Positive Review
This is my second Mazda Miata. It is a fun-to-drive little roadster, agile, nimble, with great responsive steering and smooth manual shifting. Although not as powerful (only 155 HP) as other cars costing the same, the overall driving experience can not be matched for the price. The exterior is now more aggressive-looking than the previous generations which is a definite plus. My only issues are with some of the interior design features. The CD player is located behind the seats where it is not readily accessible, instead of in the dashboard, by the radio, where it belongs. The GPS outlet is located where the passenger's feet would be; not reachable from the driver's seated position. There is no glove box even though there is room for one. The floor mats are very thin and not reinforced where the driver's clutch foot comes in contact with it. There is no spare tire (not even a doughnut), but instead you get a near-worthless "tire repair kit." Run-flat tires would have been a nice compromise. Despite these few interior issues, the new 2016 MX-5 Miata should provide the same pleasurable driving experience that all previous generations have delivered.
Critical Review
My husband and I wanted to buy a 2018 Miata RF, and went to test drive it, but had to pass on this car, because my husband's head hit the roof while he sat inside. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall. I heard that the soft top is 1/2 inch taller for head room. Very cute car, but made only for shorter people.
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Drivers Car
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6 speed manual transmission is the only way to buy any sports cars. What's the sense of automatic. The Miata is built in Japan and a very high quality car. Absolutely love driving it. 9 years and not a single thing has failed me. I maintain my vehicles the way they should be maintained.
This car is pristine, garage kept, no winters, no snow, no rain....absolutely perfect condition, GT with all the extras, including special manufacturer paint! Dealer oil changes and NYS inspection.
Ever since I bought the car just three years ago and I’ve only put about 8000 miles on it. I’ve had to have it painted. This is the second time from sun and now the rubber roll around my windshield is cracking and falling off. I’ve had a change the battery twice, is this normal?
Transmission in complete failure at under 10k miles new. Had such high hopes, I've never been so disappointed in my life. Doing everything within my power to get rid of this rolling trash can even if I have to take a 10k dollar hit.
Other than regular maintenance, I haven't had to spend a dime on my Miata, it's reliable and a lot of fun to drive
Handling, aesthetically pleasing design
Straight away speed, entering and Getting out of i
My red miata RF is a manual transmission. I use it mainly on weekends. Mileage has been just over 35 mpg combined. I recently took it for a drive in nearby Yarnell and thoroughly enjoyed the winding roads. This vehicle handles unbelievably and where it lack straight away speed it makes up for in precise handling and sheer fun!!! I barely used my breaks and navigated these fun winding roads easily catching and passing other vehicles too timid to try to handle the turns. Can’t wait to head up North to Jerome and handle those roads. Smiling as I write this.
Affordable fun
Bridgestone tires are terrible
The MX-5 RF with the six speed manual transmission is a fun car to drive with adequate power. It has more body roll in corners than I expected. The Bridgestone tires that came on it are terrible, flat spot and rated very poorly by Tire Rack. With the relatively narrow tires, low horsepower and being light make it is extremely fun to drive and throw around corners at reasonable speeds. It is a momentum car and will teach someone how to drive a slow car fast rather than a fast car slow. I traded a Porsche Cayman GTS in on this car. Both my wife and I are enjoying it more than the Cayman.
After 2 years it still feels like a new car and I still love the design. Handles great and I’ve enjoyed a couple of road trips in my Miata. It’s comfortable for myself and passenger, unless they’re on the tall side. I was torn about getting a hard top but very happy I did, it transitions to convertible so quickly and effortlessly. This model does have a small glove compartment located in between the seat backs, but it’s not very convenient to use. As many have pointed out, no spare tire is one of the only drawbacks.