhone photos look good, but I’m getting pretty damn tired of running into wildfires everywhere I go (Texas, California, the Catskills just the weekend before). This is a bad sort of change.
A better sort of change is the revised steering system in the new Miata. If there’s one issue people had with the initial version of the ND platform (this is, in Miata parlance, the ND3) it was the electrical steering. Whenever sports cars drop hydraulic steering this happens. People freaked out about the way the 991 felt compared to the 997 911 and then mostly got over it as subsequent iterations added more feel back into the wheel.
When I drove the GR86 my sense was that its steering was better than the last Miata I’d driven, though there was enough of a gap in time that it was hard to say for sure. Now that Mazda has improved the steering I feel more comfortable in saying the initial ND1/ND2 steering is probably less communicative. Not only does the new steering provide more feedback, it’s also an improvement on the interstate, where the Miata floats a little less at over 65 mph than the older iterations.
The other notable improvement is a new differential. None of these changes should make you mad unless maybe you have an ND1 Miata.
The Return Of Yaw-Damping
As super engineer Dave Coleman points out in the interview above, the ND is an old ass car by modern standards (it’s been around for basically a decade at this point) so Mazda has been able to make small changes they wouldn’t usually be able to make. As he points out, the pre-load on the limited-slip differential in the first two iterations of this platform was too high, which would upset the car during trail braking.
Is yaw-damping back? Yes, yaw-damping is back. I learned about this concept when I drove the AWD CX-70 and now it’s come back up again with the new RWD MX5. In the ND3, what this means is that there’s more lock-up on corner entry so you’re more stable as you roll into a turn, and a little less lock-up on corner exit so the car will hopefully stay pointed where you think it’s supposed to point as you drive out of the corner. It’s why they call it an “asymmetric” limited-slip differential.
Dave is both smarter than I am and a better driver so you can watch the interview if you want more. In practice, this means that I could shove the MX-5 hard into the tight corners of the FCP Euro Proving Grounds autocross course and then blast out of them without the nose popping up and understeering myself into the grass. Not like I’ve ever done that there before … on this exact track … in a RWD sports car. Nope. Not I.
It’s Just A Happy Golden Retriever Puppy You Can Enjoy Every Day
Parker was kind enough to pay for Lime Rock Park’s excellent catering and so all of his friends abandoned the track for an hour to eat. I shoved some food in my mouth and then proceeded to eat three chocolate chip cookies before deciding to take as many laps as I could sneak in on the autocross before everyone else came back.
I should have driven first and eaten second, but I refer you to the earlier statement about me not being that smart. I also lack impulse control when it comes to cookies and sports cars.
A Miata is just so much fun. Especially a convertible when you’re wearing a helmet. While 181 horsepower is paltry by modern standards, the high-revving four sounds better than it should in the open air. The car is so light and the gearbox so predictable that even an uncoordinated, chocolate-filled pretender like myself can at least feel like I’m wringing 98% out of the car.
A smarter man would have stopped before he felt like he was going to fill his Bell helmet with regurgitated cookies. I did not. I just kept lapping until I felt like I was a turn away from barfing.
Later in the day I gave a couple of Parker’s crew a ride around the track in the car and they all looked at me like I was a hero. I was not! Mostly I was just oversteering the car necessarily and driving like the steering wheel was connected directly to my testicles. Fast driving doesn’t always feel fast, but oversteer almost always does.
Many cars are faster than a Miata. A few are lighter. The car I drove before this one on the same track was a vintage Alfa Giulia set up for racing, which is a truly visceral experience. The Miata wasn’t any less enjoyable, really, and it also comes with CarPlay and a functioning air-conditioner.
Inside, the cabin feels modern enough and it even has an almost usable cupholder attachment (it only fell out twice!). HVAC controls are of the tactile kind, which is good because you never want to take your eyes off the road in Miata. The “touchscreen” remains a non-touchscreen when using Mazda’s infotainemnt functions, but becomes a touchscreen when using CarPlay, which is a choice you quickly get used to.
The trunk is big enough to hold a racing helmet, a toothbrush, some toothpaste, and possibly even a flannel for your face. If you wish to add new shoes and a case, you’ll want to make sure it’s a small one.
