The Answer Is Always Miata: The 2020 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club

2020 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club.

"I want a convertible."
"I want a sports car."
"I want a car that gets great mileage."
"I want a car for track day."
"I want a reliable car."
"I want an affordable car."
"I want a car I'll love driving every day."

I'm by no means the first to say it, but the answer is always Miata.  For 30 years, Mazda has been making the old-fashioned sports car for the modern world.  In its fourth generation now, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is in a class by itself.

A Period of Transition: The 2020 Mazda CX-30 AWD Premium

The 2020 Mazda CX-30 Premium.

What's Mazda up to?  That's not a question I usually find myself asking.  But then, Mazda has never done this before---slotted a crossover into the very thin space between the compact CX-3 and midsize CX-5.

Signature Achievement: The 2020 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD

The 2020 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD.

Every time I get in a Mazda CX-9 (and fortunately for me, that has been at least once a year for several years now), I marvel at just how much of an achievement it is.  Here is a crossover SUV with gorgeous styling, a phenomenal interior, solid performance and only-in-a-Mazda handling---all at a reasonable if not downright inexpensive price for the size class and feature content.

Small Sedan Comparison: The 2019 Mazda 3 vs The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta

The 2019 Mazda 3 (left) and the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta (right).

Let’s say you’re in the market for a compact sedan but want to go beyond the predictable, safe choices of Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic.  Have I got a review for you.  There are two other strong candidates, both brand-new for 2019 and both ended up in my driveway at the same time---a situation just begging a comparison test.

The Platinum Gray four-door you see is the 2019 Jetta 1.4T SEL.  And positively glittering in Soul Red Crystal Metallic is the 2019 Mazda 3 Sedan with Premium Package AWD (that’s the name on the window sticker).

Going Upscale: The 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD

The 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD.

The Mazda CX-5 has long been a favorite of ours here at TireKicker.  Our last review, two years ago, amounted to raves, and if you'll follow the links in that piece, you'll find the story of how it won our hearts in the spring of 2015 with a jam-packed long weekend trip to Southern California and back packed with people (including two teenage girls---my stepdaughters) and their things.

Christmas Wish Fulfilled: The 2019 Mazda CX-9

The 2019 Mazda CX-9.

Regular TireKicker readers know of our fondness for the Mazda CX-9, an appreciation that was deepened in the summer of 2017 during our two-week vacation to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

Last Chance: The 2018 Mazda 3 Four-Door Grand Touring

The 2018 Mazda 3 Four-Door Grand Touring.

If you, like us, love the current-gen Mazda 3, this would be a very good time to get one.  Early next year, there will be an all-new 3, a clean sheet of paper.

Signature Achievement: The 2018 Mazda 6 Signature

The 2018 Mazda 6 Signature.

Regular TireKicker readers know of our fondness for the Mazda 6.  Of all the mid-size family sedans available, the 6 is the most engaging to drive.  For 2018, the 6 gets an interior and exterior refresh, plus a new trim level---Signature.

Track Star: The 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club

The 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club.

We'll start with how we ended our last review of a Miata...the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring:  There is no bad MX-5 Miata.  There are different models for different purposes...all with the 155-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 26 city/33 highway. 

The Grand Touring is for a dash of comfort with your sport.   The Club is all about winning (in the appropriate category) at track day. We've reviewed the Club before...two and a half years ago.  The biggest change is the availability this year, at no additional cost, of the dark cherry soft top, which we think looks great.

Improving The Breed: The 2018 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring FWD

2018 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring.

Regular TireKicker readers know of our fondness for Mazda...the company that, as we've been saying since our founding in 2008, doesn't build a single bad car.  In fact, it builds all great cars, a secret that needs to spread beyond enthusiasts and automotive journalists.  But despite its excellence, Mazda continues to make yearly improvements to its machines, rather than waiting three years for mid-cycle refreshes.

Something So Right: The 2017 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring

The 2017 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring .

The right car for a trip is like the right tool for a job.  It can make or break the whole enterprise.  So when Mrs. TireKicker and I cooked up our first-ever two-week summer vacation roadtrip, we knew we had to get the right car.

