2016 Miata - R&T First Drive

[Wuzup101]

HP is not everything and people that simply look at HP and move on are probably hugely ignorant. Those same people aren't looking at a miata anyways calling it a chick car. they don't look at the big picture and overall package this car offers.

Wish I had a few more dollars and a bigger garage. I just have too many cars I already don't have time to drive.

It's never going to be a big HP car. At 2200lbs they did a great job of making it light and agile. It seems that many people on the miata forums are still hoping that 155hp is a joke. Generally when a company puts out a new sports car and manages to drop 2-300lbs they don't also drop the power output. Typically we expect new generations to be faster. No one expected huge HP numbers. But if I were a Miata fan or an owner that was thinking about buying the ND, I'd be pissed that the drop in weight was accompanied by a drop in power. Miata has something that could be a modern day N/A elise. Instead they are making it a modern day NA miata.

Some people will *always* want more power. This isn't the car for them. The Miata is a car for drivers who enjoy the 98% of driving that isn't interstate on-ramps or stop lights.

Furthermore: a car can be balanced (in the sense of suspension) at any power level. The 93 raging WHP of the original Miata was sufficient to induce throttle steering, it was/still is a hilarious amount of fun to drive at that power level.

Not sure I follow. I don't see the Miata being a good car for overall touring / DD anyway (so I'm not sure where that 98% comes from unless your commute is strictly twisty mountain roads). Other than the fact that it is cheap and reliable, I'd actually put it on the horrible DD list. That has nothing to do with power. It's just a tiny car with little room or comfort. That doesn't mean it's not a great car for a spirited drive (or if you just want a nice convertible for your DD).

It just seems like they intentionally handicapped the car. That's all.

 

[Midwayman]

It's never going to be a big HP car. At 2200lbs they did a great job of making it light and agile. It seems that many people on the miata forums are still hoping that 155hp is a joke. Generally when a company puts out a new sports car and manages to drop 2-300lbs they don't also drop the power output. Typically we expect new generations to be faster. No one expected huge HP numbers. But if I were a Miata fan or an owner that was thinking about buying the ND, I'd be pissed that the drop in weight was accompanied by a drop in power. Miata has something that could be a modern day N/A elise. Instead they are making it a modern day NA miata.

If you read the article, I'm sure that it has something to do with weight. Read the section about how going from 5 bolt to 4 bolt wheels allow them to drop all sorts of weight throughout the drive train. I know adding a more powerful engine would require everything to be built heavier. IIRC from an old article talking about designing the corvette 1lb of engine adds about 2 lbs to the car in other things that need to be stronger. Its a cheap car. It doesn't really have the option of going to exotic construction like the Elise did.

 

[Zenmervolt]

But put two people in the car on a warm day and see what happens when trying to accelerate for a pass on the freeway. Or even worse, doing so at any elevation much above sea level.

With one person in the car the 2016 Miata should manage 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds based on what the current car does. The current Miata Club, weighing in at 2,482 pounds and having 167 hp and 140 ft-lbs of torque, clocked a 0-60 in 6.1 seconds.

Even with a second person in the car on a warm day at elevation, the car's going to be plenty quick. Quicker (significantly) than a 4th-generation Nissan Maxima, which everyone used to think went like greased lightning.

In terms of straight-line speed, even with "only" 155 hp a 2,200 pound car is never going to be even remotely close to being a dog.

But if I were a Miata fan or an owner that was thinking about buying the ND, I'd be pissed that the drop in weight was accompanied by a drop in power.

If you were a Miata fan or owner, you'd realize that the drop in power is small (167 vs. 155) and that it is accompanied by an increase in torque (140 in the old car and 148 now) and would understand that this means a more flexible engine that has a much wider usable powerband. You'd also realize that by shaving nearly 300 pounds from the car's weight you're effectively getting more power back.

Miata has something that could be a modern day N/A elise. Instead they are making it a modern day NA miata.

You do realize that the original Elise had 118 horsepower, right? And that the base model European Elise currently has 134 hp, right?

With 155 hp and 1,000 kilos, the 2016 Miata has a better power to weight ratio than the 134 hp/876 kilo Elise. On those numbers, the Miata IS a modern day N/A Elise.

ZV

 

[zCypher]

Wow, looks awesome!

 

[Imported]

And the modding potential to make it even lighter with more power.. Though honestly I can't think of a bolt-on that reduces weight besides a full titanium exhaust? And even then it could be negligible for the cost.