And that’s the point. If you don’t have kids or big dogs or other such attachments, you can drive this thing every day. If you’re lucky enough that your life is enriched (or encumbered) by an abundance of loved ones, you could easily make this a second car to enjoy on weekends.
If You Can Find A Better New Convertible Sports Car For Under $38k, Buy It
There’s that Internet cliche about the perfect two-car garage, where someone sees a Suburban parked next to a Lotus and says “perfect two-car garage.” I think that’s true of the Miata and any other car, including another Miata.
ND3 Miata and NA Miata? Perfect two-car garage!
Miata has long been the answer for every car need because the cars are approachable enough to be enjoyed by anyone, affordable enough to be used in whatever perverse way you can imagine, and commonplace enough that no one will be mad when you modify it to your liking.
The new one is just a little better than the one that came before it, so I can say with confidence that the Miata is still the answer… so long as you’re willing to ask the right question.
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I just test drove a 2023 RF the other day. I really liked it and want it as a non-winter daily driver but the fiance isn’t to happy about me thinking about adding another vehicle to the fleet haha.
You are allowed 1 car for each 3 pairs of shoes that she has. If you have to compromise, you’re with the wrong person. She needs to understand that she is replaceable.
Sorry if that sounds a bit harsh, but it is certainly true.
“the fiance isn’t to happy about me thinking about…” dude, don’t let her control your thoughts! Your happiness should be important to her, not just her own.
Seriously, think about it. You will be driving a Nissan Rogue with three car seats in the back, losing your hair and wondering where it all went wrong before long. Hint: this is the fork in the road.
If she nixes your choice of car, that is a HUGE red flag.
What is toothpaste but fancy, minty dirt anyway? Save yourself a few hundred mL of trunk space!
Or just pre-mix toothpaste into your shower spaghetti. It’s like 2-stroke mix for your body then.
What are we running these days, 40:1? 50? Should I do anything special if it’s aquafresh?
What I really like is how the sparkle strips whiten my teeth and work like a media blaster on the way through. Goes down and out smoother than walnut shells, let me tell you.
Ooohhh…so this is what DT does!
I’m guessing he will continue to do so even now that he’s married
Meh, I can get at least 5 full paper grocery bags in the truck of my NDII RF, just takes a little finesse. It will have be pried from my cold dead hands, not letting it go.
My current “perfect 2-car garage” has a 993 and a 2004 Landcruiser, so I’m pretty satisfied as-is…but I still occasionally day-dream of having a Miata in there one day. Life seems like it would be just a little happier with a Miata in it.
It would be a LOT happier.
I have an NB Miata, and it’s been mine since September of ’99. I would love to take a new one for a ride. but I’m afraid it would feel like cheating on my wife.
Just bring her along with and let her watch!
“a toothbrush, some toothpaste, and possibly even a flannel for your face. If you wish to add new shoes and a case, you’ll want to make sure it’s a small one.“
Can I Squeeze in pajamas and a hairbrush?
It’s tempting…
Great review Matt!
It’s a treat that you got that much time on that track. FCP has done a great job with that infield. Kudos to you for making that choice of vehicle. Please tell me you went down 7 to 84?
I had an ’18 Fiata Veloce, the Miata with an Italian accent. And I LOVED it! That car could dance, and the little turbo 4 was just as delightful as it is in the 500 Abarth once I put a rather less quiet exhaust on it. I think Fiat’s suspension tuning was better in those days, having driven both version back-to-back. But I just did not fit in it. Physically painful after 45 minutes, not helped by the genuinely terrible completely unsupportive seats. If the seat could have gone back a couple more inches without the seatback being more upright than a church pew it would have been perfection.
So it got turned in for an ’11 128i convertible, which is much, much heavier and not quite so fun to drive, but comfortable enough that I have driven it from FL to ME and back a couple of times pain-free. So Miata is just NOT always the answer.
Mazda has to aim too much at the bottom of the market. So it aims at the housewife who wants a nice ride to work. The guy who wants to win the autoX can visit the aftermarket parts they make.
