2021 Mazda MX 5 RF Club Review - The HOTTEST car under $40k 

I've seen these little cars for years and always enjoyed seeing them parked as I walked by. My wife and I went car shopping with a couple of my kids this past Memorial Day weekend and nothing I test drove really spoke to me. At our last dealership, I test drove a red 2011 NC MIata with my 15 year old son. He said, "I get it Dad, you got to get this car". My wife said it was impractical, but I told my son to work on his mother. LOL. Long story short, a few days later, with her blessing, I bought it. I am 60. I never knew a car could be so much fun. I just love it. Shifting through the gears, driving around curves, just brings a smile to your face. Just looking at it in my garage puts a smile on my face. First thing I did was get a set of rx sunglasses and my wife bought a long scarf so we could ride in it like in the movies, I know, corny! Watched 1 youtube video, must have hit the like button, now I've seen a ton of these reviews. I had no idea the Miata had such a following. I totally get it. In all these youtube videos, the recurring word is "fun". I can see myself buying a newer model some years in the future. I would recommend any version of a Mazda Miata to anyone. Chuckle, I just love it, so much fun!

So many amateur car enthusiasts get hung up on the numbers(HP, Torque, Gs, etc) and they ignore that it's about driver engagement, not straight line speed. Aside from the Miata which proves that fun performance driving is about engagement and sensory input, many classic Porsche enthusiasts prefer the older late 60's early 70's 911s for their engaging driving experience. despite the low power outputs of that 911 era. The old adage applies for people who truly enjoy spirited daily commute street driving; it's more fun to drive a slow car fast, then to drive a fast car slow.

Couple years ago, a friend of mine asked me to tag along to look at a used NB Miata. After we both test drove it I loved the raw and pure feeling and asked him if he wanted to buy it from the guy. He bailed so 2 hours later I showed up with a cheque and bought it. I sold it since and looking to buy an ND2 club soon 😁 Miata Is Always The Answer

I have a ND with 60,000 miles on it. I average 40 mpg on the interstate driving around 70. My overall average is 34.8 mpg. I hear reviewers criticize the car for not being flat in the corners but I think they miss one of the great attributes of the car. It has more “feel” than other sports cars. You feel the lateral forces better but still go around the corners better than other cars. I have driven firmer sports cars but you need more speed to feel the corner and the ride is more jarring. The suspension and shifter are the secretes to the smiles. I hear you pick on the Mazda infotainment system but I think it is amongst the best in the market. We have a Lexus RX which has awful infotainment. It will drive me to trade in as soon as the new one is available. Oh, I enjoy your work.

Best "driver's" car I've driven since I sold my 72 Lotus Europa. This car is what driving is all about. PERIOD!

Factory bbs alloys are beautiful up close. I loved the colour they did for the anniversary edition

I'm always finding an excuse to drive mine whenever I can. It's such a wonderful car to drive and experience.

Amazing what little/no rev-hang does for enjoyment... Honda, take a lesson and stop the BS with the asinine, CRAZY rev-hang! Have owned 3 Mazda vehicles, all manual trans and all were great vehicles. Mazda just 'gets it'.

In March of 2017 I test drove a 2016 Club with the Brembo / BBS package in Artic White with the Black aero bits really shows the contrast between the 2. Also while most people buy these for good weather weekend toys this would be my daily in 4 season Northern Illinois. Going on 4.5 years now & when snow days happen the winter tires make it almost as much fun as the sunny warm days to drive. Mazda does the manual gearbox & super light clutch to perfection. Really didn't think it would be so good in bad weather but it impresses me everyday. So much fun wrapped up in a very small package.

Great review. I've driven every gen of the Miata or MX-5. The ND2 MX-5 is my favorite without question. Has enough power you don't have to make excuses on why you own it. Handles great, looks great, reliable, and fantastic fuel economy.

Driving this car makes me cackle. That ability at almost any speed is one of its greatest assets. Just be careful on hard lefts with the top up if you are 6’ and above, ouch! Great review.