 

[MongGrel]

Every time I come back and look at it, I just want one

 

[tweakmonkey]

Makes me miss my MR2 spyder.. not quite the same power/weight, just a little bit less HP/tq but also a little lighter. Close enough and that thing was plenty quick enough and I rarely wanted more power when I was on some twisty roads. So this car will be a blast. My MR2 had some Toyo R888s and a lightweight flywheel, some Konis and different springs, it was like heaven to drive. I hope someone makes a mid engine car like this again that's not quite as dinky as the Elise. I don't really have a desire to buy another FR car.

 

[Wuzup101]

If you were a Miata fan or owner, you'd realize that the drop in power is small (167 vs. 155) and that it is accompanied by an increase in torque (140 in the old car and 148 now) and would understand that this means a more flexible engine that has a much wider usable powerband. You'd also realize that by shaving nearly 300 pounds from the car's weight you're effectively getting more power back.

Yeah - you'll probably get 2-300 more RPM of powerband which is great. So the car will be kinda flat until 4200rpm to redline instead of 4500rpm to redline. That would be great if it revved to 8k and made 185hp+ up top.

I'm a fan, but I'm not a blind fanboy. I will be equally confused and vocal if chevy manages to trim 200-300lbs from the new camaro and says "surprise here's your LT0.5 now with 380hp. But don't worry it'll be just as fast as the outgoing car because we made it lighter." Except in the case of the miata we are talking about a dedicated low volume fun car instead of something that will sell almost 100,000 units per year.

You do realize that the original Elise had 118 horsepower, right? And that the base model European Elise currently has 134 hp, right?

With 155 hp and 1,000 kilos, the 2016 Miata has a better power to weight ratio than the 134 hp/876 kilo Elise. On those numbers, the Miata IS a modern day N/A Elise.

ZV

Yes I do. It made 118hp and weighed right around 1600lbs (13.6lb/hp). The miata is a relative porker compared to the original US spec elise (14.2lb/hp for the miata). It's also slower.

While it may have a better power to weight than the base euro spec elise, there are two other engines offered in the elise, both dust the miata easily. All three trims are faster than the 2.0L miata. The heavier second gen elise that is more comparable in weight (but still lighter than the new miata) was never released with the base 134hp engine in the US (which is the only market I care about). With 189hp it was quite a bit faster than the new miata is estimated to be (but maybe it will surprise us).

I'm not comparing the miata to a venom GT. I'm not expecting that it would hang with a 189hp gen 2 elise. I'm suggesting that it would have been nice to get a small bump in HP out of a N/A engine to go along with the weight reduction. It should be relatively easy to add a few HP to a 2.0L engine that is only making 155/148. Maybe they can just buy flat 4's from Subaru (and give everyone a few free cases of oil).

Note: I'm not trolling. I REALLY like everything about the new miata that I've seen with the exception of the power level. I'll be interested to see if it can outsell the GT86 twins when it launches.

Edit: also for what it's worth, the 2200lb figure that we have been talking about is for the international / euro spec 1.5L car not the 2.0L car. The article linked below from C&D puts the weight at 2350lbs for the US spec version. If that's true, the weight savings won't be nearly as much as discussed above.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-mazda-mx-5-miata-first-drive-review

 

[Sulaco]

And the modding potential to make it even lighter with more power.. Though honestly I can't think of a bolt-on that reduces weight besides a full titanium exhaust? And even then it could be negligible for the cost.

As an owner of a nicely modded NC Miata, I can say there are a few.

Muffler/exhaust several pounds lighter than stock, and can save as much 20lbs or more, the midpipe is lighter, and let's not forget the unsprung weight, wheels, 2lbs lighter over stock each.:thumbsup:

 

[Zenmervolt]

I will be equally confused and vocal if chevy manages to trim 200-300lbs from the new camaro and says "surprise here's your LT0.5 now with 380hp. But don't worry it'll be just as fast as the outgoing car because we made it lighter." Except in the case of the miata we are talking about a dedicated low volume fun car instead of something that will sell almost 100,000 units per year.

I'm not sure that I'd call a car that's sold nearly a million units "low volume."

The heavier second gen elise that is more comparable in weight (but still lighter than the new miata) was never released with the base 134hp engine in the US (which is the only market I care about). With 189hp it was quite a bit faster than the new miata is estimated to be (but maybe it will surprise us).

Shocking that a car that had an MSRP north of $50,000 is faster than a car that sells for half that.

