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.

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.

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.

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.

Mixed Emotions: The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Never before have I been so conflicted in writing a review.  Regular TireKicker readers know the Mazda MX-5 Miata has long been one of our favorite cars and has occupied a place in the TireKicker's Best Cars list on the right of this page since we began that list more than five years ago. I've eagerly awaited this new generation.  And now that I've driven it...

Victory Lap: 2015 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring PRHT

The 2015 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring PRHT.

I've said it many times in 17 years of reviewing cars...the Mazda MX-5 Miata makes me smile.  And in this, the final year of production for this generation of Miata, nothing has changed, including its spot atop the TireKicker's Best Cars list.

Find me, if you can, a two-seater weekend toy that is also so thoroughly livable as a daily driver...especially in PRHT (Power Retractable Hard Top) form.

Why The Mazda MX-5 Miata Makes Me Smile

The 2014 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club.

Well, just look at it, wouldya?  I mean, if you don't break into an involuntary grin at the sight of a gleaming, polished Miata, you should check to see if you have a pulse.

And if the driver's seat is empty, and you have the key fob to said Miata in your pocket...well, the fun is just beginning.

New Car Review: 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata



The 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring PRHT.

A sure-fire smile inducer at TireKicker is to toss us the keys to a Mazda MX-5 Miata. Tight, quick, fun...everything the MGs, Triumphs and Healys of the 60s were aiming for, but could never quite get that quality thing down.

It's been about a year and a half since Mazda put one in the press fleet, and it's a scientific fact that your body never outgrows its need for a week in a primal roots sporting machine, so we borrowed one from Chapman Mazda in Phoenix. And the one we got was the least primal of the bunch...the Grand Touring PRHT.

Mazda MX-5 Miata Review

After 20 years, we should all be so over the Mazda MX-5 (Miata).

But we're not. At least, I'm not.

Equipped with a new, larger, smiling grille, the slick little two-seater hugs you until you love it. It's quick, handles better than most any other car you could name, and makes a strong value argument. Base price for the top of the line Grand Touring model is $26,350. The base model? $21,305.

Even optioned to the max, the Grand Touring I drove managed to slide in under $30,000(at $29,170).

It's the modern-day equivalent of the Austin-Healy I wanted as a kid. Only better. Way better.

EPA says 21 city/28 highway. I say go drive one.