I’ve been eying ND Miatas for a while, and I just don’t understand them. Admittedly, I haven’t driven one yet, only an NA. But where does $36k go? For $30k you get a Honda Civic hybrid which also offers 200 hp and weighs 1,000 lbs more. For 6k less, you get 1,000 lbs more of material; you get comparable (if not better) interior quality, twice as many doors, 2.5 as many seats, a hybrid battery and motors. Do LSDs and manual transmissions really cost that much? I understand there’s a base Miata for about $30k, but unless they’ve changed it significantly for the ND3, it is very much an econobox interior. I’m not arguing on the basis of practicality; I understand this is a sports car. All I want to know is what about this Miata is $/lb worth it?
Compared to a practical econobox the Miata will never fully justify its price, as it’s just not designed to be a practical car. Something to think about with the price though, in addition to the LSD and manual trans, you get double wishbone suspension, which you couldn’t retrofit to the Civic without doing a lot of custom fab work. You also get an engine that begs to be wrung out all the way to redline with forged internals, and the engine has been tested on track so that it maintains oil pressure and won’t self destruct when making right turns at speed unlike the BRZ/86 twins. So probably some extra $$ was used on systems calibration for a proper driving experience.
This is just not how you should be thinking about a Miata. It’s not meant to compete with those cars. It’s not about speed, objective value, or practicality. It’s an emotional experience that you need to have for yourself to understand. At the end of the day we don’t drive stat sheets.
And that extra money is going to the engineering behind one of these. They’ve been slowly refining and perfecting this car for over 30 years at this point. You’re not paying for materials or 0-60 times or whatever. You’re paying for an experience, one that a Miata can provide you with affordably, reliably, and consistently.
I suggest you drive one if you haven’t. I don’t know that I really “got” the Miata hype until I did. It’s the ultimate “greater than the sum of its parts” car. It’s not supposed to make sense, it’s supposed to give you pure unfiltered driving delight. And it does, every single time.
I though MX5s were silly little cars until I drove one. Then I had to buy one.
And I’d already had three MR2s by this point, so it’s not like I was lacking exposure to practical sports cars.
My new Miata will have a license plate frame that says “LIFE IS SHORT DRIVE A MIATA”.
Drive a Miata. Listen to Japanese jazz fusion while you’re doing it. Enjoy life!
Dollars per pound is not the way to ascertain value in a sports car. Per Colin Chapman Adding power makes you faster on the straights, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.Hell, Porsche will charge you to remove items.
A Honda Civic makes it up on volume. The Miata will never sell as many units, sadly. The development costs have to go somewhere.
I assumed this point was null, since the ND has been around almost 10 years, and the development costs surely have been covered. But then your comment caused me to look up sales figures and they sell way fewer Miata’s than I would have guessed.
I’m sorry but equating the weight of cars to their cost is misinformed at best, and downright stupid at worst.
A Miata made on a carbon fiber chassis would be much lighter than the current Miata. Would you expect it to cost less money? The money is not in the weight of the materials, it’s in the engineering expense and tooling costs of building something that has no shared parts and is on a dedicated sports car platform on its own that doesn’t sell in huge numbers.
A Civic can share plenty of its construction with Accords and CRVs and thus have the cost of designing and making it spread out across several hundreds of thousands of mass market commuter cars.
Kept reading to vicariously enjoy your Miata experience, and loved your surprise Squeeze reference!
Obviously this comment section is a bunch of Miata fans. I am not one of them.
I drove a current-generation Miata recently, for half a day, on all sorts of roads, and for me it was not just a disappointment, it was outright unacceptable. I would not own a current-version Miata even if it was free. I thought the original Miatas were ok provided you accepted them for what they were, which was a slow little car that did nothing exceptionally well but was fun to toss around ( I was a sales guy at a Mazda dealer when the Miata was introduced ).
To anyone who is “considering” a Miata : drive some other cars first before you buy a Miata. Drive a Boxster, drive an S2000 if you can find one to drive, and give yourself the chance to understand there are other cars which you might like even more than a Miata.
