(2016+) ND Mazda Miata - 7 Problems w/ the Miata! 

I just wanted to say thank you for your super in-depth videos! It definitely helped me make a decision on an ND. I just picked up a 2018 ND1 RF Club in Ceramic Metallic with the Brembo/BBS package. Can't wait for it to be delivered!

1. I really like the feel of the steering wheel. 2. The seats are comfy for me 🤷🏻‍♂️.. no back issues. 3. Yeah mildly annoying but I learned you can just hold the window switches while roof is closing and it’ll close immediately after roof shuts. 4. Agreed. 5. I love the small size.. just be aware of your surroundings. 6. Only have had minor dripping when opening the doors.. I live in Seattle not been an issue. 7. I’ve heard about this but I also know the Miata has some of the best reliability ratings in the industry and seems like most of those failures are from people that have added a supercharger or suped up the engine, and from racing on track often.

this video deserves more views. i like how u dgaf what some people think and speaks ur own opinion in what you truly believes in. rare traits to find in social media space. ty for ur heads up i really like them all, it really help me decide about this car! bc i was unsure at first before buying.

You bring up some good points. None are dealbreakers but it’s nice to be made aware of some quirks.

Great video and points I hadn’t thought of. Going to a dealership soon to actually see and drive one in person. I’m 6’1” and want to make sure I fit comfortably. I like the performance of the club with the bbs package but the luxury of the GT. Still doing my homework and your video reall helped.

Honest review. Thank you!

Your video is awesome you have convinced me to buy an RF!

Thank you very informative!

We actually bought our 2019 as an alternative to motorcycling because of my wife's multiple back surgeries, hip & knee replacements. So far she hasn't had an issue with the seats. I realized right away I must use the same mindset as when I ride my bikes because people simply don't see the car. (same color as yours)

I have a 2016 and a friend has the RF. He was amazed at the wind noise difference. You are spot on with the transmission, especially in early cars. I’ve got 20+ track hours on mine with no issues but I always have that in the back of my mind. I’ve owned big horsepower cars (I.e. Z06) bit this car is more fun and running costs on the track are way cheaper so there’s no way I’ll sell it.

I have to agree on some of these. I shift knob is a little small for my hands as well.I don't see it as an every day driver, but a pleasure car. I have the 2017 RF launch edition.

I love my 2019 RF and would absolutely buy it again. However, my biggest gripes are the wind buffeting and the cup holder situation. I also wish the seats were a half inch or inch wider - it's clear they were designed with the shorter, lighter framed Japanese body type in mind.

Enjoyed your video. Very informative 👍 Btw, I would add carbon buildup as #8. Thx for sharing though.

I just bought a 2017 RF in the same color, and you are 100% correct with all these

Thanks a lot. Really helped me with the decision if I should buy the RF or the convertible

Hi there Chad I have a 2017 RF model the same colour as your body actually it's the 1.5 I've sat nav SL I think it is. What you said about the rain on the roof I've been caught out on that several times was absolutely pissed in. I must admit that's the first time I've heard about the gearbox so it is a bit concerning mine's Dan around 26000 miles it seems fine. But the other annoying thing I found them is the fact that the front is very very prone to stone chips in fact I'm going to have to get the front resprayed at some point. Great video great video .Cheers Phil from Newark. In the UK

Excellent and comprehensive review. Deeply appreciated. Subscribed.

One of the main reasons I purchased a new ‘19 RF instead of a used ND1, besides the engine, was concern over the older transmissions. I’m glad to have the warranty.

Good review . I think it is a marvellous car , drove the RF once (160hp) . I think I would opt for the newer 181hp . I am 64 yo so I feel I need some Horse Power Replacement Therapy (HPRT) and this kart ticks all the boxes . I agree with you this is a very small car and terrifying to drive on a wet road with HGVs overtaking . Like you I would not hesitate to get one .

Very good and very fair video.

This is a great video, exactly what i was looking for, every clip on the net about the ND is positive this positive that, i wanna know the cons as well as the pros, however if i can give you any constructive feedback on your video, Loose the inbetween pictures and just keep the camera rolling. your emojies, in my humble opinion, were annoying. the rest of your video, truly awesome. ¨ I was expecting you to say some other things like knocking the infotainment wheel which keeps turning on the info screen. but since you did not mention it and you are an owner for a while, it must not be an issue.

