Get Honey for FREE today ▸ joinhoney.com/redline Honey finds coupons with one click. Thanks to Honey for sponsoring! Happy Friday everyone! There's nothing better than waking up on a warm day to find a lightweight RWD roadster in your driveway like the Mazda MX-5 Miata. Very few cars can match its level of visceral excitement with affordability. This is an amazing car when learning how to drive stick and when switching from FWD to RWD handling dynamics. Mazda has sold more than 1 million of these since 1990 around the world and in this video, we wanted to remind you all just how good the current Miata is and why Mazda needs to never change the formula. This is one car where we'd be okay if they never made an electric vehicle. Ever.
I've had "honey" for quite a while now and it has saved me a lot of money. As for the Miata, I've always loved driving one of these going back to the mid-90s.
You hit the nail in the head, Sofyan. Sure there are a lot of extremely fun to drive BMW, Porsche, Jaguar etc. but the Miata is one of those rare automobiles that's both fun to drive and affordable. I truly hope the Mazda Miata never goes away! A timeless gem!
Best bang for the buck for the real driving enthusiasts....best part about this vehicle is the gearbox! Going up and down through the gears with this short-throw shifter, perfect gear ratios, high-raving engine, great clutch and super responsive chassis....pure driving joy! Such a shame that it comes with an automatic transmission and so many miss out on the wonderfulness of this vehicle with the manual!
And it runs on a purpose built sports car platform built with quality by a small independent car company. And they kept it relatively affordable. Very rare
As someone who went from a BMW E46 M3 convertible to the ND MX-5, I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s always better to be able to drive at 10/10th of Mazda’s potential than 5/10th of the M3’s and either fearful of something breaking or getting caught! Best part is I still get 29 mpg average.
congrats on your new miata! (oh i'm late in reading your comment) i have one too! my exact car with blue exterior also! ---> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PYsZjSLASdM.html
This car is extremely safe too. A kid decided to bust an illegal Uturn right in front of me while I was going near 60 mph which caused me to crash into him going that speed. My ND2 didn't make it home but I did. And for that I will always be extremely grateful about this car's safety design, performance, and aesthetic. One day I will buy another.
That’s interesting you say this cause I’ve been wondering if the city braking feature really works on my new ND2. It’s one of those features that you won’t know works until it’s too late. I’m kind of assuming yours didn’t ;)
Thank you for including the footages of driving the car in the last couple of minutes. It really represent the way a roadster should be enjoyed! Have a safe stay! Peace✌️
I've owned a couple Mazda3 hatches and loved them both and I've always aspired to purchase a brand new MX-5 GT. It's the very definition of affordable driving satisfaction. EDIT: I did it! I just picked up a 2021 Grand Touring manual soft top in polymetal grey/black and I'm already addicted. It looks so good in polymetal grey. I seriously considered the RF, but I'm glad I went with the soft top. It's lighter, has much better visibility, is much quicker to operate and just feels more connected tot he exterior environment. It was definitely the better choice in my opinion. And it's $3000 less than the RF. OK, I'm going for a drive!
@@jg5001 - I do not recall pop up headrests. Yeah, at the time, I never realized how rare that car was. It would be nice to still have it! It was so much fun!!
@@theredline I rented a 2019 RF for a weekend and it was enough to make me debate trading in my Giulia. Videos like your reviews just keep adding to the temptation... then the new blue Miata just added icing to the cake. If only someone would come out with a turbo kit for the ND2 I would be sold
@@ProAlchemist I started with a heavily modified 94, now in a Giulia. If I had extra cash and unlimited garage space I’d still have that miata, along with my recently gone Rx8
I picked up a 2020 MX-5 Club last year and absolutely love it! It is my first Mazda, and first convertible, but I was missing the lightweight rear-wheel drive feeling that I had in my 2018 BRZ that had unfortunately been totaled in an accident. Had gone next to a 2019 STI, but since this is just a weekend fun car, I didn't need the AWD capabilities of the STI. Was considering going for another BRZ, but decided to give the MX-5 a try and I can't be happier with the purchase.
At the onset of Covid last March I purchased an ND Miata sport with 45k miles + Manual trans + rwd + soft top for $10k OTD (tax tag title). It had been 1 owner 1 accident but clean title and passed a certified mazda CPO inspection. All I've had to do is spend money on tires brake and fluids and proceeded to spend covid "iscolating" by driving in the rocky mountains all summer/fall. This is the best automotive product I've ever spent $ on and I smile each time I drive it.
