My Experience

I test-drove two Mazda Miatas at a local dealership: a base model, and an LS with the optional six-speed transmission. Both test-drives lasted about half an hour and covered city streets, the freeway, winding secondary roads, and an empty parking lot that served as an impromptu autocross course.


Performance

"How could the Miata be any fun? I mean, it's only got 142 horsepower. That's weak." Just a little advice to anyone considering a Miata: If you've ever heard someone utter that last sentence, or something like it, I guarantee they have never driven this car. The Miata may only have 1.8 liters of engine, and the horsepower ratings of an econocar, but those on-paper figures don't come anywhere near expressing the fun of driving this car.

The reason is twofold. For one thing, the Miata is very light--its curb weight is just under 2400 lbs--and 142hp is plenty sufficient to move this little car around quickly. In published road tests, its 0-60 times are consistently in the 7.6 - 7.8 second range, which is nothing to sneeze at.

But more important than acceleration times is how this engine feels from the driver's seat. It's simply thrilling to wind the Miata out through the gears, even if you're not going all that fast, because of the eager sound and feel of the engine. It revs quickly and freely, and its fizzy metallic snarl fills the cabin and tingles through your hands and feet when you give it free rein. Its power is strong and linear, and it builds progressively through the entire rev range. It's not weak at low revs, but its peak power isn't until 7000rpm, so you have the exhilarating sensation of an engine that pulls harder and harder the more you wring it out.

Perhaps best of all is this car's pin-sharp throttle response. The accelerator pedal responds instantly to the slightest movement of your right foot, making you feel directly connected to the engine, with no interfaces in between. Redline shifts, double-clutching, and heel-and-toeing all feel joyously effortless, and you find yourself executing them often. If haven't gotten past the unimpressive on-paper figures, you're doing yourself a disservice--after a hard drive in this car, you step out feeling alive again.


Transmission/Clutch

The Miata's shifter and clutch are hands-down the best I have ever experienced. If you read car magazines often, you'll frequently see their writers throw around the phrase, "rifle-bolt precision" in reference to a car's shifter. That's usually a stretch--but the Miata's shift action is actually worthy of the cliche.

The Miata's shifter looks like a toggle switch more than anything else. The shift lever can't be more than three inches tall, so when you grab it, you grab all of it. And rowing through the gears is as simple as nudging the firmly-weighted lever exactly where you think the next gear will be. "Snick!"--it's there. And unlike most cars, the Miata's shifter feels directly, solidly connected to the transmission beneath--there's absolutely no free play in its short, precise throws.

The clutch is equally near perfection, with a short throw, firm weighting, and an engagement point that somehow manages to be race-car precise, with a quick bite, but still intuitive and forgiving the first time you drive it. If you're questioning whether a stick-shift car is right for you, rest assured--the Miata will make you revel in owning a manual transmission. On my test drives, I found myself shifting just for the fun of it, downshifting at every stoplight, and swapping gears to squeeze a little more power out of the engine when I really didn't need to.

One thing I should mention, though, is that I far prefer the standard five-speed manual to the optional six-speed. The six-speed's action is slightly notchier, and its pattern tighter and less intuitive. Besides, the Miata is a very traditional car, and the five-speed feels more in its character--and with such a flexible powerband, it really doesn't need the sixth gear anyway.


Steering/Handling

This area is the Miata's other great talent--it feels like a combination of go-kart, race car, and traditional roadster all rolled into one. I've simply never driven a car as responsive and exciting on a winding road as the Miata.

One reason is the Miata's steering--it's as close to perfect as I've ever experienced. Its weighting is firm, and the effort builds naturally as you turn into corners. Road feel courses through the wheel rim, letting you know exactly what the front tires are doing, and just what kind of surface you're driving over. The quick ratio gives the Miata instant response--when you nudge the wheel off-center, the Miata darts in your chosen direction with no hesitation. And in spite of this, its on-center feel is sublime--on straight roads, you just leave it pointed straight-ahead and forget about it, and that's where the car goes.

I could rhapsodize at length about the precision and feel of the Miata's steering, but there's more. The Miata's chassis is a work of art, in terms of suspension tuning and rear-drive handling balance. This car can handle however you want it to. Want a safety net of understeer? Charge into the corner with your foot gently on the gas, give the steering smooth, gradual inputs, and that's what you'll get. Want to play with some tail-out oversteer? Enter the corner with no throttle, and brush the brakes while twitching the wheel a bit harder than usual, and the tail will step out gently behind you. You can play with every last ounce of grip in this car, and if you do get it sliding, it's incredibly easy and intuitive to correct.

You can't do this at semi-legal speeds as easily as you could in older Miatas--the 205/45R-16 tires on new Miatas are much grippier and bite hard in corners--but the sweet chassis balance is still there. I found myself carrying a lot of speed into corners on my test drive, and I felt more confident and in control than I do going the speed limit in most cars.