Wow what an awesome video I've seen about 500 and this one was the best as you clearly do like the car but wanted to give a "warts and all" view. May I please ask some questions as I am on the verge of buying a 2022 RF 1. Do you still own the car? What are your thoughts now? 2. Do you think Recaro would help the lumbar issue? 3. I have driven older softop and RF and I can't understand the point about wind noise for me was definitely more noise in the softtop, it was flapping in and out. I don't see how the RF can possibly be noisier but if you have read studies I yield 4 I am 6 fit 1 and I think I fit OK but am considering a seat lowering kit, how was your driving position? THank you!!!!!

I agree with the wind noiseish... Took my RF over 9 states in October... Same colour as yours. I had the 2016... Yes it's quieter with top down... But... You get way more fatigue in top up as it had a drone that was ongoing at freeway speeds. The hardtop was better for long journeys top up! Top down the noise doesn't matter.

I have a 2017 RF LE 6MT orig owner…looks the same as your 2019, now close to 6 yrs with close to 65k miles. I had all generations, gen 1, 2, 3. I guess I agree with most of your gripes on the ND, RF, only thing I disagree is the rain runoff with no rain gutters on the roof, this is common to all gen Miata with soft top or with detachable hardtop, not specific to RF. As for transmission issues I read seems to be mainly with early gen ND, or ND1 with club trim. The OEM shift knob is too small and too light and you can feel vibration in knob, I changed the OEM knob to a weighted shift knob like from Raceng & gives better feel and no vibration. The thing I didn’t like is the button direction and holding the switch to retract or close the roof, the mod4car roof controller was the best add-on.

I bought an EARLY production RF GT (ordered preproduction in! He summer of 16) and the transmission failed at about 12000 miles. It was replaced under warranty...it is my understanding that it was a known problem on early production units, but has been corrected. I recently traded that car on an a 2020 RF GT.... I love the improvement.

1: Yeah the thickness of the wheel is a bit too narrow. 2: My wife has an SLK with full adjustable support. I cannot get comfortable in her car. My recaros have been the most comfortable seats I ever have had. Including for a 14 hour drive with them. 3: windows should be fully down if top is down. Yes, it's a mild annoyance that Porsche made their Boxstee have auto up and auto down windows with top operation but you can fix it with a module from SmartTops. 4: Having driven both styles the roadster versus RF is minor noise difference. Where it really is different is in crosswinds.... so very windy days where you're not driving into or with the wind but across it. At highway speeds the sounds are so close together otherwise. 5: Size of the car itself is small. Inside has more space than previous models save maybe the NC, and its bigger than the S2000, and of course Lotus. The MX5 is taller than cars like the Corvette also. 6: Totally agreed. After a wash or during a rain, water falls right in when the door opens. 7: Yes. The trans issue with the ND1 MX5 is well known and is due to poor metallurgy batch of gears used across every single version of transmission. The failures aren't subject to power increases or racing events. In fact almost half of the failures of Version1 trans were from owners who didn't even redline the car. The ND2 seems to have 0 failures so far and may be due in part to the dual mass flywheel or because they stopped using the gears that were known to cause issues finally. Mazda has been very good to replace failed transmissions even out of warranty or multiple failures to a single owner.

Hi there, I have a 2017 MX5 and Love it!.... For the past few years I always stored my MX5 in Winter as it's a soft top and I didn't want it exposed to the salt and harsh Ohio Winters. Mid Dec 2021 I moved to TN. Now I no longer store the MX5 as it is my main car. It only has about 4,000 miles now. Recently, I took my car to the Mazda dealer to have it looked at as the lights and alarms were starting to act up for no apparent reason. The low tire light would go on but the pressure was fine;, my passenger seat light would light up and alarm would scare the Sh!t outta me while driving it was so loud but the only thing on the seat was a light purse. Recently while driving to an appointment, the GPS started going haywire. Giving me directions then would want me to turn and go in different directions or turn where there was no street it was all over the place. The Mazda dealer checked the tires... they were fine, reset some things and the seat light doesn't go off as often as for the GPS SD card the service guy said he would try to update it to see if it would correct the issue . That didn't work. He told me he had a Mazda as well and he had lost count how may people would come in with the same GPS issue. It was a problem that Mazda cars has apparently and no recall has been issued. He told me that unless I wanted to buy a new card for 500$ he would recommend removing the SD card and using the map GPS on my phone. Seriously? This car is not old.,.. looks new because of the care I take with it, low millage and the only thing I can use the damn screen for is music? I need my GPS. There's no other fix aside from buying a new SD card? One I'll have to replace again because I'm told it's an ongoing issue??

