My Week with the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata 

I’ve owned an ND2 Miata for two and a half years. I daily drove it for two years straight going to and from school every day in Florida weather. Not a single complaint. If you’re on the fence on getting one, just do it. You won’t regret it. Amazing track car too and incredible after market support. Also, to your point Matt, that fuel economy is pretty insane. I was driving it really hard around town last weekend and was still averaging 35mpg.

Was torn between a BRZ and and an MX-5 in 2020. Chose the BRZ based on my love of Subaru. 6 months later I sold the BRZ. While it was a fun little car, it lacked something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Then 2021 I drove an ND2 and immediately learned what was missing…the open air, a true two seater and the feeling of being in a go-kart with airbags. I LOVED it. Ordered a Club with the BBS/Brembo/Recaro package and could not be more excited. Of course we’re lucky either of these cars still exist…

Take it from someone who sold his 2019 mustang GT PP for a 2021 miata rf gt. The miata is something special. Gets 40mpg on the highway , top comes down , awesome stereo and looks amazing . The subaru to me feels like a much slower but lighter version of a mustang or camaro . I was only able to get 27mpg on the highway at around 80mph in the subaru . Similar to my 460hp mustang.

I also believe the MX-5 is the best car to learn driving. It's an easy car to drive because it's small and agile with precise steering. And that allows you to more easily learn the hard part of driving: manual shifting and rear-wheel drive. And when you master those two, you can basically drive any car without too much difficulty. It's the perfect car to drive in Switzerland during summer.

Ended up getting a '22 BRZ, but I definitely get a little jealous when I see an ND miata cruising around. Such an awesome little car. The practicality of the BRZ made it the only real choice for me

No matter how I drive my ND2 RF I get 32mpg. With that and its small wheels and cheap to replace tires, it’s an easy car to own

I love the editing at 3:34 where we see all 3 models in quick succession...nice work

Love this Gen of the MX-5 Miata!

I bought a practically new / factory certified 2021 RF GT with 1100 miles a month ago and I'm having a blast driving it - over 90% of the time with top down. It has Deep Blue Mica paint and white leather interior - just love the unique color combination. I thought I did pretty well with the market to pay original MSRP as I have 3 years and over 46K miles left on bumper to bumper warranty. I didnt even consider the 86 / BRZ as I wanted a convertible and with those I don't even think you can get a sunroof.

I owned a near full bolt on e-60 2015 wrx for a few years with no mechanical issues. But there was something missing, so the 2020 Club RF filled that void. You know it's a great car when you don't feel the need to mod it.

I recently purchased a 2022 RF Club. very fun car to drive and it is very percise in cornering and I take it top down almost everywhere I can. I just finished the detail, polish, and ceramic coating myself. I considered a GR86 but the 10k dealer markup on the 86 made me steer away. I also looked at mustang gt and mach 1 which they also had a crazy markup, and the supra was no where to be found and that didnt come in a manual. I didn't want to pay over MSRP for a depreciating asset. This craziness will go away and I don't want to be holding the very large bag of negative equity. Miata came in at MSRP + taxes and Reg. so it was a good purchas.

I've got a similar story to others, Went for a 2022 RF GT for my first personally bought car (Others had parents help) and I have 0 regrets. Granted I am single and 25, but I havent needed any more space than it provides and I even learned manual on the car the week after buying. Its really an amazing car and I actually look forward to driving. If it fits your lifestyle go for it.

I want the RF Club. I'll be getting one here pretty soon.

Pretty much the car I have just 2 yrs newer. Perfect daily if u don't need extra space. Fun to drive, good mpg (which is more important these days), reliable, cheap to maintain and top down in good weather is amazing.

Great review Matt, the one Miata I owned years ago was amazing so can only imagine how much better this version is.

I've always liked the looks of the Miata. But I don't like convertibles, or even sunroofs, so ignoring that feature, the GR86 just becomes a more practical car. Especially with the hardtop Miata being almost $7k more. I still think the Miata looks better though.

I had a ND Miata and I just couldn’t live with it as my only car. It is a very fun car but a bit needed some more space and went BRZ.

