I've had an MX5 for 17 years, and now have a 2016. Great fun, reliable, affordable, easy to modify you want to. Puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. I love my car!
@@harryhunter552 I have a 2022 soft top. 5' 11'' stocky build; plenty of headroom, legroom and overall comfort. She briefly mentioned the Bose system, it is great, the bass in particular is superb. The soft top is lighter and therefore quicker than the RF. I don't launch mine hard off the line, but for reference it's a smidge quicker 20-110mph than the Civic Type R 2.0 na models predating the current turbos. Or another reference; neck and neck with a Fiesta ST (200bhp model). Both I obviously know from direct shenanigans on a dual carriageway!
@@harryhunter552 I’m 6 feet and it’s fine. Me and my asawa drive the Miata all over the Philippines. I’m impressed how well it holds up our potholes and rough roads.
I only wish whenever I take my BK series 2 in for servicing I could get a MX5 as a loaner for the day.The best I get are 2's,3's or cx3 or cx5 which are good.I will admit the dealers in that area are getting better in what they give their customers for the day.Years ago if you didn't pay for a new 2 you got either a Early 121 Metro or a 121 Bubble or a 323.I once got a second generation 626 update(this was when I had my 323 Astina).
If you are a JDM guy, you really need to. I'm going on my 3rd one. (As soon as it hits our shore in about three months..... My current one is an NC PHT, not beautiful but a really fun reliable ride, that can be used year round.
I’ve got a 2019 RF 1.5 SportNav. I’m 6’1” and don’t have a problem fitting in it. Great fun to drive. Rarely drive it without the roof down even when it’s in single figure temperatures. The 1.5 engine is perfectly adequate the vast majority of the time and I regularly get 50+ mpg. It’s a joy to own.
Thanks for this comment. I'm 6ft myself and I was worried about fitting inside. I currently have a Mazda 3 2.2D and I wanted to get a MX5 for a bit of fun. Do you have to move the seat fully back?
And the cup holders are moveable and removable. You can take one of them out from behind your elbow and click it into place next to the shifter on the passenger side.
Got mine few months ago, so glad to hear that people love it and still buy it. 1.5 revs brilliantly, sounds enthusiastic and I average 47 mpg combined driving! I even got 62mpg on a B road !!
I have a sixteen year old one .They are amazing and great fun cars . Super build quality and cheap to service . So you don’t have to buy new even well cared for oldies at £3k , which I paid, are great buys.
That 2030 ban is most certainly going to be put back, these cars will still be sold for many years to come, especially with synthetic fuels on the horizon and the EU pushing back their own 2035 ban on ICE only cars to basically never! Also, another batch of Toyota GR86 vehicles will be coming soon to the UK Toyota says. However, the next generation MX5 is going to have Mazda's mild hybrid setup so no worries about this not being sold for at least another 10-15 years.
The year doesn't matter anyway, people can just choose to buy a 2029 car or older. I reckon loads will sell just before 2030 hits and that'll keep consumers happy for another several years
@@jamed63 EVs are not a one-size-fits-all. They're ideal for cities and urban commuting. But for people like myself living in a smaller town and regularly driving long miles for work, EVs just aren't it and never will be. The ideal future is EVs having a solid place in the market alongside hydrogen and ICEs. The push for pure EVs and no other options just seems so poorly thought out.
@@jamed63 The 'real world' range of EV's will have to improve considerably, as will the infrastructure to charge them .... and that includes power production and distribution. Also, if you regularly tow 2 tonnes long distances like I do an electric vehicle won't cut it. Heavy battery technology is counter intuitive to fuel efficiency too. You can guarantee the deadline for the ban on vehicles with ICE's will be put back.
I agree,Governments frightening and bullying people into crap EVs. I remember them telling us all to buy a diesel, never trust a politician they're all shameless liars.
Not keen on that colour but overall it's a good looking car and quite amazing they have been able to keep the weight down to just over a tonne whilst still including climate control, multiple airbags, decent stereo etc. Big fan of the soft top variant.
Great car out of the box, it can be made sharper with minor modifications for tracking. The miata represents great value for the money and is a true analogue car in a sea of plain Jane rides.
I have a 2012 Special Edition RH. Best car purchase I’ve ever made! A hoot to drive, with the manual, and very reliable. I’ll keep it until I can’t get in or out of it, I’m 74……..
Having owned both, do you prefer the soft top or the hard top? I love the look of the hard top but if I'm getting a convertible, a soft top seems to make more sense...