The base NC basically weighed the same as a Mazdaspeed MX-5. Visually it looks bigger than other Miatas but the NC has almost the same wheelbase as the ND and the ND is actually wider.
I had the 1999 the 10 year anniversary edition. I learned how to DRIVE with it. It’s the best first sports car. It’s like the perfectly balanced car! Plus I could fit a set of golf clubs in the trunk and the Bose system boomed!
Best bang for the buck for the real driving enthusiasts....best part about this vehicle is the gearbox! Going up and down through the gears with this short-throw shifter, perfect gear ratios, high-raving engine, great clutch and super responsive chassis....pure driving joy! Such a shame that it comes with an automatic transmission and so many miss out on the wonderfulness of this vehicle with the manual!
Bought this exact configuration a month ago and haven't stopped smiling since. Every day, I find a reason to drive somewhere. Such a fun, good looking car.
Hopefully in our very near future, we get our garage. And in that garage will be my weekend car.. a ND2 Miata, cloth top, Club Spec w/ Recaro / Brembo package. Great video as always!
That's the spec I have. It's a great package, and the perfect weekend car. Just waiting for the weather around here to get nice enough to take her out of winter storage.
It's really interesting, as a biker, I find that a lot of the "Pros" of the Miata (that I love by the way) are a lot similar to what bikes give. The pure pleasure and fun to drive/ride on the road, affordable and not money elitist, being open and feel the environment, not too much comfort and dampening that would annihilate the raw feeling of the drive, a bit cramped and probably not the most practical/comfortable car ever but who cares, it's just the smile of your face on twisty roads. It's also super customizable to make it yours, like a bike, without feeling that you are destroying its value like it could happen on a much more expensive car. You don't need a destination, you want to enjoy the journey and this is what I think the Miata manages well compared to a lot of other cars that feel more like "cagers". Actually among all my bikers friends, I think the Miata is the most popular car.
@@happycup5 yeah a lot of us love Miatas. When I am on twisty roads I even thumbs up Miatas I see. I would never do that to a guy on a Merc, a BMW, a Ferrari or a Porsche
6:28 "The NC MIATA JUST WAS TOO BIG". And then there's me. Watching from Holland, a 182cm (6 feet tall) guy with particularly long legs and arms for my size. having the seat in my NC all the way back and still lacking space for my knees. Its a shame they didnt make the other miatas as big as the NC because its just impossible for europeans to fit in them.
@@emilemouannes2236 That would make sense because the NC is not all that spacious. It would also give good hope for the ND for me. Never driven one. What i do know is that the inline 4 engine in the NC is located between the axles, just behind the front axle. The NA and NB didnt have this exact same weight distribution. This might make the NC two or thre inches longer than the older models, forcing Mazda to make it a little wider as well to keep proportions right.
@@fietspomp987 I think the ND also has the engine behind the front axle. But a lot of variables could affect your comfort. I am also 182 cm and fit in the ND just at limit. Sat in an NC once and found it smaller. The ND2 is even better because of the small telescope steering wheel feature. Sitting in the RF version, I am left with 1 inch headroom if my spine is not stretched. However, there is this aftermarket rail seat from Aurora that lowers the seat by one inch and retains the sliding functionality. I am definitely buying this when I get my RF. Lowering by 1 in would lower my eye lever too look directly in the windshield and not stare at the windshield frame. Give it a try someday, go to a dealer and sit in one and let me know.
@@emilemouannes2236 Thats interesting. Although being the same height doesn't necessarily mean we have the same body dimensions and prefered seating position. My torso is very short, so lowering the seat might not help for me. My arms are very long, im having a wingspan of 194cm and in addition to that i prefer to sit relatively far away from the wheel. Same goes for my legs. I heard the ND has an in-depth adjustable steering wheel. That probably helps a lot, but still doesnt solve the issue for my legs. Someday i will give it a try though. Really hope the distance between the back of the interior and the pedals has increased.
There will be a day when this car is no longer in production and it will be a very very sad day.... Mazda is one of my favorite mfr just for keeping this fun unpractical little car around
The term "iconic" is thrown around about a lot of cars. Very few deserve it. The Miata does. It's in a class with the E-type Jaguar, the Austin Healey 3000, the MG, the '55 Chevy Bel Air 2 dr hardtop, and the 1940 Ford coupe. It's the last true British sports car, the vehicles that invented and defined the category. And its headlights don't suddenly go dark on a backroad at midnight. I've driven several but sadly have never owned one. Each time an opportunity came along I needed a vehicle that sat at least two (preferably 3) plus a large dog. But when the kid leaves for college soon and with the dog growing old, I swear I'll check owning a Miata off my bucket list.