Great video Kirk. You would tell me years ago (previously muscle cars owner) that I would own one day an MX-5 and I would laugh out loud. Since I own a soul red ND2 RF Club I enjoy every moment I drive that car without driving to an excessive speed that I would lose my license. You are right about the wow effect of the RF. Every weekend I park at the mall, there is always somebody who compliment me about my car... no specific consumer age - kids to retired persons !!! Like other MX-5 owners I will keep this car for a long time!

I’d be throwing my cup holders out because no one is drink or eating in my ND Mx5 ever 😎

I'm waiting for mine to come. 2023 in 4-6 months according to the dealer! Love watching your videos, Kirk

That review was a treat 😎

Thanks for another great video, Kirk!

incredible how everyone who drives this car and reviews it excudes joy, laughter, etc. etc...

Who cares about the infotertainment system, when we are having this amount of fun driving this lovely car.

Hey! What a coincidence! I have been watching MX-5 reviews and happened upon yours. I have a place in Naples. Heading there on Wednesday. It was fun to watch your review and see that you were in Gulf Shore Blvd and even drove by the Haverty’s where I bought furniture. It also looked like maybe you were in Park Shore near the village shops on Venetian Bay. (Your parked shots.)

Good review, i feel right like you with my ND RF. Just have fun with it. Specialy in the mountains. I am from europe, and the alpes is wonderful with this car!

Mazda should never stop building this special vehicle. It’s very unique and it represents Mazda.

In a Miata on your way to buy some new shoes, that's a life worth living

Very good review. The "RF" shows considerable evolution in performance and design. Thank you.

Definitely a vehicle I will have to consider for my fun daily driver that I don’t have to worry about fuel mileage and being too fast for the local traffic.

Definitely a guaranteed like from me on this video. That’s my exact color/configuration… without the Recaro/BBS/Brembo goodies. Just bought the side skirts and the rear diffuser. Great review! I wonder how much more comfortable the GT is? Never test drove one.

I really enjoyed watching this video. If I didn't also need some practicality out of my only car I would be very compelled to buy a Miata - I currently drive a 2018 Mazda 3 sedan 6MT to fulfill that need. Miata is such an amazing car

Been watching for a few months, nice to see someone else on the younger side who also lives in Naples! I have a black-on-black 15' 911 Carerra S (the last of the n/a engines) if you ever feel like reviewing a german sports car, feel free to message me!

Great video Kirk! You mentioned it would be nice to have more colors for the Miata. I'm a grass is always greener guy, any idea what Mazda plans for the next Miata? Or when to expect it?

Great video thank you @Kirk Kreifel . Reminds me of my 1995 Honda Civic del Sol. Does the back window retract?

Great casual review, more about daily driving experience and engaging with the car 😄👍. As much as I like the MX-5 soft top and the more free open space driving experience, I believe I will buy the hardtop due my cervical neck pain. I'm a bit worried to the buffet noise do, with open hard top 🤔🙄

Great video, very honest review. I wonder what the video would be like if you drove a Toyota MR2 Spyder, 2003 or above, 6 speed manual with the top down...I know it's an old car, but soo much fun, and way cheaper !!!

Love all your miata reviews! The RF looks amazing. The ND miata should hit 60 in 2nd gear, try max RPMs next time.

Just test drove a 22 RF. Love the drive. Trying to decide if I can live with the tight cockpit.

I'm also quite interested in a potential RX-9, especially with the recent rotary emblem leaks and the patents showing the back structure of an RX-9. Perhaps they can overcome the downfalls of the rotary with some sort of hybrid or plug in hybrid setup. Kind of like a reverse MX-30 with rotary range extender, but instead the RX-9 will have a primary rotary engine with an electric motor to assist. If Mazda can keep the price in the $30k to $40k range, I'm gonna have a really hard time choosing between the Miata, RX-9, GR86, and Integra.

Have a shot of vodka every time he says "vehicle" and you'll be dead 1/4 way thru the video. Nice car though!

I love the grey shoes!

I have the club version nd2 without the brembo / ricaro seats . Love these . Had a 2003 se as well . Great review fyi .

It's the soft top for me, but you really can't go wrong with any Miata 👍

MX5 the perfect car AS IT IS .❤️. It’s wonderful.