@@pfunkle I think, for my purposes, the hard top is better. Living in Wales means the opportunities for top down driving aren't as common (but still happen!!!) as if you live in a warmer, less rainy country. Having said that - they've both got their merits. The RF is definitely more refined for longer motorway trips (roof up) etc. But there's a lovely simplicity to the Soft-Top. I think if I lived in a warmer place I'd get another Soft-Top.
@@robertmcwhatling thanks for the reply. 👍 I literally just got a notification for it! I agree with you. I'm likely ending up in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., so, lots of rain and winter conditions. The hard top might be more practical.
2019 MX5 Club owner here. I don't envy Mazda's situation having to tread carefully with the future of this car. They're going to need to be rather clever to get conventional fans into the next gen NE model. I'm not totally ruling it out as I'm sure the next model will be nice, but at this rate I'm probably going to buried in my ND because I've got no inclination to exchange it for an EV replacement without a VERY compelling reason to.
I'm on my 4th MX5 - currently got a 2018 RF in platinum quartz and I couldn't be happier with it. They're just fantastic cars and so much fun to drive. The zircon sand colour in the video looks really nice too. Thanks for the vid! 👍
Have owned a lot of cars including 5 Miatas in my life and one of the worst days of my life was when i sold my last one...arthritis got me...never had a car, including 6 Corvettes ,that i miss as much as my Miata, especially the 2008 retractable hardtop GT. Love the color of the car in this video. Wish i was a little younger again! Nice video!
I have a 2022 GT Sport Tech which is the same spec as the new Homura (give or take). Its a terrific car, great fun to drive and so agile. I'm 6ft 2" and fit inside lovely with the drivers seat all the way back. I got 45mpg on a long 300 mile run and it felt so secure and comfy on the motorway.
(Sigh) I bought my MX-5 brand new in 1991. Finally donated it to charity in 2012 after a catastrophic clutch failure (the original clutch) made the repair more expensive than the car’s value. In between, the car cost me practically nothing in maintenance. It was so well built. I still miss it.
I've owned 3 MX5's and IMHO it's still the best sports car on our roads. I've sprinted, done grass autotest and daily driver and they're the best fun/value for money absolute hoot cars around. It'll be a very sad day when they're gone! 😭
I had a MX5 for 3 and a half years mk3.5 fabulous car. I do wish the mk4 would get reviewed with the 1.5 engine as I understand the mk4 was designed tweaked and balanced around the 1.5 engine, only then did the 2.0 get fitted with mods to suspension etc etc …. Hey I think that casual look really suits you miss Jackson 😊
I own the 1.5 model and it is the perfect engine for the cars. Revs very easily, has a nice sound and I get amazing mileage from it (around 40 when I don't pay attention and around 60 when I drive economicaly!) It also does not have bunch of electronics, turbo or other things that would potentially break and I got mine new from the dealership for an amazing price almost unaffected of the recent covid price bumps. Just did a 1500 miles roadtrip with it and it was A M A Z I N G.
I have owned 2 of these 2016 2.0 Automatic convertible and a 2019 2.0 RF Manual with LSD. The Manual with the LSD is a wonderful piece of kit - also has the new engine that makes the car sing. The 2016 auto convertible was good the manual is the pick - it's in another league with the LSD. Just an FYI on the cup holders. You can move one of them into the passenger side where there is a mounting point that makes drinking coffee or drinks eezzy peezy!
I have a 2016 Sport model, the basic car. It has over 93,000 miles on it, with just normal service, oil changes. Though I did get the Flyin'Miata Wilwood brake set, the original rear calipers didn't like salted roads and froze up, scoring rotors. Mine is white, basic refrigerator white, a much more visible color than that camo mud color. Little cars need to stand out, they are easily overlooked by other motorists, even in more visible colors, ask me how I know. I just got a 2016 Jaguar F-Type S coupe but I'm keeping the Miata, it's too much fun to give up.
I love mine,it's an honest little car that always puts a smile on my often miserable face 😊130 horsies are just about right in the nd although I'm sure the 2 litre is a brilliant machine. Soft top for me.
I have a 2022 2 litre, 184 hp. You might be aware of the pre-2019 2 litre being regarded as less desirable than the 1.5. But then after the 2019 2 litre revisions, it became the one. Anyway, I love the poke it gives, genuinely makes it a quick car.
The cup holder can be moved to the passenger side of the gear stick. Great when you're in the car on your own. Move it back to the centre when you have a passenger.
I had a British Racing Green 1998 NB model and I loved it, the most fun of any car I've ever owned. No space for a second car atm but as soon as I do I'll definitely get another MX-5 for fun runarounds.
I found the wind noise too much with the rf so if you like roof down get the convertible. Try and find one without leather seats if you live somewhere hot.