You're complaining that the Miata isn't fast enough and light enough and comparing it to cars that sell for twice as much.

The bottom line here is that the next generation Miata will be running 0-60 in the mid-six-second range at worst. That's not slow. Complaining that it's not as fast and not as light as cars that sold for twice its price and were less practical is rather missing the whole point.

ZV

 

[Sulaco]

I'm not sure that I'd call a car that's sold nearly a million units "low volume."



Shocking that a car that had an MSRP north of $50,000 is faster than a car that sells for half that.

You're complaining that the Miata isn't fast enough and light enough and comparing it to cars that sell for twice as much.

The bottom line here is that the next generation Miata will be running 0-60 in the mid-six-second range at worst. That's not slow. Complaining that it's not as fast and not as light as cars that sold for twice its price and were less practical is rather missing the whole point.

ZV

To play devil's advocate, I can see where he's coming from though. And that's speaking as a long-time owner and fan of these cars.

He's talking about evolution. The NB was "faster" across the board than the NA. The NC was faster across the board than the NB, and as fast as a stock MSM.
I don't think it's too much of a stretch to expect/hope for an evolutionary (not revolutionary) bump in power from the previous 10 year old platform.

We're all getting way ahead of ourselves and paper racing in the worst way, but with the NC3 Club recently clocked at 6.1 seconds, 1/10th faster than the BRZ, talking about times in the mid-6's is either stagnating, or worse, actually devolving slightly.

And when you take into account that Mazda has openly stated that this ND platform will likely be around for the next 10 years or so, that doesn't give you much wiggle room for potential competition and cross-shopping over the next decade plus.

 

[XavierMace]

As the owner of a BRZ (well, for one more week) I can see both of these viewpoints. The BRZ is a blast to drive, taking every turn you can find at ridiculous speeds, constantly complaining about people turning onto on ramps too slow. It's a seriously fun car to drive, even with only 200hp. That said...

That doesn't change the fact that the IS300 I traded in towards my BRZ was quicker off the line. The BRZ (and Miata) ARE sports cars. While it's handling is a huge part of that title, there's also some expectation of acceleration that comes with that title. Subaru's own WRX is almost the same price as the BRZ but quicker off the line as well.

The bottom line here is a 6.5s 0-60 time IS slow these days. Here's some similarly priced "sports" cars:

Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8: 5.2s
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T: 5.9s
Honda Civic SI Coupe: 6.3s
Volkswagon Golf GTI: 5.8s
Ford Focus ST: 5.7s
Subaru WRX: 5.2s

That makes the BRZ's 6.4s and previous Miata's 6.9s pretty unimpressive considering how light they are. In fact, as far as I can tell they are the slowest sports cars on the planet.

Are they still fun to drive? Absolutely. But, as a BRZ owner, anyone who says they don't need more power is in denial.

 

[Wuzup101]

I'm not sure that I'd call a car that's sold nearly a million units "low volume."

I'm just talking about US sales figures in recent years. The Miata is a low volume car when compared to other cars sold in the US. It's sold under 400k units in the US since it's inception according to wikipedia. It hasn't broken 20k sales/year since 1995. Only 2 years did it sell more than 30k units in the US (1990 and 1991). I would consider that low volume. That is not a negative term. It's a specialized vehicle with a small subset of users. It's much lower volume than something like the camaro that I referenced.

Shocking that a car that had an MSRP north of $50,000 is faster than a car that sells for half that.

You're complaining that the Miata isn't fast enough and light enough and comparing it to cars that sell for twice as much.

I compared it to the first generation elise because 20 years later I believe that Mazda should be able to meet the performance envelope of a super low volume car from what I would consider a boutique manufacturer with an expensive manufacturing process from 20 years ago. They seem to have the size / weight issue (which is the biggest issue worked out). What they can't seem to do is put a proper engine in the car that develops 2015 sports car levels of power. There is no excuse for a sports car that weighs 2200lbs to NOT run 0-60 in the sub 6 second range using a modern high compression direct injected 2.0L gas engine. None. I can't imagine that their recent sales trend of <10k units a year would get worse if they added more power, even if it increased the price slightly (and there is no real reason that it should significantly increase price). Based on the current talk on the miata forums, you'd probably sell a ton of them to NC owners who are worried that they won't be able to boost the high compression sky active G engine.

The bottom line here is that the next generation Miata will be running 0-60 in the mid-six-second range at worst. That's not slow. Complaining that it's not as fast and not as light as cars that sold for twice its price and were less practical is rather missing the whole point.