Ride

Here's where the rhapsodies end, since the Miata isn't a particularly cossetting ride on rough roads. The "traditional roadster" feel applies here as well, and for some drivers, that's likely to be a turn-off. The Miata actually rides quite well on good roads--its firm suspension results in some pitching and bobbing, but nothing you'd call harsh--but it tends to make a big deal out of rough pavement. The jerky ride motions and bump-thump from the suspension will probably get tiring for non-enthusiasts, and the Miata's aging platform means that there's a little more shuddering and jittering from the body structure than I'd prefer over sharp impacts. Sports car fans won't be bothered--in fact, they might be impressed with its relative composure, and will probably just enjoy the sensation of feeling the road--but casual drivers will probably be less pleased.


Interior

The Miata's interior isn't getting any newer either, but fortunately, Mazda nailed the classic-sports-car look and feel the first time around. The styling is fresh enough to be pleasing, and the chrome-rimmed gauges and double-hooded air vents in the center of the dashboard help give it a little style. Interior materials are of good quality, although many of them feel like they were chosen for lightness more than substance, and the construction feels tight and solid.

But in a car like this, function is in many ways more important than looks when it comes to the cabin, and that's where the Miata excels. Forget the small exterior dimensions--if you're under six and a half feet, you'll be plenty comfortable in the Miata's cockpit once you get used to the sports-car feel. The footwell is long and deep, so even six-footers like myself will stretch their legs out to the pedals. The seats are firm and supportive, with firm lateral bolstering to keep you in place in hard turns. And the relationship between steering wheel, pedals, and shifter is absolutely perfect.

The reach to all the major controls is short and natural, so the low-slung driving position felt like a perfect fit.The roof, windshield, and doors are much closer to you than in most cars, but I quickly started to enjoy the sensation that you "wear" this car, instead of just sitting in it. The instrumentation and controls are laid out simply and effectively, so as not to distract from the business of driving. The radio and especially the climate controls could be mounted higher on the dash, but their basic design and minimum of buttons and knobs helps make them easier to use without looking away from the road. The overall effect is that you feel like you're in the cockpit of a classic roadster or small race car--and if you feel cramped, that's what the convertible top is for, right?


Practicality

As you'd expect, the Miata fails miserably in this department compared to most other cars. It only has two seats, and while they're extremely comfortable and supportive, claustrophobic passengers may be uneasy with the Miata's tight, low-slung cabin--after all, they don't get to experience that perfect driving position. The trunk is also predictably meager, with just 5.1 cubic feet of cargo space. Trunks don't get much smaller than that, and the trunk-mounted battery and spare tire (placed there for optimum weight distribution) mean you don't get a very well-shaped cargo hold. There's no folding seatback or pass-through to the cabin, either, so any bulky loads will have to ride shotgun (I know--I used to drive a 1995 Miata and, being a working bass player, I'd have to stuff my bass in the trunk, and my amp in the passenger's seat, for every gig).


Reliability

Here's at least one practical aspect of the Miata that stands tall. The Miata earns Consumer Reports' highest reliability rating of Much Better Than Average, and it has done so consistently since its introduction in 1990. Nothing to worry about here.


Overall

Despite its aging design and unimpressive on-paper figures, there's very little that can touch the Miata in terms of driving fun. I've never driven any car, at any price, that feels so responsive, engaging, and directly connected to the road. I've also never driven a car that made me feel like such a great driver--blasting down a winding road in a Miata, sliding the tail out and heel-and-toeing into corners, makes you feel like a veteran of the F1 circuit.

The best part is that one of the purest, most rewarding driving experiences ever comes at an affordable price. The base Miata has an MSRP of $22,388 (including destination charge), and the current $1,500 rebate makes it even more attractive. For that price, I can't think of anything that comes close to touching the Miata for driving enjoyment--cars like the Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, and Acura RSX are all within a few thousand dollars, but although they're loads of fun and faster than the Miata, none of them feels as "alive." I haven't driven Toyota's roadster, the MR2 Spyder, but it's significantly more expensive than the Miata at $25,330 MSRP.

If you've already decided on a Miata and are debating which model to get, I'd recommend the base one. The LS has more features, but a car like this doesn't need power door locks (just reach your hand over to lock the passenger door), leather upholstery, or--laughably--cruise control. To me, these extra add-ons just detracted from the purity and unpretentious nature of the car. Then again, that turbocharged 178hp Mazdaspeed Miata does sound mighty appealing... maybe it's time for another test drive.




Feel free to check out my reviews on some of the Miata's competitors:
Honda Civic Si
Hyundai Tiburon GT V6
Mercedes-Benz C230 Sports Coupe
Mini Cooper S
Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
Scion tC
Toyota Celica GT-S
Volkswagen GTI 1.8T


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 22,388