The best objective ND Miata review ever in IMAO.

I have a 2016 MX and I agree. Some of these issues could have been better designed. I’m surprised the outdated GPS system didn’t make your list. Thank you for sharing…

I've had mine for 10 days, so some of these are things I haven't experienced (yet)... That said, I agree somewhat with #3. I like that it doesn't do it on these hot dry summer days--we won't be getting any real rain until November or so. But I'm pretty sure that one of these days I will be unpleasantly surprised to come out to my car and find the seats are wet because the windows were cracked during a rainstorm when I forgot to close them all the way. Number 5 is a known issue with small cars. A friend with a grey Audi TT had a similar problem--he'd get cut off because people didn't see him. I had a red Audi TT and never really experienced it. So, as I much as I like the grey color, I went with Mazda's Red Crystal Metallic and people definitely notice me (I get nothing but compliments on the color).

Thanks for bringing up these points to my attention, I was entertaining the idea of purchasing the RF as my second car, but after watching your video, I just changed my mind, the safety issue was my number one concern, as a former biker I am very much aware of what being defensive driver/rider is all about, It can be very stressful, secondly was the noice, I live in a state that every drive is long, even if means just going to the supermarket, we are all spread out, which means a lot of highways non stop driving. The rest are a non issue.

That color is AMAZING

I thought I would want to change the wheel but then I found I enjoyed the stock wheel. The window issues MX5 things has a fix for this that I have installed. I went for softtop wind noise not an issue. Exhaust I went with Roadstersport header/midpipe/race exhaust. It was actually horribly loud until I got it properly tuned. The tune lowered the pitch tremendously and added the baffle. The smallness factor had me add extra lighting to help me stand out. However luggage space is my factor (not as bad as I thought it would be) but golf clubs was an issue. You can open up the trunk side jack space area and make it work to my surprise. Manual trans issue is well known and there are Mazda technical bulletins good point. It should be a decision factor.

Absolutely agree with #6!! Just got through summer in Florida. Whenever i went through a drive-thru when it rained, water would go through the windows into my car. Most annoying thing ever

Hey, great videos. I am considering a 2020 or 2021 now and am curious if you have discovered ay correction of the issues you found in years since your 2019. Thanks, Tom

Very informative video, thanks! I've had a 2016 GT convertible for 2 years and love it. The lack of lumbar support is a bit annoying but I live with it. The one thing you didn't mention is the placement of the glove box. It is nearly impossible for me to reach into it on the fly to retrieve anything inside. I get that they moved it from the front passenger side to the rear center to free up more leg room for the passenger, but still annoying. The CD player is also very hard to use because it's blocked by the cup holder, although I use Sirrius and Bluetooth exclusively. BTW for those of us with a convertible, there is a custom boot bag made just for the ND convertible for around 250 dollars. gives you a lot more cargo space for long trips. All said, I still grin every time I pull out of the driveway! You would be hard pressed to find a car that is more fun to drive!

Hey, I own and older miata and as noted wind noise is something you have to live with. However, you can purchase special ear plugs that reduce unwanted frequencies that wear on you. Motorcyclist use these, and they do help.

I had a '16 Miata and I have to concur with all the non-RF specific dislikes. I even had my transmission fail as mine was an early build. However, I still fondly remember the car and still consider it the most fun vehicle I have ever owned.

Handling-wise, I really like how at 30mph you can initiate a low-speed drift using the lift-off oversteer technique. And for braking-oversteer while canyon carving, it does a slow sweeping motion; it sort of has it. Track driving conditions might better expose these behaviors. For canyon carving, it could definitely use a stiffer rear sway bar. Overall it was fun to drive. This was by renting an automatic however.