The NC is the best. It had the only retractable that goes all the way down when you put the top down. It had a hydraulic power steering. It has the most room on the inside. And now it's gaining a lot of resale value to enthusiast. I would much rather have an NC than an ND. The ND is expensive. I bought my Kia Stinger GT for cheaper than an ND.
I think we have similar preferences in cars! I held on to my NC2 when the NDs came out. I finally purchased a 2020 RF GT last year to be my daily driver, but held on to my NC because I still really like that car, and it has a full ST. At 160,000, I’ve replaced the top, the battery, and put in new ignition wires. No other repairs. Any other things I did were really just some performance mods. After 3700 miles on the ND2, I am starting to appreciate it more. The suspension set up feels quite different to me, and it has taken some time for me to get used to it at its limits. There is some engineering magic going on there that I didn’t initially appreciate. I think the ND2 is a step forward in SOME ways, but NCs (NC2s especially) seem very under-rated. Buck for buck, a clean NC2 still seems like a no brainer to me. I keep telling young people waiting for the used ND prices to come down to stop waiting and pick up an NC. My utility vehicle is a 2020 Stinger GT2. Much preferred over my 2017 Mercedes E class which my wife totaled. It kept us safe, but we both much prefer the Stinger. I’ve met more than a few people with the Miata-Stinger combo.
I've had a Camaro and Mustang convertible rent a cars recently. While they both were fast, cornered well and generally real sports cars, but they were pigs. Huge cars, took the fun out of it. When they both had a back seat, they hold the same number of people as the MX5, two. Can't wait to drive one of these. HP doesn't make a car a sports car. I would say the MX5 is more sports car than most "sports cars".
In my mid 30s I saved every penny I could and purchased a 2001 SE British Racing green spec., sold it some years later. Got older and had the means to purchase my dream car, a Boxster S 2019. I told the guy at the Porsche dealership, the number of similarities between these two in handling, steering, overall feel, braking, etc., is a lot more then most people would think. Of course the Boxster is faster and more refined, but the price tag to go along with all of that! But in my sincere opinion after owning both, the MX5 is a true sports car and a convertible at that. It really is an outstanding value, and Sofyan's review is 100% spot on. I couldn't agree more.
I bought one in March 2021 and I can’t stop smiling when I drive the car. I call it my Covid car. We can’t travel and days seem to be the same, so I decided to buy the car as a way to get myself out of my daily rut. And guess what! It works. Love the car. It is the first car I’ve owned that makes me feel good,
I just bought the 2.0 litre 2021 Sport in Red It's the base model but its absolutley perfect. It has all you need for the road and unless you drive hard on the track it's not worth the extra dollars. What a fun car to drive, even my wife is taking lessons from me in it to learn to drive a manual gearbox as it's something she lusts after. Trust me if you are thinking of one don't think just buy. I couldn't be happier with it.
It’s funny, I’ve owned four 911s, including a manual GT3, but the car I will never forget is my 1997 Miata that I daily drove, autocrossed religiously, took from Miami to Hawaii and put over 225k miles on. I really want another one of these in my life.
Love Mazda’s well-balanced sportcars. Miss my 1st gen RX-7s, love my ‘09 MazdaSpeed3, and if it weren’t for 3 kids under 3, I’d be aiming for a Miata. Maybe a classic NA someday.... Love the reviews!
I'd LOVE to have one with the folding hardtop. I recently purchased a minty-mint, green, 1997 M-edition NA (after having owned a black/black '94 for 11 years, 11 years ago), and am already considering a second, which could be one of these. I saw a white one like this but with the folding hardtop... and "appreciate it for what it is." I don't care if it falls behind the others slightly in terms of numbers. I'm sure it feels just like a Miata to drive! And I sometimes PREFER to take up with the underdog, or the black sheep. I would LOVE to have one of these, to go with my NA.
"Affordable" is right. Out the door with some options, you'll probably get it near $30,000. If you have it all in cash, then great, but I bet 90% of buyers will finance. A good financing term should be roughly 3-4 years, so that interest doesn't cost you too much. At that rate, you're making monthly payments of roughly $800 plus tax so around $860 per month. If you actually have to pay your own mortgage and are completely independent, we're talking roughly $80,000 a year salary to actually be able to afford this car comfortably. Honestly, most Americans can't even afford, or maybe I should say shouldn't try to afford a $30,000 car, but hey that's why 60-84 months financing and leasing exist right? It's pretty much a trap honestly. Most cars nowadays are way too expensive.