I'm waiting for my 2022 Miata RF Club to be shipped from Japan. I drove a used ND1 at the beginning of the year and I was hooked. The sensation of speed in a Miata is like no other. It's like driving a Go Kart on the street. One more month and I should get it off the boat!

I bought one here in Portugal, the 1.5 Liter with all the extras except the BBS/Recaro/Bilstein (only available in the 2.0). I have it for a little more than 1 month, already put 4000 km on it, it's the best car I've ever owned. I bought this to stop riding bikes, and I'm so glad I did. I don't miss my bike one bit, and I'm 500% safer while having fun as well. Even my wife loves it!

Nd owner and I still love every day I get to drive it. So much fun

It’s designed to be real world “fun”. The Toybaru’s are a little more serious.

Great work as usual. I know we are comparing 3 light-weight rear wheel drive cars, and I have nothing against the BRZ or GR86, but I feel they are in a different market category to the Mazda. The Mazda is a fun, impractical, open top two-seater. I’m taking delivery of a new ND in a few weeks time, my second MX-5. The BRZ and GR8 were NEVER on my shopping list. I don’t need more seats, or a bigger trunk. You have to make a lot of compromises with MX-5 ownership, and that’s part of its magic. Open-top versions of the BRZ and GR86 would offer real competition to the MX-5, but until then in it’s in a class of its own.

I've regularly gotten my 2019 ND2 Club over 40mpg highway even with the top down. If you drive it like grandma with the top up and windows closed, it's not hard to get into the 40 range. My only nitpick is that Mazda should really be insulating the car better. Yes I know it's a small roadster, but I'm not referring to road noise. This has always been a bit of a grievance of mine with many of Mazda's cars, and I've had several. The interior trim panels of the ND are nice, but are prone to rattles due to a lack of sound deadening. There are areas where cheap plastic trim makes direct contact with other cheap plastic trim, and the firm ride exacerbates the problem. Sure it's possible to take the whole interior apart and apply sound deadening spray or even matting, but that shouldn't be on the owner. A little sound deadening material wouldn't add significant weight and is only a marginal cost. Most of the mid-premium segment does a nice job insulating interior panels to make their cars feel solid, upscale and expensive. Mazda definitely wants to play in that league, so they ought to be taking that more seriously too.

I love the ND1 and the ND2 Miata. My only complaint is at 6000-7000ft elevation it could use a bump in power. At Sea level it's perfect as is.

Your comment suggesting the Brembo brakes as unnecessary for the MX-5 secondary to it's light-weight - they actually perform well during spirited canyon runs, autoX, and track days as they resist fading (stock brakes - not so much).

Love the new MX-5. Considered one for a track car but went with an older Cayman.

I own a 2019 Grand Touring RF automatic in this beautiful Crystal Blue Metallic and I adore the car!! I love driving it.

Can't wait to buy an NC miata soon!!!! Giggling like a little girl every time I see one & fascinated by how much fun I'll have.

The Recaro seats in the ND2 I think are quite nice, very supportive and comfortable (they warm you up nice when it’s cold out as well) I’m surprised to hear anybody complain about them who isn’t just overweight perhaps. Anyway, the optional Brembo brakes / Light weight Forged BBS Wheels / heated Recaro seats package is not a “deal breaker” by any means. These things only add to the appeal of the car in meaningful ways. I suppose if you have to stretch your budget of course you just gotta settle for what you can actually afford.

I averaged almost 40mpg on a 600mile highway road trip, in an ND2. Best smiles per gallon car.

I own a new Miata in Red just like this tester in Grey.The reason the Miata doesn't slide as much is because it's tuned not to slide and the reason the other cars slide is because they are tuned to slide.Also the Miate has been around so long they have had more time to get it exactly right. Nice review.