Totally agree ! Mazda if your reading this , the MX 5 is a fun car so you have to have fun colours ! Bright colours equally as good as the soul red . Grey tones are more luxury oriented colours. This car stands out and so should the colors ! Yellow, Orange (not 30th), bright sky or baby blue, metallic 70s green (would look good with a basic stock car black rim ) , gold. (Make a gold edition for the final gas mx5 ). Also have an option for white letters on the tire rubber ! Makes the car more racey and more true to its heritage Mazda do this please.

I hold conversations in my Nd soft top all the time . No problem at all with sound.

I added Flyin Miata sways, and a active exhaust, few other mods. Not that I needed it - more for fun. I just preferred the flat cornering, it just grabs and digs into corners now. The Brembo package- you can do better, 4 Wilwoods (instead of two Brembo) and lighter stronger wheels for less money . There are a ton of after market choices if you like to personalize this little car. Stock or Modified this car is just so much fun! Drive one, bring your checkbook:)

thank you! how tall are you? interesting you say you prefer leather seas to recaros. Also people say the wheel is too "big" but you say it is too small. For taller people it might be a good idea to be even smaller? Does anyone know if you can get a smaller Alcatara after market starring whee.?

Yes please!

What would you said in a match mx-5 vs GR86 or there is no comparation between them 🤔

Left leg relief on the driver’s RECARO seat comes with time. The seat will conform, but it takes a while.

I love the looks of this car and I have always been a fan of the RX-7 manual. And the gearbox was awesome. The twin turbos would kick in from second to third gear and you fly . So much fun. And this car looks a fun car to drive. Great review again. Thanks

Wow.... Looks great!! You in the US get all the best ones.... In Europe it wont get shiped 😔 this version of the miata

It’s there an option to get the GT with the Brembo package? Or this same club but with leather seats instead of the recado?

Furniture such as refrigerators can be found in many recycling stores.They are almost like new.

Please make a video about the future of the Nissan LEAF

I like it 👍❤

How does the Nazda3 hatchback drive with a manual transmission? In comparison to this?

So torn between this and the new GR 86. My Corolla hatch is surprisingly sporty feeling but my CVT is sucking a bit of fun out of it

The spec I want!!

that is one beautiful car

Awesome

i saw one on the road and i had to take a second to think if it was a lotus

there is no blind spot on the driver side if your mirror is set up properly It feels like there is,, but I guarantee you if you actually go test it as soon as the car leaves your mirror you'll be able to see it on your left without craning your head. I think it's a mental artifact of driving bigger cars. The MX-5 competes with the Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ, not so much Supras. That choice essentially comes down to whether you want a convertible or a little extra practicality (ie storage space).

I'd take the soft top. Great car either way.

i just bought a new 21 RF GT in this color with white leather.

I found the hardtop to be louder under speed versus the soft top.

It seems that the direct competitors are the BRZ/GR86 siblings, not the Supra or Z. The BRZ/GR86 have more power, quicker, great handling, great manual trans, more practical space and come in at less than 30k.

Likely to be my post chip-shortage toy!

This sweet car and the 2023 Nissan Z both have my attention. Not crazy about how tight the fit is in there for you though.

Another sports car is the Mazda 3 turbo hatch you get alil more room plus your quicker at 5.6 0-60 . I test drove that same one at my dealership however my wife said she wasn’t comfortable. To small so we went and test drove a WRX, a JCW mini copper, a GTI, and a type R Honda . Out of all of them I test drove the Mazda 3 wins hands down. That’s why I bought it and my wife fits and is comfortable plus we have some room to put stuff in the trunk!

Is the slot-in optical disc deck (behind center console and below rear cemter storage) available for the USDM model? Also (just to confirm) is the Torsen diff standard on the Club model?

They could have upgraded the infotainment system interms of performance and screen resolution

Ok, so I have a 2021 RF. I don’t understand people saying it has big blind spots. Sure the rear window is a slit but I never have a problem knowing what’s around me. I had a ton of blind spot learning when I first got my Mini Cooper but not this car. People please stop saying this car has blind spot issues.