Now, if you have a Miata and you love it, good for you. But don’t bother trying to convince me I should love one, because I have different priorities than you do and I want more than a Miata can give me without spending many thousands of dollars on mods for that Miata.
What didn’t you like about them? What’s standard in the competition that is vitally missing in the Miata?
I don’t have a dog in this race – I’m too tall – but I’m curious what left you so sour on them.
I drove a boxster. The 2.7l was terrible. It had 1.5ft-lbs of torque, so if you have your own track and it can be 500rpm from redline 100% of its life its ok. On the streets expect a 10 year old rav4 to stomp you off the line, without meaning too.
Hurt too by the dealer insisting on 21″ rims. So not only terrible at the stoplight you could feel everything.
You have every right to your opinion, and I would agree with test driving comparable cars before making a decision. But having been in all 3, I preferred the Miata by a longshot. The S2000 to me felt like they designed a good interior, and then moved everything two inches to the right. It all felt like it was not quite where it should be. I also hated the power delivery and lack of torque. While a Miata is much slower, they FEEL faster to me. Also for the price of a S2000 I could buy a Miata and make it exactly what I want it to be. Then again, I also enjoy the process of modifying a car as much as the actual driving so that could just be me. As for the Porsche, I would just be wary of the maintenance costs and generally less available parts.
I’m fat. Is Miata still the answer for me?
Buy a Boxster if you can afford it.
I don’t really disagree, BUT – they are not really comparable cars. Miatas, even new, are fundamentally cheap cars. Even used Boxsters\Cayman simply are NOT cheap cars, they are Porsches. Not ruinous if maintained properly, but a very different universe of expense.
For perspective on this, I came *this close* to doing European Delivery for a Cayman for my 50th birthday in 2019. Had the deal done, ready to sign on the dotted line and schedule some flights. But my Inner Yankee Cheapskate kept me from writing the big check. Instead, I bought a new (albeit deeply discounted) Fiata for just about exactly ONE-THIRD what that lightly-optioned base Cayman was going to cost me. The Porsche is always going to be double the cost of an equivalent age/condition Miata, and running costs are rather more than double.
Yes, if your question is “What would be a great motivator to lose a few pounds?”
Fat is fine – I am a huge fat ape and width was not a problem for me at all in my Fiata. The problem was that even with short legs for my height, the seat just did NOT go back far enough for comfort, and with the seat anywhere near far enough back, the seatback ends up beyond bolt upright. Which put my head well into the roof top-up (all the more reason to keep it down). It was horrifically uncomfortable after 45 minutes or so. But those first 45 mins were *delightful*. A better car for the tall and fat is a BMW Z3 or Z4 – cars designed for German Boys of Width AND Length. Though I decided that the added room of a 128i convertible was worth the slightly higher center of gravity. Still a very willing dance partner, but a lot more practical.
So if you are interested, make sure to arrange a LONG test drive. Also, the seats are *terrible* in them. But I have never sat in a Japanese seat that agreed with me, so YMMV o that.
I’ve long been baffled why Mazda has never used the Miata platform to build a small sport coupe/sedan/or hatchback. They have the platform, they are going to put the funds into developing it and it’s going to be unique. Why not see if you can build a more conventional shape out of it with a bit more utility you could also take a shot at selling? If they ever do a shooting brake though I will be at the dealer the next day to put in a reservation.
You and me both, especially once the GT86 debuted, it has always seemed like a proper coupe/hatch Miata would be a no-brainer. It would basically be a modern RX7 with a motor that doesn’t implode.
Personally, I LOVE convertibles, but many, many people don’t, and a hatch would add very useful luggage space to a car that is a struggle for two people to go away for a long weekend in. My Spitfire has more space behind the seats than a Miata has trunk space, and a bigger trunk as well! In a car that is 4/5ths the size. My Fiata would barely fit my airline rollaboard and briefcase in the trunk.
Honestly I’ve actually wondered if it would sell better as a coupe. I admit to having limited seat time in convertibles but I don’t have any desire for one so for me the soft top is just a liability and to your point I imagine a lot of folks feel the same way.
You are either a convertible person or you are not. I have owned at least one for nearly 30 years and at one point I had three.