My version of this as a young guy in the early 2000s was my used 1987 Honda Prelude. I bought it for $2,000 and sold it several years later for $1,000. I wish Honda would bring back that car's style/approach for a new affordable Prelude.
I mean, motortrend and caranddriver both tested got 0-60 in ~5.8 seconds for the manual version with a clutch dump of course. That is 100% sports car territory. Even though it only has 155-180HP, it weighs 2350lb. For reference, a mustang ecoboost weighs ~50% more!
I love my mx 5! I agree with everything he said. I have a 4wd vehicle and a truck and my mx5 is the fun car to drive. I had a BMW Z3 convertible but I didn't like it as much as I love my miata. I sold the z3 to fix up my miata❤️ there is something about driving it on the road that makes you feel at peace and everyone loves seeing it on the road
I'm desperately waiting for the mk8 golf r to come out in the US so I can figure out if I should get a second car (miata) or trade in my civic hatch for the golf r
Ok today 81degrees top down and burning around UKs Norfolk country lanes in Mizzey our 2016 ND icon special. You dont need 500 hp to have a blast. All you need is a MX5
The NC just doesn’t get enough love. The original NC1 had several freshened styling cues from the NA like the oval headlights that looked like the marker lights on the NA. The instrument panel was a modern take of the original. The hood bulge used to be a styling attribute until the ND. Then there’s the livability of the NC that truly makes it always the answer. Larger trunk and real glove box. More useable cup holders. Purists will hate the PRHT but it adds to the versatility while still being a true drop top and not a targa top like the ND. But what about how it drives? Hydraulic power steering! The ND is a fine car, but the steering feel is non-existent compared to the NC. I’ll admit the handling was a bit floppy but that seems to be true of every generation. The NC was a great car that was actually somewhat practical. Let’s give it the respect it deserves.
The record sales suddenly last month is kind of surprising, but Mazda overall has had a sales boom since last summer. And since $30k is now considered (sadly) very affordable especially compared to the competition it should honestly be selling more. I miss my 2018 Miata and would love to own the updated ND2, but the “unloved” NC is becoming popular now because prices had bottomed out. Now clean low milage examples, especially the NC2 Club trim, are going for almost $20k. I have always liked that one, and in some ways it is better than the ND.
Great review, snd I agree with all your points, but please don’t sell the car short by saying it’s just a fun weekend toy. I’ve been daily driving my ND1 for almost 3 years, including through NE Ohio winters (with a good set of winter tires those months). If you can learn to live with a small car, the Miata is a joy to drive every day!
Another great review! I LOVE the Miata and hope to get one soon. It reminds me of my old MG which I loved but better in every way. Miata just equals driving fun. It will be a sad day for driving enthusiasts all around the world if Mazda ever stops making this 6 speed, 3 pedal wonder.
I have a 2018 FIAT 124 Spider Lusso, in red, with soft top and 6 speed manual. It has a turbo engine, but otherwise is a clone of this car. I receive incredible comments wherever I go. The low-end torque and horsepower is ideal for the kinds of driving I do, along the rolling hills of CT. They were both made along side each other in Hiroshima. Have driven it for 3 years now, and it has been perfect since day one, with no issues, and an absolute pleasure to drive and own!
Love love love love the Miata!! When they used to do the Ride N Drive events I actually helped finish blowing up a motor in one!! But man are they a blast! If I could fit in the new one I would love to own one!
They didn't strengthen the internals for the ND2. They actually weakened them by making them lighter, so that the engine would breathe better and achieve a higher redline. This is why no reputable aftermarket supplier is making turbo kits for the ND2, the internals can't handle the extra stress from being boosted. If you want to turbo a ND miata, get an ND1.
I absolutely adore my daily '18 Fiat 124 Spider. I got it in auto a few years ago and have pining for the manual now that I know it's the right car for me. May have to trade up to one of these soon!
Thought about getting a Boxter but ... having fun at low / legal speeds made me get the ND. I had a NA and NC previously. All different, but all have a shared lineage that you can feel.
Can you do a MX5 2021 vs Toyota GR Supra 2021 comparison in driving experience and interior accoutrements? You could use footage from each existing review, and then do a talking head comparison.
