The Miata is as pure of a sports car as they come, with its taut, lightweight body, low stance, and rear-wheel drive. This Mazda’s exceptional response and handling keep pace on curvy racetracks even among much more expensive and powerful cars. It’s an 8.
No, nor should it be. The Miata combines rear-wheel drive and a perfect 50/50 weight balance.
How fast is the Miata?
The Miata gets just one engine, a 2.0-liter inline-4 rated for 181 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. Its sub-six-second 0-60-mph run won’t especially impress, but the Miata’s driving dynamics are the objective here.
The Mazda Miata sounds a lot faster than it is, with its low seating position and the engine pushed toward its 7,200-rpm limit, particularly with the top open. The direct steering and available limited-slip rear differential give a distinct pleasure to maintaining speed along curvy roads. The perfectly tuned front double wishbone and rear multi-link independent suspension features strong yet lightweight aluminum arms to give the Miata a magical connection to the pavement. Kinematic Posture Control, Mazda’s torque vectoring system, applies the brake at the inside rear wheel to maintain traction and minimize lifting. The ride is generally compliant, though the short, taut wheelbase means the Miata tends to skip over rough roads.
Stick with the 6-speed manual transmission for the best experience. The Miata’s short shifts emphasize the connection to the road, and the clutch has perfect travel and firmness.
The Miata Club with the manual transmission can be upgraded with the Brembo BBS Recaro package, which adds heated Recaro sport seats, Brembo front brakes with red brake calipers, BBS 17-inch forged wheels, and black exterior trim.