But especially in these safety-obsessed times, the soft top probably is a sales liability. And IIRC, the best selling Miata is actually the RF today.
I would be first in line for a Miata based shooting brake. I owned a M Coupe and I think a Miata based version would be nearly perfect.
Came here to say this. Especially if they could make it just a pinch bigger so my lanky 6’5″ ass could fit comfortably + added practicality I would be 100% sold. I was planning on buying an early ’00s M coupe until prices skyrocketed and then I sat in one and found out I don’t fit anyways…
As a former Mazda 3 owner, I’m bummed that Mazda have watered down the rest of their lineup to have less of the Miata’s sporty ethos. If a tiny 2 door 2 seater doesn’t work for you, they don’t offer a practical alternative anymore. I’d love to see a small hatch (or sedan if they must) built on the rwd platform with the same engineering that goes into the Miata. Probably wouldn’t be a hot seller though. The M coupe wasn’t in its day and now is a sought after cult classic.
Yes to all of the above. I grew up with Miata’s, my Dad’s had one since I was 10, but I now own a BRZ because it’s tough to squeeze my 6’4” self into a Miata (especially with helmet) and I needed to be able to fit a family of three in it for emergencies or just me and wife (and ALL her packing) for a weekend. Even the “big” NC wouldn’t cut it. But I love Mazda’s engineering ethos and if they built something that fit my needs I’d be in that instead. Unless it’s a rotary, as much as I love those cars I’m just not that brave.
Sorry for the late reply but good to know RE: the brz fitting a fellow tall person, I keep meaning to take a test drive in one.
And yeh I really wish Mazda still made some sporty practical cars-but agreed on rotaries, Mazda’s dedication to the rotary is admirable up to a point, but they just have too many downsides for a street car-and Mazda makes great inline 4s anyhow.
I’d be curious to hear a bit more about the road trip portion of this review. I’ve been soft shopping a few more modern convertibles to potentially replace my Del Sol, which I generally love as a summer car, except for its total lack of torque and adjacent need for gearing that makes it cruise at 4500 RPM on the interstate.
I can kinda help with this question as I had an EJ1 Civic Coupe EX for 7 years, a NC1 PRHT GT for 5 years, and a ND2 RF GT last year for 4 days around Lake Tahoe/Sacramento area (Turo rental – ~500 miles).
NDx are definitely smöller compared to NC (cupholder BS, no front glove box, and trunk is half a cube smaller and shape is form over function). The ND2/3 7500rpm redline is an absolute joy compared to the ~6700 in the NC and more fitting to the VTEC feel. With that said, I found the ND2 droned at 75-80mph cruising way more than the NC did (I think it was turning ~3900rpm in top gear). The wind noise was totally fine for the RF sail panel, but the engine drone was bad compared to the NC which didn’t have that issue at these normal speeds. I dunno if an exhaust system would help with this issue. The only other issue I’ve read (and can confirm) is the synchros are soft in the ND transmissions – the ND has issues with 4th gear with 45k on it. I’d unfortunately skip fourth often because of the crunch and grind as I couldn’t quite figure out the correct revs to match given the shortness of my time with it.
But the ND was a BLAST, like a form fitting suit, but I honestly think I’d love to try out the Fiata. The redline wouldn’t be as fun, but the torque and lower RPM cruising would be better for me, plus apparently the trunk is more NC sized. Either that or a NC2/3.
I extensively test drove the Miata and Fiata back in the day, and bought the Fiat. Better suspension tuning then (IMHO), and at that time the Fiata had both slightly more HP and quite a bit more torque stock, and of course, more was but a tune away (I didn’t but I have driven some that were cranked up to 11). Yo have to spend a TON of money to usefully improve the power output of the Mazda motor. The Fiata also SOUNDS way better, particularly if you fit a more sporting exhaust. I thought it the better looking sister too – but that is certainly a matter of taste. The Fiat even has a bit more trunk space.
What’s the situation on parts for those Fiats nowadays?
Not a clue really, sold it four years ago. And it never needed any while I had it.