It's not slow for daily driving. However, it's a sports car that you are giving up a huge amount of creature comforts and DD features to own. There are plenty of other options for fun DD cars that do 0-60 in the mid 6 second range in the miata's price point. I can't think of one that is less practical than the miata. A focus ST would be a great option.

To play devil's advocate, I can see where he's coming from though. And that's speaking as a long-time owner and fan of these cars.

He's talking about evolution. The NB was "faster" across the board than the NA. The NC was faster across the board than the NB, and as fast as a stock MSM.
I don't think it's too much of a stretch to expect/hope for an evolutionary (not revolutionary) bump in power from the previous 10 year old platform.

We're all getting way ahead of ourselves and paper racing in the worst way, but with the NC3 Club recently clocked at 6.1 seconds, 1/10th faster than the BRZ, talking about times in the mid-6's is either stagnating, or worse, actually devolving slightly.

And when you take into account that Mazda has openly stated that this ND platform will likely be around for the next 10 years or so, that doesn't give you much wiggle room for potential competition and cross-shopping over the next decade plus.

This is the point I'm trying to get to. Again - not talking v8 swapped miata power levels... just a bit more than 155hp.

As the owner of a BRZ (well, for one more week) I can see both of these viewpoints. The BRZ is a blast to drive, taking every turn you can find at ridiculous speeds, constantly complaining about people turning onto on ramps too slow. It's a seriously fun car to drive, even with only 200hp. That said...

That doesn't change the fact that the IS300 I traded in towards my BRZ was quicker off the line. The BRZ (and Miata) ARE sports cars. While it's handling is a huge part of that title, there's also some expectation of acceleration that comes with that title. Subaru's own WRX is almost the same price as the BRZ but quicker off the line as well.

The bottom line here is a 6.5s 0-60 time IS slow these days. Here's some similarly priced "sports" cars:

Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8: 5.2s
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T: 5.9s
Honda Civic SI Coupe: 6.3s
Volkswagon Golf GTI: 5.8s
Ford Focus ST: 5.7s
Subaru WRX: 5.2s

That makes the BRZ's 6.4s and previous Miata's 6.9s pretty unimpressive considering how light they are. In fact, as far as I can tell they are the slowest sports cars on the planet.

Are they still fun to drive? Absolutely. But, as a BRZ owner, anyone who says they don't need more power is in denial.

Again this is kinda my line of thinking. It's not like anyone is asking them to give up handling to add a bit of power. The miata is in a very unique situation where they could add more power without having to add extra weight from forced induction. There should be a few extra ponies to be had in the 2.0L. The BRZ is probably gonna need some boost. At which point, it'll be a tuning monster.

 

[brainhulk]

Less weight = shorter braking distances = divebombing god

Less weight = less stress on vehicle components = less money out of your pocket

Aaaand they say it is much more expensive to cut weight than add power.

Less weight wins /flameshieldon

 

[pauldun170]

Less weight = shorter braking distances = divebombing god

Less weight = less stress on vehicle components = less money out of your pocket

Aaaand they say it is much more expensive to cut weight than add power.

Less weight wins /flameshieldon

If I had to choose between a car with 2500lbs + 5.8 0-60 vs 2200lbs and 6.1 0-60 I'd go with the lighter car.
Adding power is a easy. Bring on the mods god and smite thee low acceleration.

Reducing weight is a bitch. Start with the simple stuff but to really drop lbs you end up with a loud rattly penalty box thatss only tolerable on the track.

As the owner of a BRZ (well, for one more week) I can see both of these viewpoints. The BRZ is a blast to drive, taking every turn you can find at ridiculous speeds, constantly complaining about people turning onto on ramps too slow. It's a seriously fun car to drive, even with only 200hp.

Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8: 5.2s
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T: 5.9s
Honda Civic SI Coupe: 6.3s
Volkswagon Golf GTI: 5.8s
Ford Focus ST: 5.7s
Subaru WRX: 5.2s

That makes the BRZ's 6.4s and previous Miata's 6.9s pretty unimpressive considering how light they are. In fact, as far as I can tell they are the slowest sports cars on the planet.

Are they still fun to drive? Absolutely. But, as a BRZ owner, anyone who says they don't need more power is in denial.

Of all the cars you listed, which ones will have a faster lap time at the average track (vs estimated performance of a lighter weight Miata with comparable power to previous generation)?