I agree about the lack of lumbar support, I have had many Miatias since my first one in 1989, and I have become aware of how short this one seems inside.. I am used to the water issue because I always had the optional hard top on my soft top early Miatias. My 2019 RF is the very first car I have had with automatic transmission, a sin for a sports car!! I am beginning to have osteoarthritis in my thumb joint and therefore find gear changing gears a little painful.

You can get the 3rd brake light mod to blink the light while braking. I guess I always assume ppl dont see me. Honestly have not had a problem driving with other ppl.

The only ones that would be a nuisance in my eyes would be the wind noise and the windows not rolling back up. Thanks for the informative video though.

Regarding the wind noise, do you believe that a taller windblocker will solve the problem, or at least reduce the noise by a big margin ? Thank you

steering wheel, is my dislike. i would like a flat bottom to make it ezer to enter the car. the other 6 thing you mentioned, i have no complaints. I LOVE THIS CAR!!! with the gts package. I had a full Rap, water runs right off.

Good content. As to the transmission, my first thought is it's a driver technique, heavy use issue. If you wanna race your new car that's up to you but racers gotta be prepared for parts failure on any car. Having had lots of manual transmissions in my life (never raced) I never had one fail in any way. I've had GM, Ford, Jeep, MG, Triumph, VW and Nissan. All were extremely reliable.

Looking at the ND models but your thoughts on the possible manual trans problem gives me pause.It's worth biding my time to dig up info about the trans, I know an automatic just won't do. Would buy an RF even though the NC model RF seems more practical because it entirely retracts instead of having that Targa look and the columns. Do they block your view of side traffic? Anyway a very good review and heads up about mostly small problems that won't prevent Miata fans from buying one.

Hi chad thank you for the reply, I thought that I might just mention something I have just found out about the mk4 .and which is the rear hud suspension bushes are wearing out prematurely,which is causing a knocking sound ,I have this on my one i now contacted Mazda here the uk so will see what happens....cheers Phil Ryan.....

Another dismally weak point is the cast aluminum engine mount brackets on the motor mounts....the first couple years 9at least the 2016-2018) has REALLY WEAK castings! Seriously they could shatter if you hit a big enough pothole! And nearly any impact really could crack these totally crap components....Mine both broke after being rear ended and so I bought new revised one (I did not even know they had been upgraded when I purchased them) the original castings WOULD have been ultra strong except they hollowed out the castings obviously in pursuit of weight savings...the new ones are both more robust and much less hollow exceptionally on the one side...now there are super heavy duty (and heavy) steel after market parts which cost a fortune (like 800 bucks if lower and uppers are bought separately) for the entire motor mounts and maybe $400 for just the brackets (the part that breaks)....which is Fing RIDICULOUS! I REFUSE! Just note that other aftermarket engine mounts are as little as $50 but as of this writing there is only ONE actual manufacturer making these who I REFUSE to even advertise by typing their name! They are beyond greedy in my humble opinion

Chad, loved your video. Plan to test drive a RF and soft top at Norwood Mazda next 2 weeks. Noticed your MA plates. A deal breaker for me could lack of lumbar support. Swore I would never buy a car w/o since have chronic lower back pain at work sitting and need a pillow in passenger side of wife’s BMW X3. Are the recaro seats better or worse for lumbar support. Have seen people insert foam inserts in front or back of seat. Have you tried? Hate to always drive a a pillow behind me moving around. Wind noise at highway speed in RF should not be a issue for me, last convertible I had, a BMW 335 2007 I always drove with top up on highways. Truck smell and noise required it. More concerned regarding high noise levels from road at highway speed similar to soft top. Enjoy!,

I sold my 2019 RF. One of the biggest regrets of my life. Will 100% buy one again. The RF looks incredible. It drives amazingly. The shifter feel is incredible. I love that I can get to the top of 3rd gear on the street without feeling like I'm going to jail.

The wind noice you mentioned is referring to its during top open ? Or top close ?

Yes I don't like the windows not coming all the way up when the top goes back up.