I do know that parts for 500s are no problem (my bestie has one), and the turbo 500 has the same motor. The rest of the drivetrain and interior is pure Mazda, though the Fiata uses the 6spd from the NC, not the new one from the ND. The ND transmission had a reputation for being explodey in the ND1, so that’s a good thing. Strut and shock tuning was unique to the Fiat, but the parts are interchangeable so any Miata replacement will work. many body parts are unique of course, no idea how much of a problem that is. Don’t crash it.
The ND2 (2019 and later) made some pretty decent increases to both torque and hp so IIRC the later Miatas actually have more of both than the Fiata in a naturally aspirated engine. I know when I bought my 2019 I briefly looked at the Fiata, but I decided against it since I didn’t see any benefit to the extra complication of the turbo.
Sure – but you can’t get more than what it comes with stock without spending a fortune. Another 50-100hp out of the turbo 4 is *cheap*. And I prefer the more relaxed drive of the turbo to start with. The peak may be lower, but the torque spread is wider.
But choices are nice to have, and I think it’s great that there are two versions of the car that are actually rather different in character, unlike say the Subaru vs. Toyota versions of the GT86 that are all but identical other than the badges.
Any chance the syncros on yours were a Turo car thing? Admittedly 4-5 gear shift isnt usually one people are speed shifting…but if it’s slightly weak anyways? I rented a Honda s2000 years ago when they were still new and that car was grabby between 1-2 and 2-3 on a car with 30Kish miles, and from what I’ve read the syncros on those weren’t the strongest but if not abused they’re typically fine.
I definitely agree on it being a rental and abuse being higher risk, plus my sample size of one particular vehicle. It just was shocking given it was 4th gear, a two year old vehicle with only 45k miles. Likely the abuse was coming from downshifts into 4th versus upshifts. My comment was more trying to align with forums talking about the ND transmissions not being as robust as previous generations and putting that in the brain of someone who is potentially shopping for one. I also test drove a couple S2000s back in 2014 (decided on getting the Mi-yacht-a instead) and follow your logic on grabby gears in the 1-2-3 gear changes. These were all AP1s with less than 70k miles on them, but S2000s required a lot of shifting to keep the fun going and their rifle bolt action gates were a new concept for me at the time as they were just… there. Need a gear, it’s just a flick away. The ND shift action is the closest I’ve had to the S2000 as you know exactly where you are at in the H at any given time and everything is just so much tighter than my other manual experiences.
The white paint looks nice.
I think I’d miss the ability to stop the car, lean back, and take a snooze.
What’s the weight on this? Over 3K lb?
Car & Driver lists the 2024 as having a base curb weight of 2452 lbs.
https://www.caranddriver.com/mazda/mx-5-miata/specs
That’s the RF. The soft top is about 100 lbs lighter.
Sounds nice, I would love to drive one for about a month.
Just want to know when you got in the Miata, did you look in the mirror and say to your reflection let’s get out of this place?
I’m sure he was . . . tempted, at least on his way to the car park, the airport, and maybe even the baggage carousel.
My ND2 is the only car I’ve owned that I haven’t been tempted to replace. I daily drive it all four seasons. I love this car.
We live 350 miles south of the Arctic Circle. My wife daily drives an ND2 RF. It is “an” answer, but not always “the” answer. As a commuter back and forth to work, it is great. Cheap to operate, fun, good fuel economy. But as an only car, I can’t imagine it as “the answer”. If your closest gas station is 25 miles away and your car only has an 11 gallon tank? Not an answer unless you have a vehicle to haul fuel home. For trips to the closest city, 130 miles away? 19 times out of 20, it is going to be the E-350 or a full-size pickup. For trips to the airport, 240 miles away? Unless I’m doing a carry-on bag only, the Mazda stays home.
I just got notice this afternoon that the barge carrying my MX-5 autocross tires arrived. Another round trip in something running on diesel fuel with a 700+ mile range.
Don’t get me wrong, the MX-5 is always the vehicle of choice, if it works. 5 or 6 days/week it does just that. But it is not the answer if you have to haul two kids or a sheet of drywall or those four autocross tires from Anchorage.