 

[pauldun170]

I would rather Mazda drop weight then add power.
Weight typically rises year by year along with power upgrades.
It nice to see a company reset the "weight" portion from time to time.
I'm sure that power will be added in over the span of this generation

 

[JCH13]

As the owner of a BRZ (well, for one more week) I can see both of these viewpoints. The BRZ is a blast to drive, taking every turn you can find at ridiculous speeds, constantly complaining about people turning onto on ramps too slow. It's a seriously fun car to drive, even with only 200hp. That said...

That doesn't change the fact that the IS300 I traded in towards my BRZ was quicker off the line. The BRZ (and Miata) ARE sports cars. While it's handling is a huge part of that title, there's also some expectation of acceleration that comes with that title. Subaru's own WRX is almost the same price as the BRZ but quicker off the line as well.

The bottom line here is a 6.5s 0-60 time IS slow these days. Here's some similarly priced "sports" cars:

Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8: 5.2s
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T: 5.9s
Honda Civic SI Coupe: 6.3s
Volkswagon Golf GTI: 5.8s
Ford Focus ST: 5.7s
Subaru WRX: 5.2s

That makes the BRZ's 6.4s and previous Miata's 6.9s pretty unimpressive considering how light they are. In fact, as far as I can tell they are the slowest sports cars on the planet.

Are they still fun to drive? Absolutely. But, as a BRZ owner, anyone who says they don't need more power is in denial.

"Need" and "want" are two VERY different things.

Why are all of you internet paper racers focusing on the one performance metric of the Miata that isn't world-class? All you're proving is that you do not understand the design intent nor the purpose of this car. You don't "get" what the Miata is about.

Go ahead, get a car that's 'faster off the line' if that is what will make you happy. It's a depressingly one-dimensional view of a car's qualities. If you actually care about things like suspension balance, steering feedback, braking performance, brake feel, a deliciously rev-happy engine, an incredible transmission, being able to drop the top on a summer day, and doing all of this without breaking the bank, then the Miata might have something to offer.

 

[Wuzup101]

If I had to choose between a car with 2500lbs + 5.8 0-60 vs 2200lbs and 6.1 0-60 I'd go with the lighter car.
Adding power is a easy. Bring on the mods god and smite thee low acceleration.

Reducing weight is a bitch. Start with the simple stuff but to really drop lbs you end up with a loud rattly penalty box thatss only tolerable on the track.

Agreed regarding weight reduction. But there is no reason that you can't have 2200lbs and 5.8 sec here (which is the whole issue). I'll also be interested to see how much modding is going to get you on a car that already has a well designed exhaust and 13:1 comp. Also believing that the US spec miata is going to be 2200lbs and do 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds is a long shot (based on reports from the 1.5L). Remember when the C7 corvette and S550 mustang were going to loose like 200-400lbs.

Of all the cars you listed, which ones will have a faster lap time at the average track (vs estimated performance of a lighter weight Miata with comparable power to previous generation)?

http://www.caranddriver.com/feature...ni-jcw-feature-how-we-measure-handling-page-8

There are some comparable cars in that list. The miata (as expected) does very well in the handling tests. It also turns the slowest laps.

 

[JCH13]

Agreed regarding weight reduction. But there is no reason that you can't have 2200lbs and 5.8 sec here (which is the whole issue). I'll also be interested to see how much modding is going to get you on a car that already has a well designed exhaust and 13:1 comp. Also believing that the US spec miata is going to be 2200lbs and do 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds is a long shot (based on reports from the 1.5L). Remember when the C7 corvette and S550 mustang were going to loose like 200-400lbs.



http://www.caranddriver.com/feature...ni-jcw-feature-how-we-measure-handling-page-8

There are some comparable cars in that list. The miata (as expected) does very well in the handling tests. It also turns the slowest laps.

Do you have any significant automotive engineering experience to back up this claim? Why do you think this is true?

Edit: for the same price, of course.

 

[eng2d2]

What is the price on this car?

 

[Imported]

As an owner of a nicely modded NC Miata, I can say there are a few.

Muffler/exhaust several pounds lighter than stock, and can save as much 20lbs or more, the midpipe is lighter, and let's not forget the unsprung weight, wheels, 2lbs lighter over stock each.:thumbsup:

I'm curious to know how much the stock wheels will weigh. I have a modded NB so I know the drill.

 

[Wuzup101]

Do you have any significant automotive engineering experience to back up this claim? Why do you think this is true?