There is always a gray one parked across the street from me. I would like to see one of these in dark blue, best color on a curvy roadster. They look nice but the design looks somewhat 'squished'. You under-drive your car. Push it a bit, and only down-shift when really necessary; light cars with good brakes don't need the tranny help. I'd still buy an older Solstice for way less money; quality aside.

Probably a loaded question, but which would you get between a 22 GR86 or 21 MX 5 RF?

Blind spots on the RF are horrendous.

Ace Ventura RF edition!

I would take the GR86 over this. But I'm a hardtop guy. If I was a convertible guy, this would be it.

Dispit driving a bmw m140i and loving it, a mx5 was my first car and will allways be my personal benchmark in terms of fun to drive

For me soft top is the way to go: - 2s for closnig or opening the top - Significantly less noisy on the highway So in the long term of the ownership for the above mentioned resons you will be driving more often with a top down (soft top) or top up (RF). So It’s a matter of wanting roadster or coupé with a big sun roof option. RF has better looks, but you buy MX-5 for your pleasure not to impress others

You are missing out on the joy of heel-toeing even at low speeds on the road.

Did he mention how tall he is?

I hope in near future..mazda offer mx-6 or mx-7 with hardtop convertible .. bigger car and bigger engine..

I hate to say this, you can't find an ND Miata RF with a club BBR (Brembos, BBS, Recaros) under 40k (new). I currently own a Club ND2 Miata and I love it, but I just can't find a BBR under $40,000. And at $40,000, you could just into some better cars or upcoming cars. That aside, love the video bro

I never understood the limited colors Japanese manufacturers provide.

I really want the Miata he’s go but it’s manual I don’t know how to drive manual and I live in Cali with California traffic , I am aware that there are automatic miatas but I am a leaning a little on learning manual. Can anyone give me advice weather to either drive manual or automatic

25 years, you can look at it!

I get stopped in mine all the time, lol

I just want them to make a 500km range Miata pleeassseee mazdaaa

If you live in Japan, there are no 25-year restrictions, so it's fun. If you want to buy a car, it must be a used car. You can buy a used car (new car) that looks like a new car at a reasonable price.

⬅️ Love my NB

Mazda MX5 Miata

Having ridden 1000cc super sport motorcycles for nearly 20 years, I can confirm. Straight line speed is fun at first, but eventually you realize all the fun happens between 30 and 60 mph. Slow car fast for life.

Give me the soft top all day every day. Cheaper, lighter, more open top, looks better when the top is down, no chassis rigidity loss, and hardly any more NVH. It's cool the RF is an option, but ain't for me.

It's gorgeous. But it's a little pricey for what it is.

How in the world do you do a review on a miata with testing the handling and trying to hang it out. I want to say I am not mad, just disappointed. But I would be lying. 😄

7:11 is that a boat I see?

Nissan z would be a better buy for 40k in terms of power. 40k isn't worth it imo. better off buying a used base and modifying. If money has no limits. Having a hard top is like having another passenger in the car. Cup car with a flying miata v8 package would be cool. Stock club is a good car. Full bolt ons is awesome. Nd2 with supercharger or turbo would be nice with tires, suspension, brakes and sway bars. Top down is the best drivers experience.

This or the GR86? Honestly Toyota/Subaru had the chance to make something that looks better than the MX-5 on both the inside and outside but unfortunately both fall short of the Miata. Having driven my friend's RF grand touring a great many times, I had so much freaking fun, I just wish the speedometer was easier to read. The numbers are very crammed together and there's a digital screen on the left but it doesn't show speed for some reason. I look forward to seeing how Mazda will handle making the hybrid next gen Miata without pissing all the purists off lol

I would wrap the car in the S2000 yellow 🤓

MX-5 is a kind of car that a big company (like Toyota) can never make.

Sadly Mrs. Bärbocks BABVVO law wont allow this in the next year without massive fines in Germany

Indeed, they should give us more color options. I would really love to see the truqoise Mazda color from the Mazda 3 and 2

Meh. Mazda has to make BIG changed to the ND to compete with the new 86/BRZ & Z in sales….