Guessing you meant 250 miles away not 25 for that gas station, although my limited time with a same RF was netting an average of 32mpg, with 35 at ~75mph cruising. It was a fuel sipping machine and 10% better than my NC. If that’s one direction though you definitely need a couple Jerry cans strapped to the back for fuel needs.
250 miles is the airport. 135 miles is the nearest town (25,000+ people). 25 miles is the closest gas station. We have our own 250 gallon fuel tank at home, but 5 of 6 of our cars run on diesel, so we only keep gasoline in 5 gallon containers. We typically keep 20 gallons of gasoline on hand. Mostly for the Mazda but a bit for our smaller gasoline-powered gereators and for our snowmachine.
I have track-driven every generation of Miata and the NA 1.6L is still my favorite. It is not the fastest (by far) but it is highly chuckable and Mazda tuned the 1.6 to pull harder all the way to redline. The later 1.8 and 2.0 liters are stronger in the midrange and will go to redline but they don’t reward with ever-increasing thrust and the wail of tiny pistons whizzing madly in their captive silos.
I’ve not driven an ND, but I’ve driven all the others and I prefer the NA8 to the 6, but both are fantastic. It progressively got worse from there, though I do think I would enjoy the hell out of an ND2 or 3. I still think the NA is best for me. I sort of like how slow it is so you really have to focus on maintaining speed because it’ll take a while to build it back up.
All Miatas are great, but NA8 is best for me.
The ND3 is truly the best car of the bunch by a mile. I would buy one if I could convince myself that spending $35k will bring me more smiles than my beloved ’90 NA which costs me $0 and is appreciating in value.
I don’t disagree, but honestly I think if I were to get something on the ND platform I’d have to go Fiata. I think the ND is good looking, but it’s too angry for me
I like the curves but the the face is too stretched. the butt is ok but ready for a refresh.
I had an NA that I dearly loved, and now I am tempted by the fruit of another.
Unfortunately as someone who is tall, the ND is just too small. I had a NC and though it was a close fit, the car was just about perfect. When I went to buy a ND I took a test drive and barely fit into the car.
I’ve been waiting for them to redesign the car just a little bit. Get a few more inches of headroom and legroom. Oh, and get rid of the RF.
i had the same issue. Bought a Fiata, thought I would get used to it, and as a rule I like a tight fit in a car. I didn’t get used to it, it was just painful. And the car doesn’t even need to get bigger, they just need to get more clever about all the space wasted in the rear bulkhead so the seat can go back further and still recline beyond church pew upright.
I went with a MB convertible. What did you end up with?
’11 BMW 128i convertible. Which I also absolutely love. Not QUITE as fun to drive, but much more practical and livable. Driven from FL to ME and back a couple times in perfect comfort.
Nice. Glad you found another convertible – they are the best!
I won’t be without at least one, and at one point, I had three at once. I’ve owned my ’74 Spitfire for nearly 30 years, and owned an Alfa Spider and a Saab C900CVT for years as well.
The Spitfire lives at my place in Maine, sharing the garage up there with a LR Disco I and my beloved e91 328! wagon.
Wow, nice! I just have a 2017 SLK350 but I looove it.
The answer, for me, can never be Miata.
It’s simply designed for someone far shorter than me, and continues to be so. Forbidden fruit? Maybe.
It is worth the height reduction surgery. Really.
You could look into an NA with a foamectomy (they literally reshape the seat by removing foam) or there are also different seat brackets that lower the seat which might get you enough if it’s reasonably close. I’ve seen hefty guys over 6ft drive them happily with such mods
I did the seat brackets. Nope, didn’t work, still painful to drive for any distance. The problem is simply that the seat can’t go back far enough while allowing sufficient recline for someone extremely long of torso. Long legs and a short torso probably works OK.
This will always be argument for a big(-er) sibling to the Miata. Not because it needs more power or four doors or any of that nonsense but simply because not everybody fits in one.
A stretched version a la RWD MX-6 2+2 would be amazing.
A Boxster is much more car and most people can fit in one too.