You hear wind noise with RF roof closed at highway speeds? Thinking of getting auto ND for daily driving on highways to and from downtown Toronto

Agree with most of these. Working on a steering wheel upgrade (GD) myself thanks to your other video, hehe. Lumbar can be improved by unzipping the seat cover and inserting a rolled up towel underneath or simply sliding your hips/butt further toward the back of the seat (more vertical seatback helps too). I’m not real worried about the MT issues. I don’t AX regularly and haven’t seen an example of an MT failure in an ND2 and regardless, Mazda has been covering replacements for original owners beyond the warranty period.

Bought a Soul Red RF GTS Grand Sport just before the Covid crisis shut everything down. Love the car, but due to work at home orders and the need to socially isolate, have only 1K miles on it after a half year of ownership. Only one thing about the car bothers me so far... I find the exhaust note to be completely missing. The engine is excellent, much more performance than it gets credit for, and so smooth and linear, but the sound is like any 4-cylinder economy car. Bleah. Will be hitting the aftermarket soon for a CAT-back exhaust.

Hi,, i saw your video,, very interesting, cus i owned the miata club brand new, ,had it 1 year, put it 1900 miles only, I would like it was manual. But the automatic, was the only available at the moment and the failure #7 make me feel better now about the auto. Thanks, from P.R.

i have a 2019 miata , white , black soft top . and i love it . the motor 181 hp . the gearbox is superb . but of course if you auto cross or race the car , it will wear out much quicker . if owners decide to do this , the car must be modified with tuffer parts to handle all the ABUSE they are giving the car . but if you drive on smooth california roads , top down , beautiful woman at your side , freeway or street , then this is a 300,000 plus mile car . i see people shift at 7000 rpm all the time in these cars . then they wonder why they have gearbox issues . shifting at 3 to 4000 rpm is plenty of torque to give you a thrill of enjoyment without affecting longevity .

I'm curious to know more about the mechanics of the rooftop operation. Do you think the internals of that will fail, or will be problematic in operation (not close or open properly). Because it seems that this will be super expensive to repair. I, too, love the look of the RF, and plan on buying in the near future...but am always concerned about the roof breaking on me. Cheers!

Never heard of any tranny issues on the ND2 version tbh. just got a brand new one Dec 2021 in soul red crystal...but the red paint in incredibly soft- so easily damaged has to be my biggest gripe. Absolutely no other issues with the car it's a beauty and perfect for where I live here in sunny Alicante, Spain with 320+ days of sunshine per year!

I went with a corksport steering wheel. Had it in my 09 mazdaspeed3. I love my recaro seats. I wonder what better aftermarket seats you can get.

I get mad at myself for forgetting about the sheet of water every time it dumps all over my arm

Sounds more like characteristics of the car rather than actual problems. As for the water thing... I have a '96 Mercury that had to have rain guards added to keep water out of it when the windows are cracked open a bit. Had the same problem with its cousin, the Crown Vic, when I worked law enforcement. So that's not a problem exclusive to the MX-5. And yes, I'm aware there's no way to add the guards to the Miata. As for the rest... they're just a matter of personal preference. People either like 'em or they don't.

To point No. 3: Maybe it's some special to your country. My RF (2019) roll the windows back up, if the roof closed. Greetings from Germany :)

I drive 2016 GT the failures have mostly been 2016 club transmissions.

I got rear ended at a stop light by a 1 ton PU truck that had been road raging with another vehicle on the freeway and was weaving in and out of traffic and I suppose simply did not even see my little Miata in the turn pocket....Man it just sent my car flying (also totalling my beloved baby) ...apparently did not at all disable the pick up as witnesses said he simply got out the turn pocket and drove off on his merry way hit and run SCUMBAG! (and yes they found him) I did not even see him drive off having just had an airbag explode in my face! Now am in the process of restoring this car to at least it's former driving glory even if might never again qualify as pristine...but after insurance payout less salvage value compared to what I paid originally? Frugally shopping used parts and repairing what I can? Pretty much looks like my car will effectively be "free" to me when all is said in done...in other words full original price back in my pocket and the repaired car totally paid for via the balance of the insurance payout.....which t least that part is cool as hell! LOL....downside? So far unable to insure for true value as insurance company just looks at the salvage price plus receipts for parts ....nothing as to my labor or the resultant whole effect of good as new parts assembled into repaired car....which could really suck if I get hit again! In other words my car let's say is worth 20k again but insurance might not give me more than 8k because that is all the cash I have in it now ....apparently ones creatively in finding lessexpensive deals on parts and one's many hours of labor are worth nothing??

thanks for the review... I guess the blind spot doesn't bother you? On my test drive, I konw they have the sensors, but I hate having to rely on that...