Very helpful guide to the MK4. I've owned MK2 and MK3 versions and loved both - ergonomics slightly better on the MK2. At 6'2'' I've never found the dimensions a problem. What I'd love to know is whether, in use the 1.5 beats the 2.0...thoughts?
I have had a Mk3 2.0 Sport for 5 years, with 111,000 miles on the clock, or at least I did have until three days ago! After viewing a new Mk4 1.5 Sport soft top in Soul Red metallic, and with a good offer on the table, I took the plunge. The UK MX-5 Owners Club forum was a mine of information, with plenty of owners willing to offer guidance on what to expect between the 1.5 and 2.0 versions. The general consensus though was clearly leaning towards the 1.5, it seems simply from the pure enjoyment factor of utilising the gearbox when motoring briskly, instead of pointing and squirting with the 2.0's extra power. It is of course early days for me at the moment, and the engine needs to settle down with a few miles on it, but it does not initially feel too different in performance terms, which I will be happy to exploit more in a few weeks time after a few more added miles.
We’ve had one since October 2015 great little car! Ours is an auto because that was what my wife wanted, it has manual select option which whilst not a true manual is not too bad for having a bit of fun!
Is the automatic just as good? Is the manual love just a "British" thing? I'm 47 and taking my test after 30 year gap and can't be arsed with changing gears myself all the time. Thanks.
@@ejkalegal3145 Mate, I also have an MGB manual, which I love. The MX5 auto in manual mode doesn’t have a clutch so it has a very different feel. The MX5 is modern and great to drive as is the MGB. Suggest you take an MX5 auto for a test drive and switch to manual, drive it hard and decide for yourself. Good luck.
@@Benjii002 we're not so lucky with all cars. My 370Z was set up for LHD so the solitary cup holder was right in the way of gear changes, and you had to reach over it to access the handbrake - but at least you got to feel up your passenger's leg each time.
what are these rotary control's for with all the new age Mazda's.I drive an older 3 series 2 BK 2008 and the audio system is a lot less complicated than what we saw in the last of the 323's and there was none of this navigation for maps and audio and the rest of it.Each time I drive a loaner 2 or cx3 I get confronted by the new system which apart from navigation and audio is a joke.i have my seating position when i drive those cars in the same position as my 3.
I like that color! I have a couple beater nb miatas. I daily drive one of em, absolutely love it. Does the newest generation still have the steering feel?
Wow I can remember Rebecca doing car reviews with Matt Watson more than 10 years ago and here she is looking as glamorous and beautiful like as if the passing of time has no effect on her how nice!
I had to smile after watching this. After looking at Mini electric, there are still several drawbacks. Cost, range, to name the most obvious. I’m lucky enough to have owned 3 MX5s, the latest in the same colour in this review, Zircon Sand. But yet, the Mini Electric Convertible is the closest you will get to a “sporty” looking car. The battery size is the limiting factor. Thank you for the review. Oh, and the sound system is wonderful very important to me.
I used to have the NA for 8 years. It was a customised S--Limited. I like the new one, but it just looks too small now and has zero presence on the road. After two Porsche Boxsters, I bought an Abarth 124 Spider. It's the best car I've ever owned by far. Not sure what to buy next, though.
Owned 3. Just sold a Sport Venture model but looking to get the 2 litre. Approaching 80 but cars are in my blood. Daily driver is 21 reg RX 450h. Drive to to France often from north Wales,
The car is a T-top. It's also not a sports car it's a roadster. I drive the 2015 RHT Touring. The added weight of the hard top when retracted balances the car out. It's not fast but it's loads of fun.
I believe there will be a strong market in older cars as the "ban" nears implementation. There will also be an even larger increase in "Classic Car Restorations" as people try to keep petrol and even diesel cars on the road as the new electric car culture FLOUNDERS and falls apart! Poorer people cannot afford electric cars! ...PERIOD! The only personal transport available to them will be older petrol powered cars, but that will mean used prices for even rusty, and inefficient vehicles will "skyrocket" as demand reaches panic-buying proportions!! I would LOVE to see manufacturers like these, start a rebuild programme, that allows you to take your old petrol car and get them rebuilt to original specs, as an automotive "heritage" project! You pay slightly less that a new car for your old car to be returned to you with another 10-20 years of life! Options like improved fuel consumption through better fuel injection and engine management, and stuff like swapping 4 and 5 speed manual gears for a newer and sportier/more efficient 6 speed item might help too? This way, manufacturers stay in business, and skills and PASSION for automotive culture are preserved!