Regular readers will remember three years ago, when, for a shorter eight-day camping trip to Utah, the 2015 Kia Sorento SXL proved to be a terrific traveling companion.   This time, Mazda and their prep and delivery partners at Drive Shop partnered to provide a 2017 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring for three weeks, allowing time for packing and cleanup.

The One To Have? The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF

The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF.

Our fondness for the Mazda MX-5 Miata is well documented throughout the nine-year archives of TireKicker.  You'll find it firmly ensconced at number two on the list of TireKicker's Best Cars on the right-hand side of this page.

So what could make it even better?  Well, how about a hardtop that keeps out the noise and the rain that also goes away without the problems of where to store the roof or clunky styling (a problem with the previous-gen MX-5 Miata PRHT)?

That is exactly what the new MX-5 Miata RF delivers.

Even Better: The 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD

The 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring.

One of the surest ways into my heart is to be a good travel companion.  I've married the best human one I know, and in terms of vehicles, the Mazda CX-5 is certainly on the list.

It earned its place two years ago, when Mrs. TireKicker (known at the time as Navigator) and I took her two daughters to Southern California for a few days of fun and sun, museums and observatories, a legendary restaurant, a then-endangered coffee shop and an Iranian ice cream parlor...oh yeah, and 16 hours at Disneyland.  And our ride for those four jam-packed days was the then-new 2016 Mazda CX-5.

Sign Here: The 2017 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD

The 2017 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD.

We've made no secret of our love for the Mazda CX-9.  During the holidays, we had and told you about the 2017 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring, and last July, spent a week at the wheel of the top-of-the-line Mazda CX-9 Signature.  Now, since that was a '16 model, it's back to the top we go.

Why Trim Levels Matter: The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring

The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring.

A little over a year ago, we had our first week in the new-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata.  I was torn.  While the new MX-5 Miata was better than the previous one in every possible performance metric, I found it less comfortable to deal with in day-to-day driving.  There were a couple of possible factors. One was me...if I were 20 years younger or 20 pounds lighter, would I love it more?  And the other was the trim level.  We were in the Club the first time around...the model most suited for the track.

Even Better: The 2017 Mazda 6i Grand Touring

The 2017 Mazda 6i Grand Touring.

Longtime TireKicker readers know that the Mazda 6 is one of our favorite cars...to the point that it's been in the TireKicker's Best Cars list on the right of this page for many years.  Freshly updated in 2016, it's a matter of minor tweaks to the 2017, all of which make the Mazda 6 an even better car.

Restraint Has Its Rewards: The 2016 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring FWD

The 2016 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring.

It was just five months ago that I wrote very enthusiastically about the new 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature.

Signature is the new top-of-the-line trim level of the CX-9, bringing with it Nappa leather-trimmed seats, auburn-colored interior accents, genuine rosewood interior trim, and enough other luxury equipment that I called it a Mercedes with a Mazda price tag.

But would I need all that to stay in love with the CX-9?

Polishing A Gem: The 2017 Mazda 3 5-Door Grand Touring

The 2017 Mazda 3 5-Door Grand Touring.

The 2017 Mazda 3 5-Door Grand Touring may look like the 2016 Mazda 3 S we drove this summer (on our honeymoon, no less), but there have been some significant changes made, and all for the good.

Car of the Future, Today: The 2017 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring FWD

The 2017 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring FWD.

Apart from electrification and autonomy (both of which are more real and more imminent than a lot of us think), this is what the folks in the know say the future of cars is:  Small crossover SUVs.

That may be the fact, and if it is, they should all be as good and as satisfying as the 2017 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring.

Mercedes With A Mazda Price Tag? The 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature

The 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature.

The automotive landscape is a rapidly changing place.  Case in point, the Mazda CX-9.  We raved about it in 2011, but almost a year and a half ago, found the 2015 model (the same as the '11, with some minor modifications) was no longer one of the most compelling vehicles in its class.

That matters in a Mazda more than in most cars because Mazda is all about driving.  You know, zoom-zoom and all of that.  The new MX-5 Miata is number one on the list of TireKicker's Best Cars on the right hand side of this page.  A few slots below it is the Mazda 6 sedan.  The Mazda CX-5 is our choice among midsize crossovers, perhaps the most crowded, hotly contested segment in the market today.

Now, there's a new CX-9.  So how is it?