Other than that great video..

@3 my Miata RF 2019 - bought in Europe - perfectly closes the windows in the situation you discribed. May be that your problem is based on US safety regulatory rules which can not be avoided by Mazda @6 I drive my Miata open whenever possible. Therefore, I always remove the water on the roof by hand in order to avoid that water enters the “storage space” of the roof during the opening procedure. For sure I would never drive the car with closed roof but open windows -> problem eliminated ;-) “The answer is always Miata (or MX-5 as we say in Europe)” no matter of with hard or soft top.

It is funny you mention visibility lol. Not even 48 hours after getting mine, a chevy suburban backed into me at an intersection turn lane. Gave him proper distance and everything. If i had to say anything about the NDs, it's the horn. If I had a louder, lower pitched horn than stock, i think he would have heard me before peircing my bumper with his tow hitch. As for everything else except the transmission, i think it's all just some some quirky quality of life stuff you get used to after owning a car. They all have those weird quirks. I'm definitely afraid to start putting power on my ND2 RF (same color too) with the transmission history. Considering a built NC transmission swap before i even touch power mods honestly.

I have had three MX-5s and I like the steering wheel. My Mazda 3 2019 hb premium has the same steering wheel also. That vehicle has electric seat with lumbar and yes the MX5 has none. Sad! Don't understand why they don't have at least manual lumbar adjust. I really don't like big thick steering wheels. I don't power shift my manual transmissions and do not race nay of my Mazda vehicles so maybe I won't have transmission problem. Love my Mazda vehicles.

As an owner I only agree with no 4 the wind noise is worse than convertible but as most of us use ear protection for highway travelling it’s just a part of the car as you indicated. And ...The shower effect is indeed annoying but then again you can drive in the rain without getting wet as long as you go fast enough. I disagree that the other elements are a lemon, the seats are great, I just drove from Verona Italy to Brussels Belgium thats about 1150 kms , open all the way in just over 10 hours. I think you missed a lemon, the hard plastic that hits your knee. Then there also is the noise of the buttresses that emphasise blubs from driving over holes in the road. Is this a reason to hold back on buying one ...hell no. Driving a Miata is a lifestyle and it’s good to inform people about the possible annoying parts of it. Good review.

Do you know which versions came with which years. I'm outta warranted and modded. I drive it spirited on the street. I think any trans can fail. I was hoping 2018 was good. Is 2019 the same or similar trans as 2018. Mine is still smooth knock on wood. Do you know how much it cost parts and labor. Actually power train is 60k. I'm about to hit 46000 on my 08/2018.

Great informative revue however music was irritating

What was the db of the soft top at the same speeds as the 84db of the RF (at whatever speed that was)?

These are good things to point out to folks that might be thinking of buying this car, but then it just might reduce the number of great deals on a nice used 2018 Machine Gray, MX-5 RF Club with BBS Package, like the one I got! $25,900.00 with only 8,300 miles; yeah, I smiled all the way home for nearly 500 miles! That said it's rebuttal time! The windows not going all the way up are a no issue for me, because when the top is down my windows are down. After the top goes up, I put the windows up! Easy peasy. Having the top down with the windows up is a no go for me. Steering wheel and no lumbar support are like way tiny little issues, neither of which bother me and I have driven this car nearly 500 miles in one day. The wind noise at highway speeds are pretty loud, but I turn the stereo up (and the stereo could definitely use about 50 watts per channel more, that's my one gripe!) yup it's a convertible! The car size issue is no issue for me because I have ridden motorcycle since 1977; you learn to drive so people can see you. Never tailgate! If you do you'll find you have no paint on the front of your car pretty quickly and on-coming traffic won't be able to see you. When coming up to intersections and side streets more over, a little to the left or to the right depending on which side the traffic is coming from so those driver's will have a better chance of seeing you. Number 7 is one I have only heard of about the early ND models and I have read and watched damn near every review out there. It did give me pause and I gave it thought prior to pulling the trigger on mine! Thanks for the video. Now let's get to your top seven list!

