Screaming along a Ouachitas back road, top-down under a full moon, working a stubby, short-throw, six-speed shifter to power through twists and muscle out of turns in a 2020 Mazda MX-5 RF, with seat heater on to overcome a brisk fall night, one might conclude that there is, indeed, a heaven on Earth.
Marrying the lithe tautness of a British roadster to the meticulous engineering and bullet-proof reliability of a Mazda, the MX-5, also called a Miata, fulfills the dream of every person with a passion for driving and a commonsense approach to spending.
Starting at $26,580 it is a refined if bare-bones two-seater that one does not so much sit in as wear. The interior is cramped and noisy, the trunk barely holds a weeks' worth of groceries and the only cupholders are behind the elbow.
Who cares? The MX-5 is the embodiment of what Mazda calls Jinba Ittai- "horse and rider as one." A naturally aspirated, 181-hp, 2.0L SKYACTIV engine helps the 2,300-lb car leap from a standing stop to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds and provides a wide torque band for cornering and accelerating.
A balanced as a cat on a garden fence, the rear-wheel-drive Miata takes advantage of a short wheelbase and wide track to grip the road as well as pricier roadsters built Porsche, Audi, or BMW.
Wanna race? You might pass it on the straight stretches but kiss her good-bye in the curves.
Zoom-Zoom.
A great car gets better
The latest iteration is the third for a model that Mazda rolled out in 1989.
The latest version hit the streets in 2016 and immediately won both the World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year.
The latter came about because the latest Miata is downright sexy. It features a Ferrari-inspired front end, bulging muscular fenders, and flowing lines from front to rear. The sexy lines flow into the interior with smooth transitions between metal and fabric and attention to detail in design and assembly.
At less than 49 inches tall, the car is close to the road for great aerodynamics.
Add in a taut chassis, a precise suspension, big wheels, wide tires, and just the right amount of understeer, and one has a car that hungers for tight turns and twisty roads. Feedback from its rack-and-pinion and steering is perfectly linear. It goes where you point it and holds that line better than a quarter horse rounding a barrel.
Soft-top MX-5's are noisy with the top up, but not so the RF, which stands for retractable folding top. Lift a witch and the windows lower and the top pulls away and neatly folds into a hidden compartment like a Magician's assistant. Push the same switch down and the top comes back up and latches itself. A dash display lets the driver know when all is done.
I remain a fan of the standard soft top, which takes, like, three seconds to unlatch and flip back. On the other hand, if I were using this car as a daily driver, I think I'd take the hardtop, which gives the car better aerodynamics, markedly reduced cabin noise, and is certainly a blessing in terms of comfort on long trips and in hot and cold weather.
And better
In third-party long-term reliability studies, Mazda ranks just behind Toyota, Lexus, and Audi. Notably, according to Consumer Reports, the range between models is narrower than any other manufacturer. All Mazdas are reliable.
My only complaint is that the company uses the term SKYACTIV and never explains that it means that Mazda engineers examine every component of a system and look for ways to makes it work better and last longer.
For example, when Maxda engineers assessed the MX-5's engine, they made a whole list of minor changes to create an engine that was greatly improved:
- Pistons lightened by 27g each, connecting rods by 41
- Exhaust cam increased valve opening and lift height
- Valve and exhaust ports widened, and port shapes altered for more efficient combustion
- Lighter flywheel for improved engine response and reduced drivetrain noise
- Final drive ratio increased for better fuel economy
- Throttle body got larger
- Crankshaft stiffer
- Fuel injectors set to run at higher pressures
- More bark to exhaust note
The result was an increase of 26 horsepower, to 181, a lot for a little car. Torque increased by 3 ft.-lb. to 151. Redline increased from 6,800 rpm to 7,500.
Power is more usable throughout the engine's range and the throttle responds like a golden retriever chasing a squirrel.
Because Mazda stayed with natural aspiration instead of bolting on turbochargers, which increase low-end throttle response but shorten engine life, the MX-5 doesn't roar to life, but it gets going pretty quickly. The real difference is where no Miata has ever gone before on the top end. Wind it out on a back road and the extra horses are immediately apparent. The prior engine started to get winded around 6,000 rpm. The new one shimmies right up to redline, quickly shooting the little car past 70, past 80, past 90, past 100 oh, wait, is that a police car up there?
All that power does not come at the expense of fuel economy. Because it is more efficient, the new engine attains practically the same fuel economy as its predecessor, 26 mpg city, 34 highway, 29 combined.
Opt for the six-speed automatic ($1,350) and you can add one mpg to the highway and combined numbers. But, if you don't like driving a stick shift, this probably is not your car.
Safety second
The 2020 Mazda Miata MX-5 comes with some nice touches, such as a tilt/telescope steering wheel and enhanced safety gear, little of it standard. A rearview camera is standard as is low-speed brake assist. Lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, traffic-sign recognition, and headlamp control are available in an option package or on more expensive models.
State-of-art technologies like dynamic cruise control and lane-keep assist, standard or low-cost at Toyota, Honda, and Subaru, are not available at any price.
In the Miata's defense, we are not aware of any roadsters, even from Toyota, that makes a full suite of safety technology available.
Small, but pricey
The soft-top Miata comes in three trim, Sport, Club, and Grand Touring. In the RF line, only Club and Grand Touring are available.
Standard on the Sport are LED headlights and tail lights; 16- inch alloy wheels; power side mirrors; power windows; a 6-speaker audio system, including headrest speakers; Bluetooth phone pairing and audio streaming; two USB audio inputs; an infotainment system with a 7-inch monitor that features both touchscreen and control functions; a leather-wrapped steering wheel, parking brake, and shifter knob; steering-wheel-mounted audio controls; and keyless entry.
Club models ($30,290) are just what the name implies: a more edgy car with the basics needed for club racing on the weekend. That includes Bilstein dampers, shock tower brace, and limited-slip rear differential in models equipped with a manual transmission. Clubs also get 17-inch wheels with 205/45 high-performance summer tires, front air dam and rear lip spoilers, and a 9-speaker BOSE Premium audio system.
If you want to go racing, you should consider a Brembo brakes package ($3,770)
Grand Touring models ($31,670) offer less of the performance stuff and more luxury touches, but you can pick up the dampers, tower brace, and differential for $750. If you want to go all-out, opt for Brembo Brakes with Recaro seats for $4,470.
The RF, available only on the Club and Grand Touring models, adds about $2,700. The most you can spend on a Mazda Miata MX-5 Grand Touring RF is right at $40,000.
On the other hand, Mazda is offering 0.9% financing, 90 days of no payments, and cash incentives on all models. Because owners rarely want to part with them and their reputation for reliability, MX-5s tend to hold their value.
There are more expensive mid-life crises.
Believe me.
Bottom Line: Car aficionados talk about the "two-percenters," as in, anyone can get a car 98 percent right, but a rarified few can get one 100 percent right. Mazda put some two-percenters on this project.