An equivalent age/miles Boxster is MUCH more expensive, upfront and certainly along the way. Lovely cars, but a different level of expense across the board. They really aren’t competitors, IMHO. If you are going to propose a Porsche, you might as well propose a Corvette too, which is faster and cheaper than either (and I hate them, LOL).
Not if you’re looking at old ones. I looked hard at early Boxsters against NA Miatas in similar shape and they’re quite similar in purchase price. The maintenance costs definitely are not though. New ones are not competitors no, but old ones seem to be compared a lot.
NA Miatas are classic cars at this point, and nice ones are starting to command classic car prices and simply aren’t daily drivers anymore. The earliest Miatas are a decade OLDER than my Spitfire was when I bought it.
Old Boxsters are cheap because they cost a fortune to run (good luck to anyone trying to resurrect a cheap ropey one). So I stand by my “they are not comparable cars” statement.
How tall are you? I’m a bit over 6’3″ and just bought an NC. Head brushes the top with it up but it has heated seats and great heat so as long as it isn’t raining the top is down.
Not necessarily related to this car but I often think about how as you go from na->nb->nc Miatas they are better cars but worse Miatas. It’s hard to argue an nc is better at doing most car things than an na Miata, but it doesn’t quite have the purity of purpose.
While that may be true, the NC is still a fantastic car. I’m on my second ND, but the NC holds a special place in my heart as my gateway to little roadsters. There are still days when I miss that car.
I’m actually quite partial to the NC Miata.
It’s also by far the easiest Miata to do a rotary swap into. Rene’s is basically just fits, as opposed to the firewall/floor pan changes needed on the earlier ones.
Given they are on the same platform as the RX8, that is hardly surprising.
I did say it was the best car of the 3.
My son has an NC as his first car. It’s been a blast riding along and watching him perfectly rev-match and trailbrake on a track. Proud dad moments for sure. We both think it’s a great car. I can’t imagine an NA being even better but haven’t driven one much. I’m tempted to get one, but then I wonder about a C6 Vette too…
Me and my NC had so many adventures together. Autocross, track days, Route 66 with Dad, Tail of the Dragon. My wife loved it so much she got one of her own. I never had a love affair with a car like I did with that one.. My current RF is wonderful, but you never forget your first.
I think the NC is finally starting to finally get some respect, and prices are starting to increase. I love my 2006 NC. I like it a bit better than my son’s 2016 ND, but his is an automatic and mine is a manual, so that may be the difference. I’ve never driven an NA or NB, but I haven’t been in a Miata and not had fun yet. The NC is pretty bulletproof if you can keep the rust away. I see plenty out there with north of 200,000 miles on them.
I agree, but then I think the ND went back to it and is at least on par with an NB. NC is still fantastic, but it’s the worst at being a Miata for sure.
Well said. ND is a refined NA on steroids. NB is a soft NA. NC is a sofa.
NC=MiYACHTa.
My NA (numbered special edition, one of the last 1500 made) sits in the garage next to my 1992 3/4 ton Cummins Ram (16 valve). This is the perfect two-car garage!
2.67 valves per cylinder?
I suppose it’s implied that you’re talking about vehicles that are still in production, otherwise the air-cooled Beetle would probably take the crown.
That doesn’t sound suspicious at all…
Yes, the OG Beetle is hard too touch.
Up until 2014, I’d have said maybe the Ford Mustang was in this category (as that’s when in my mind it became a proper sports car).
I was just thinking that an ND Miata parked next to my Maverick Hybrid would be the perfect two-car garage…
Perfect two-car garage!
I’m actually somewhat considering the Maverick as a new DD and garage companion for my NA Miata!
I went without a Miata for a couple years. That will never happen again if I can help it.
Same!! Though I think I will have to let the Miata go when I build a Caterham, but if there’s any way I can make it work I’ll keep the NA and just have 2 tiny sports cars.
Why not both? Build an Exocet!
No interest in that. My NA is too nice to chop up into an exocet. It would be fun to own but I would have to be able to find a crazy cheap car that was mechanically solid but the exterior was trashed to do something like that.
This is exactly my current 2-car garage! ND2 RF in soul red and hybrid cyber orange Maverick. It truly is the perfect solution.