Maybe the "invisibility" problem has something to do with the colour. I used to own an NC in galaxy grey, which is not a million miles from the colour of your car, and quite often I would be cut up by another driver turning out from a side road, or supermarket or even traffic lights. However, since I purchased an ND in soul red that problem has, for the most part, been solved. Thank you for a thought provoking presentation. If I may add my tuppence worth, it would be the lack of any underbody protection. My NC fell victim to the tinworm. The rear suspension, cills etc. had all the mechanical integrity of weetabix.

Question about the wind noise: Is it only that bad when the top is down? Is it still noisy with the top up?

A lot of nits there, re: Targa, you don't have the built in roll bar that the Porsche Targa has. As for the rain, wax the car and the water will bead up and blow off quickly.

I can say this much, don't power shift the car into 2nd or 4th unless you have spare transmissions on the shelf.. Wich are actually very cheap compared to something like a Camaro, you can purchase three or four MX5 transmissions for the same price as one Camaro tranny. But like I said, 2nd and 4th are the weak links.... Just let the shifter fall into those two gears, don't JAM it like fast and furious, and roll on the throttle. For the rest of the gears, especially 3rd they are much much stronger. After reading a-lot into it the most common failure is either a 3rd to 2nd down shift (power shift) as in yanking the shifter into 2nd as hard as possible. As well as the 1st into second power shift. The next less common is the 5th to 4th drop, and 3rd to 4th... Treat 2nd and 4th like they're made of glass, I try to think of them as being brittle.. but not weak, rolling on the power isn't the issue.. Sudden shock is. There, maybe someone will read this and it might make 1 car survive lol. who knows.

Yeah I found the Fiat 124 is much better for highway noise, believe or not. Thicker MOPAR glass, double soft top, some things like that make the reality a bit quieter and softer overall in the Fiat. If the hardtop ND folded flat like the NC, that would be my easy choice. Good to know about the water issues on the RF, thanks.

that window issue is weird and I suspect easily fixable via a firmware change somewhere as it does return all the way up in the Australian models...

Hi Chad. Have you done valve cleaning work on your nd miatas? Do you notice decrease in mpg?

I get a test drive. I love to drive with my hand on the shift and I found it a little vibrating, while in Mazda 3 was perfectly quiet and stationary. Is this normal?

I owned a 2016 ND ST, 30000 miles, absolutely no transmission problems, I sold it in May 2021 to get a 2020 model. Out of 50 000 MX5 ND sold in the US between 2016 and 2021, how many had gear box problems, it doesn't sound like many! How many were tracked, auto crossed, modified, boosted? About 65000 units were sold in Europe, I only heard one problem on an early 2016 but taken care by Mazda. The ND1 box would whine upon releasing the throttle, normal sounds due to the lightweight flywheel and the poor sound insulation of the car, my 99 10th Anniversary would do that too, the ND 2 doesn't make that sounds as they added a dual mass flywheel which quiets noises down. Otherwise great gearbox, fantastic car, love it!

I remember somebody on a forum said that the windows don’t automatically close fully to prevent people getting their hands or their hair stuck inadvertently Though personally I would agree that I prefer the windows closing completely with my balding head and my hands in the car!

Is the RF (closed) louder or more quiet going fast (>80MPH) than the soft top?

As far as I know the transmission has been worked on for the ND2 with 184 hp. I suppose this problem concerns the 160 hp version.