Edit: for the same price, of course.

No, I'm a Chem E and not in the automotive industry (I work in pharmaceuticals). I'm also not concerned with the price (or rather not concerned with paying a small premium for better performance). The base engine (2.0L) can be for the die hard miata fans who think the car is super awesome "as is" and want a cheaper vehicle. They can tune up the same engine to produce 175-185 hp for a moderate charge (say 10% of base price).

The question is why do you not think that 155/148 can't be easily surpassed by a high compression, dual overhead cam, 2.0L engine, with direct injection? Companies have been doing better than that for YEARS with less. I'd be very surprised if their existing driveline couldn't take an extra 30+ hp... especially because we'll probably see a boosted fiat application soon after the miata is released (and low end torque is certainly what would constrain you).

My whole point is Mazda spent all this time developing what I'm sure will be an awesome handling car. Why have a car with a chip on it's shoulder? Just give it a nice little bump in power:weight.

 

[Midwayman]

Do you have any significant automotive engineering experience to back up this claim? Why do you think this is true?

Edit: for the same price, of course.

155hp is really really low on the HP/L curve compared to other cars. That's enough reason to think they could do more with it. That's not even throwing in anything expensive. Not like you need an engineering degree to compare it to other engines.

 

[JCH13]

No, I'm a Chem E and not in the automotive industry (I work in pharmaceuticals). I'm also not concerned with the price (or rather not concerned with paying a small premium for better performance). The base engine (2.0L) can be for the die hard miata fans who think the car is super awesome "as is" and want a cheaper vehicle. They can tune up the same engine to produce 175-185 hp for a moderate charge (say 10% of base price).

The question is why do you not think that 155/148 can't be easily surpassed by a high compression, dual overhead cam, 2.0L engine, with direct injection? Companies have been doing better than that for YEARS with less. I'd be very surprised if their existing driveline couldn't take an extra 30+ hp... especially because we'll probably see a boosted fiat application soon after the miata is released (and low end torque is certainly what would constrain you).

My whole point is Mazda spent all this time developing what I'm sure will be an awesome handling car. Why have a car with a chip on it's shoulder? Just give it a nice little bump in power:weight.

You're looking at this all wrong.

First, yes, a 2.0L NA engine can make plenty more than 155hp. Now consider what else has to change to support the extra power: heavier pistons, heavier rods, a heavier crank, a heavier cooling system, a heavier fuel system to maintain range, heavier exhaust system to support the extra flow, heavier transmission to support the higher torque, heavier drive shafts to get that torque to the wheels, heavier hubs, heavier wheels. Now that the whole driveline, engine, fueling, and cooling systems are heavier guess what else needs to be beefed up? The brakes, the crash structures, the suspension springs/dampers/sway bars, etc. It's called weight compounding (or de-compounding if a vehicle is losing weight) and one cannot make a change to a vehicle without considering it.

One cannot just ignore money - the higher cost will eliminate a large part of this car's market. It will cost a lot more than a 10% bump to the base price to realize a 20% power increase at the same durability and weight.

One cannot just say 'oh, all it needs is a tune' because that is not true - the added stresses on the vehicles sub-systems will remove the durable care-free nature of the Miata, which many people appreciate. Not to mention to inevitable increase in warranty claims.


It's fine to not like it, plenty of people do, and it's certainly not perfect. The Miata doesn't have a chip on it's shoulder though, only its critics do. With it's (literal and figurative) track record I can't understand how people can say "it needs X" or "it needs Y." What they are REALLY saying is: "I want X and I want Y, why doesn't Mazda tailor their cars to be exactly what I want!?" It's whiny, annoying, and ignorant. If you don't like it, don't buy one. The Miata will continue to be the longest-standing, most prolific roadster ever made in addition to being the most-raced car made by the most-raced brand.

I (obviously) really like the Miata. This is for one very important reason: it's one of the few cars in the last few decades to be designed by a vision and not by a committee. It does what it does better than any other car ever made. Despite the many criticisms leveled against the Miata its designers have never strayed from their vision: an accessible, affordable, super-light and simple driver's car that's fun at any speed.

 

[drbrock]

SO what JCH13 said this car is pretty much bulletproof in its stock form. If I don't have to worry about expensive repairs it makes the car much more attractive. The design looks amazing. If the car is a blast to drive then for 30k it is steal. My current car is quicker off the line but not that much fun to drive. Can't wait to test drive one of these.