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The Miata barely makes an argument for itself in this crowd. There’s no killer specification, no wild number that’ll enthrall someone looking for performance excellence. Every stat appears adequate, and some, like the paltry 181 hp, are underwhelming. But this is the only honest new car for sale today. There are no drive modes, no variable steering ratios, no brake-by-wire systems, no turbos, nothing artificial. It has a button to turn off traction control, and it’s equipped with ABS, seemingly the only two ways Mazda acquiesced to the demands of the modern world.
This is an excerpt from our recent article, "The Search For the Greatest Sports Car of All Time," where we rounded up eight of the most important enthusiast cars ever made, track-tested them at Lime Rock Park, and declared one ultimate winner. Enjoy this chapter on the Mazda Miata, but be sure to read the entire eight-part story.
Want the top down? Flick a latch and push it back by hand. It takes two seconds. The transmission nips into gear with crisp little shifts. The entire package is refreshingly pure, a singular vision meant to serve the driver, not the stopwatch. Faster, quicker, and
better-handling new cars exist, but nothing captures the driver’s attention so completely as a Miata.
I’ve long been the Miata’s biggest fan. When I turned 17, I bought one as my first car. I had it for 16 years until I sold it this spring, and I miss it every day. Like the newest model, nothing about the first generation I owned was outstanding. But many of the best cars are like that; mediocre parts combined to create an unparalleled experience.
When Mazda tasked Tom Matano and Bob Hall with building a sports car, the two took inspiration from British classics like the Lotus Elan and the MGB. Cars known equally for a brilliantly zen-like driving experience and a hellscape of reliability nightmares. The Miata took the zen, combined it with faultless engineering, and built a winner. That first-generation Miata took roadster sales to new heights, and it clobbered any competitor that came after it.
So why did we include the newest- generation Miata, the ND, instead of that groundbreaking original? Because the newest car is just as radical, if not more so.
Cars are heavier than ever, working harder and harder to insulate drivers from the road. Even performance cars embrace aids to a point that makes the driver feel irrelevant. But the Miata needs the driver more than any other car, someone to grab the wheel and direct its destiny. A glance at our collective notes after a session at Lime Rock Park should be enough to declare the newest Miata a landmark. The word “perfect” appears more times than you can count, with the chassis praised for how it communicates politely, letting you know what you can do better without punishing you.
2020 MAZDA MIATA MX-5
ENGINE:
2.0-liter inline-four
OUTPUT:
181 hp/151 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION:
six-speed manual
WEIGHT:
2345 lb
PRICE:
$36,300
Lime Rock is an ideal testing ground for the Miata. Flow defines this track, and the Miata builds to a crescendo at the Uphill, a slight wiggle of the hips letting you know it got light, an acknowledgment of speed. Then a run to the Downhill lets you put the suspension through full compression with a huge lean out of the soft setup. There’s a little slide that’s easily caught through the precise, light, talkative steering, and then you’re off, down the straight at a pace that’s slightly less than furious.
The least exciting part of the Miata has always been the engine. There’s never been a distinct calling card, no VTEC trill or supercharger whine. The new engine differs, with a rework of the tiny 2.0-liter four now getting 181 hp and a 7500-rpm redline. Horsepower still may seem unimpressive, but with 2345 pounds to push around, it’s plenty.
It’s the rare, thoroughly modern throwback. Retro done right. It doesn’t look old, it doesn’t drive old, but it maintains all the hallmarks of cars we love from years past. You can feel elements of the MG TC, the Cobra, the Lotus Elan, the MGB. The engine note, the steering feel, the compliant suspension, tight gearing, and how the brakes refuse to fade. It’s all here, packed in a well-built, reliable package that has air conditioning and navigation. Oh, it will also run for more than 20 minutes at a time and won’t leak oil all over your garage floor.
Mazda stayed true to the mandate given to the Miata as it entered production more than 30 years ago: a pure driving experience with no drawbacks; a delightful, willing friend that makes every minute behind the wheel unforgettable. There is no car in the same price galaxy that feels as special, as involving. It becomes difficult to justify buying other cars that will give you half the thrill of the Miata for two, three, or four times the price. Especially when you can buy a wonderful used one for far less than $10,000.
I know that’s why I love it so much, and why I judge nearly every car off of this driving experience. The Miata’s sheer joy and ebullience has no equal. This is the best, purest new car you can buy. Proof that driver aids, electronic intervention, and gimmicks in other cars exist solely to mask shortcomings, not to improve the experience. If you truly enjoy driving, there is nothing better.
To find out which car won our "Search for the Greatest Sports Car of All Time" shootout, click here.
Travis is an editor at Road & Track. He was previously the Editor-in-Chief of Jalopnik.com and is a little too fond of the Mazda Miata.
