2 weeks ago
13
Other than a relative lack of visibility caused by other cars, it's a simple car to drive in the city thanks to its tiny dimensions and high degree of nimbleness. Highways can be a bit tiresome, but the payoff is that this is a car where you will always choose the long way home and invariably get there with a smile on your face. Swapping out of an MX-5 and back into most other cars can be quite a shock, though; everything will feel very heavy, wallowy, and disconnected for the first few miles by comparison.
You'll find a few other modern conveniences here that were missing in my old NA MX-5. The infotainment system is pretty bare-bones but supports wireless CarPlay and Android Auto (as well as having Alexa built in). You operate it with the physical controller on the transmission tunnel—no touchscreen here—which is mostly good, although you can accidentally interact with the controller with your upper arm if your hand is resting on the shifter. I was also unable to find a way to open the trunk that wasn't the remote fob, although I have since educated myself and learned where it lives.
Still, you should buy a Miata
Our test car was the Club trim, which comes with Bilstein dampers, a front strut tower brace, and a limited slip differential, plus some rather tasty BBS alloy wheels, and there's a track mode for the stability control system. Expect to get about 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km), even if you're out for a hoon.
The entry-level MX-5 is the Sport, which starts at $29,530. The Club is the next step up, at $33,030 for the soft top, but you have to pay an extra $4,900 for the wheels, bigger brakes, and the heated Recaro sports seats. The RF Club is a hefty $40,650, but includes those three features as standard. Either way, unless you're dead-set that it looks better—and I did have people come up and compliment the car's looks—it's still almost a $3,000 premium for a roof that compromises the car more than it adds.
Everyone that fits should have the pleasure of spending some time in an MX-5, and after a week with this one, I think "just get a Miata" remains good advice, as long as it's the soft top.
English (US) ·