The Mazda MX-5 Miata holds the Guinness World Record for “best-selling two-seat roadster on the planet,” and the spicy little car comes by its honors admirably. With 200 awards worldwide, the Miata was rated by Kelley Blue Book 2014 as one of the 10 coolest cars under $25,000 for two consecutive years. The MX-5 is not a cheeky version of a wish-I-could-have super sports car. Mazda has street cred. It is the most raced nameplate on any given weekend worldwide, and the MX-5 Miata has a lot to do with that.
Mazda introduced the MX-5 Miata sports car as a 1990 model at the 1989 Chicago auto show. The going price was $13,800. Twenty-five years later, the price has risen $10,000, with an opening tag of $23,970. Taking a look back at the first generation of this car, the 1990 model featured a five-speed manual, 1.6 liter four cylinder engine with 116 horsepower, 100 lb.-ft. of torque and a noteworthy city/hwy mpg of 25/30. The MX-5 team also engineered a fresh take on the drop top convertible. The lightweight three-fold soft top was so easy to operate it could be executed with one hand.
Fast-forward 25 years to the 2015 MX-5 roadster with a choice of three editions: Sport, Club and Grand Touring. Standard equipment still includes a manual soft top that remains a one-handed operation or a power-retractable hardtop that folds and unfolds in a brisk 12 seconds.
The MX-5 drives light, tight and grounded. The front mid-ship engine, a rigid chassis and stellar suspension tuning enhance the car’s sparkling fun factor. Hands down, the MX-5 is simply a blast to tool around in. In fact, this spunky looking roadster is so adaptable and easy to maneuver that my son exclaimed, “It’s like driving a video game!”
And it sounds like one too. Our Zeal Red Grand Touring MX-5 with its retractable hardtop roof had a 6-speed 2.0L four-cylinder engine with 158 hp and 140 lb.ft of torque. The engine growl reverberates through your body. The original 1.6-liter engine-equipped 1990 model was tuned to mimic the sound of dual-carbureted sports cars of the 1960s. To wit, that classic sound has become a trademark of the MX-5.
Another trademark of the MX-5 is an uncomplicated and simple design. It doesn’t take an enthusiast to figure out the dashboard or work the radio. Our roadster was decked out with heated leather-trimmed seats, a Bose 7 speaker system, keyless entry and Bluetooth hands-free.
I would be remiss not to mention the 5.3 cubic feet of storage space in the trunk. The top itself descends into a cleverly designed storage well, thus leaving the 5.3 cubic feet of cargo space completely untouched.
And whether your top is up or down, the space is not affected. That leaves plenty of room for everything including groceries, tennis rackets and luggage. And I’ve even transported 25-pound bags of potting soil in an MX-5.
Now, if all this talk is making you anxious for the next generation MX-5, it has arrived. The fourth generation Mazda MX-5 was revealed at events held simultaneously in Japan, Spain and the United States. The 2016 MX-5, which adopts Skyactiv Technology (Mazda’s code phrase for reducing fuel consumption and emissions without compromising driving performance), is 220 pounds lighter than the previous MX-5 and the most compact Mazda roadster to date. The 2016 MX-5 will be rolled out globally in 2015.
2015 MX-5 Miata
- Base price: $23, 970
- Price as tested: $31,940 (A/T MX-5 Miata Grand Touring)
- Horsepower: 158hp @ 6700 rpm
- Torque: 140 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
- MPG: 21-city/28 highway
