tsong's Full Review: 2004 Mazda Mazdaspeed MX5 Miata
I'd like to preface by saying I very much enjoy driving this thing, but it's definitely not perfect.
To start with its few drawbacks, I find the turbo lag frustrating, especially considering its relatively low redline. The turbo kicks in around 4k which gives only ~2500rpm to really play with. The super narrow powerband in conjunction with a fast revving motor makes this thing hard to drift smoothly; snap oversteer is easily accomplished.
The second large drawback is the chassis rigidity, which is a bit oxymoronic in this case. The chasis is very prone to flex and is easily illustrated by looking at the passenger seat move at a different rate than the rear bulkhead while driving over bumpy pavement. Understandably, there's a fine line between stiffening things up and keeping weight down, but I think Mazda erred on the wrong side here.
Outside those two complaints, I have only minor niggles like a buzzy stereo (Bose has done yet another crappy job of stereo integration), ugly rear decklid spoiler, and lack of a taller 6th gear (the engine sits at ~4krpm @ ~80mph), and rather poor mileage considering it's small displacement and light weight (averaging far less than 25mpg w/mostly highway driving).
Now on to the good stuff....the suspension tuning is just right for my tastes. Not too harsh (like the 350z I traded in) and not too soft that it feels like an American luxo-barge.
The roll-on acceleration at speeds above 50mph is very respectable.
Rear wheel drive is one of the major reasons I bought this car and its a helluva lotta fun getting the rear end loose...even though it can be a handful if not careful.
Seats are very comfortable and supportive.
The aero add-ons, while not totally to my liking, are tasteful enough so that you don't look like you're posing for the next Fast and the Furious! The Racing Hart wheels are gorgeous.
The price is definitely right. What else can you get that's this much fun for ~$25k??
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 26000
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: MSM
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