Blind spots are horrible in the RF. That’s why I went with the soft top

I have an nd1 with 70k and it's been the most reliable car I have ever owned.

great review!! sorry,but...most drivers dont have the windows down all the way going over 80mph on a highway,besides guy,i own a 2022 GT/RF and i tested the "wind buffeting" on my very own,simply because of all the buzz and hype of the toyota/bmw-supra with ppl complaining about the wind-buffeting in that car;so after reading several posts on it,i wondered if MY car does that esp being a semi-convertible with the convertible-experience;now for "ME" i cant be more honest here,ive had NO/ZERO wind-buffeting with mine(both windows down,top down...also,both windows fully down,top up/closed both ways at 60-65mph=NO wind buffeting,no droning or heliocopter noise nor no discomfort to my ears)i owned a gmc sierra yrs ago that going 60mph in that truck with the windows down fully there was wind buffeting in that truck which was one of the things i didnt like then about it;but i doubt most ppl drive a longtime at those speeds with both windows down esp over 80mph.so my point is IF MY RF had the wind-buffeting issue,id most likely SELL/TRADE IT,because it was a deal-breaker for me with the new supra and for 60grand i said no thanks for a car costing that much with wind-buffeting?? and meanwhile i own a targa-top mind you mx-5 with no wind-buffeting; YES theres as you stated 'wind noise' its a semi-convertible of course theres wind noise,but cut in half if not more,with the top down/open and both windows UP FULLY an old cold weather convertible trick and/or if its beautiful out,but too windy,you can stil enjoy the roof open with both windows up and once again ill say this lastly NO wind-buffeting(at least none in MY RF)

I’m with you on the first 2 (though neither really bother me). Pretty much everything else but the windows when roof goes up) are solved by getting an ND2 ST. The window thing is something you gotta own……make it muscle memory to put your windows up man. As for the transmission, search for a Mazda TSB where they talk about the vin numbers for 2017s, above which, had fixes done and the risk is lower. Want lower risk still - get a 2019 or beyond and there’s a dual mass flywheel that takes the risk down to pretty much any manual. Also consider that many of the affected owners are probably money shifting their way to this problem so it’s not entirely the fault of the engineering. The only one that has me thinking is the steering wheel. Never mind the thinness of the wheel, why do manufacturers often put an edge shape (I know - to allow your thumbs to rest easier on the wheel)…..but it doesn’t feel as natural as a perfectly round wheel on the palm of your hands. But like you said - it’s a terrific car. It’s a great second car…..get the ST and don’t try to make it a daily. Don’t get lured by the aesthetics of the RF

How about the wind noise top up on highway speed? Is it really that bad?

boy am I glad I am coming from a slingshot. The noise levels on that bad boy require ear plugs to save my hearing when on the freeway. My future RF will be so quiet in comparison. I love the small footprint because it allows you to be more connected to the road but I get the safety/visibility concerns. It's funny how the flaws pointed out are so minimal compared to other mainstream cars, it's a testament to mazda's new design. The transmission concern however is troubling. I hope it's a result of constant hard driving which won't be me.

I figured carbon build up on the intake valves due to being direct injection would be on the list.

It is a Targa and you are correct about Porsche trademark - The reason it’s called retractable fastback RF. It’s a little surprising how angry people get defending it as a convertible. Rationalization at its finest.

What about the tiny rain rail drain? It's so tiny that can easily be block by any kind of debris and the fact that it so crazy hard to access it.

Needs more head room. At 6’ I can’t sit comfortably upright with the roof closed. Just test drove one. Unfortunately they didn’t have a soft top available. Really dig the car though.

Interesting and thorough review. 1) As for the steering wheel, designers are in a no-win scenario. I'm retired and spend a good amount of time fly fishing, and the diameter issues plague fly rod designers. I've spoken with a designer that has larger hands and he never considered that women or kids (or people with less than 2xl hands) were a potential market, and as such designed his rods with thicker cork grips. If you think about the Japanese engineers that designed this car, my hunch is they're not big people and as such will have smaller hands. 2) Wind noise. I agree with your assessment about wind noise on the soft top (when down); however, on the highway when the top is up it's unbearable. I've had to resort to using earbuds when taking a long trip. 3) Transmission issues. The SkyActive 6-speed was a new design for this model. I've seen a few items on the web that there have been various tweaks along the way. I had also seen that in the Fiat version, they used the 6-speed from the NC as it could handle more torque. I auto-crossed in my younger days, so your transmission failure theory is likely correct. For mine, I have 120K on the original 6-speed and no issues, but that might be due to the fact I change the gear oil at recommended intervals.

How did the hidden 12v outlet not make the list? It's such a hassle to plug in a radar detector.

I would think transmission failures would be caused by abuse on track, or abuse by non experienced manual transmission drivers.