For once someone who reviews the car and balances small, light vs luggage. So many reviewers who talk about Boxsters etc in the same breath keep forgetting to highlight ££ vs ££££. Have had a Boxster, a MX5 2.0 NC and a MX5 1.5 ND. Both Mazdas were just so much more fun and so cost so much less to maintain. Only other roadster I have had that came as close in fun terms and was a completely different car to drive was the Z3 2.8 and I have had two of those. But the Z3 is a car from a different age. The MX5 has everything you need including the must have luxury for a two seater - heated seats.
I had a pre-facelift ND for warranty 3 years, fantastic car! Lightweight is so fun on twisty roads or track! Moving to the second fantastic car - 718 GTS manual.
Maybe next we get a plug-in hybrid MX-5 with a rotary engine range extender? Like the MX-30. It would be heavier, but much lighter than a battery-only version.
Beautiful little car, perfect for city driving. It’s stylish, fun to drive and nippy enough to dart in between traffic. Why would anyone want a monstrous SUV instead?
If it can do roof at 60 it will be able to do wide body anytime soon like every player landing in Stanton with shift/alt +N. You can get one, but should begin with something like Docker to have value in your work. It was a legendary car having this roof feature decades ago.
It is for those childless people or people whose kids are all grown up driving themselves.I am 181 cm and my chances of fitting one are zero.I recall years ago when my late father was in the market for one we had things like Astra Convertibles,Meganes and 206cc's all with an emergency rear seat just in case on the contenders list.they in Australia were all priced around the same as a MX5 if you could cope with slightly higher upkeep costs.Oddly enough I have an old mate of mine whose mom was driving a MGTF in 2002 when my old man had MX5's on his shopping list.
I've had my NB MX5 1.8vvt Sport for 21 years from new. I've had to go to extreme measures to keep the rust away though. Most of them fall apart with rust. Hope the latest incarnations have much better protection. It's not been Mazda's strong point.
ALSO ...... the newer models are getting too much equipment on them. More weight and complexity. More to go wrong. What is needed is a small, light, SIMPLE sports car. Don't like the idea of the brakes coming on lightly when cornering. That is SO unnecessary.
@@oilyrag525 Are you aware that this generation mx5 is smaller then the first generation and as light as the first generation despite all of the technology added? The 1.5 base model weights below 1000kg (2160lbs)
Nice car and very refreshing compared to the modern trend of ever and ever bigger SUV's. However that particular colours is dreadful, and the arch gaps mean that it needs to be lowered.
The colour is just so bad...muddy coffee? I love my white ND. My only complaint is that the infotainment system which is unchanged from 2016. It's slow to activate, and the screen could be a tad bigger, and Mazda deactivates the touch screen whilst moving, so you need to use the scroll wheel in the centre console.
i live in san antonio texas. my automatic makes the bumper to bumber 2 hour commutes much more barrable. curious on the times to 60 though. my 08 seems to be faster than the numbers advertised
A true legend, the MX5. This version is, well, compromised, and should've been a full-on coupe! Would've saved a bit of weight, made the trunk more useable, and would've kept the CG a bit lower. Nothing wrong with that! Yep, it's one of the last as we head into the EV era (don't forget the ToyoBaru twins!). But! We are SURE to see much lighter BEVs in the coming years. Not to worry :).
I know right.If one ignores the 86/BRZ AND MX5 for a minute it's all mostly Hot Hatches of all kinds.sp25 Mazda 3,Volkswagen GTI Golf,Kia Cerato GT,i30 SR Hyundai to name but a few and for the cashed up whatever Audi or Mercedes offers.Basically with the SLC AND BEFORE THAT SLK Mercedes gone as well in this segment not much exists.The Z4 BMW is basically a Fancy Pants Toyota Supra and whatever the equivalent Porsche is they want silly money for it.
@@dielaughing73 yes eternal blue. Looked for a few months for right 2019 GTS eternal blue RF. Love the color but the paint quality is a little on the fragile side unfortunately.
@@demonsaint1296 nice one. I test drove it, made an offer, got laughed out of the place and then saw them gradually lower the price till it sold for less than my offer. Dealers are dumb and greedy.
@@dielaughing73 yes they are. I found a private party to get mine. The Mazda shop near me isn’t a good place to shop or do business with. If need be I drive over an hour to the other Mazda shop.
Still driving a 2016 1.5 . Hasnt lost its appeal at all for me . Fun agile and value for money. Im 6.1 and no fit problems . My brother is 6.4 changed the steering wheel for a smaller one and still driving his 2015 1.5. These are great light weight country lane rides. Motorways? yup noisy specially the rag top but then whatever you drive motorways are boring even if the interior is silent .