I have a 2021 RF Club manual which we use as a weekend car. Got it for 34k OTD last year after all taxes/fees (34k was the sticker). I believe at that time the regular ND2 soft top they were doing for 27-29k OTD. I have a 2022 WRX for daily driver, previous gen miatas (mostly 1st generation NA) which I sold the past years. In the past had civic SI's, mazdaspeed3. The ND2 is by far, without any doubt or question, the best miata YET and my favorite car to drive of any I ever owned. I romp on it all day and still get 30-35mpg. Highway trips I have managed 40+ mpg with intention. It is responsive, nimble, flickable, sporty. The shifts are smooth like butter, especially downshifts and rev matching. The engine revs all the way up the band which I love. One thing I do not enjoy about the WRX is that it redlines so early and revs climb way too fast which is due to gearing and the engine but still. It is beautiful vehicle especially with the retractable hardtop which you cannot find on anything else in this price range whatsoever - it doesn't exist. I do wish the retraction mechanism was just a push button versus having to hold the button down for 12 seconds or so but no huge deal. Even the ND2 soft top, it is so easy to move the top up and down. For these reasons, I would pick the miata over the new GR86 or BRZ any day. I feel my RF is faster than my 2022 WRX to 60, and it actually might be which is quite amazing to consider being the wrx has a larger engine, turbo, awd, and 271 hp vs 180hp. Of course, the miata is lighter and smaller - which is exactly what makes it an absolute blast... I think even if the BRZ/86 had 240-250hp id still choose the Miata. There is something about that open air feeling, that just drives you to enjoy every mile a little more... smiles for days. Drive one!

I purchased a 2021 ND2 GT soft top last summer and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, I decided to sell it a couple months ago for a nice profit, and I have regretted it everyday since. Now I want to purchase another one (a Club model this time), but Mazda has basically stopped building them in order to preserve chip supply for their popular SUVs, so I probably won't be able to get one any time soon :'(

Would be nice to see you do a video comparison the different Miata’s NA thru ND. I’ve always enjoyed your reviews.

On the used market you can find a RF Club for like sub 30k

Hell yeah! I'm so happy you got another Miata to drive! I have a Soul Red Crystal George Mica Club BBR on order. I hope it gets here soon, there's only SO much new ND2 content out there.

I am routinely getting 36.5 mpg on my 2022 ND2 6spd manual Sport. Tire pressure is set at 32psi ( slightly over 29psi listed in door jam)w/ 16in wheels . I am running 93 octane and driving "normally".... Oh BTW- I purchased this in 12/23 ...A 2022 with 6300 miles and paid $25,800 plus tax, plates, ........The warranty was extended and with a fresh oil change, full tank of gas.

Miatas are gorgeous

Another solid review. Always informative & enjoyable. Strong work.

Want one of these but I live in New England where It snows a lot lol

'22 RF GT with 1800 miles so far here. Just got full rustproofing including doors and panels. Got Wintrac Pro tires. Ready to daily drive this thing for 150k miles or until they price me out of gas, whatever comes first. Driving manuals for over 25 years here and I've never had more fun on 4 wheels.

Great review…how come you haven’t purchased one yet? To me, the base Sport Miata is best value. I’m not a track person so I’d just drive it on back roads like you’re doing and run errands. No need for LSD! Now I daily drive an 2008 NC PRHT GT Miata. (It’s an automatic). I picked it up 3 years ago for $10k, it was too good a deal to pass up…even as an automatic I love it. So much fun. It had 78k miles then, and now pushing 100k. The Miata is a great daily for me. Nothing compares for value and fun! Especially if you find a clean used example. Sadly nice used ones are selling too high $$$ right now!

Rewatching this after the V8 ND review!

Interesting that it didn't seem tail happy. I'd say that's entirely down to the KPC system. My '19 was exceptionally tail happy until I replaced the stock Bridgestone S001 tires (which all ND owners should do, they're not good tires). The only other thing I've done to mine is replace the door bushings with solid bushings. That fixed a lot of the body flex issues, and got rid of a very unpleasant double motion in hard corners. I've had mine for over two years, and that's all I've done to it. I don't feel it needs anything else. I've come close to 40 mpg on some backroad cruises in the past.

Not stretching the gears and shifting sooner I am getting 42.5 MPG, I love it.

Miata is always the answer. 😉 I’ve been daily driving my ND1 soft top for almost 4 years now, and just hit 50,000 miles during a spirited drive in the twisties last weekend. Of the dozen or so cars I’ve owned it’s by far my favorite. I’ve considered a new GR86/BRZ, but will likely buy something else. I’m a big guy and the seats in the new sister cars are just too narrow. By the way, I average 35 mpg in my Miata in mixed driving. With premium gas over $5/gallon - and since I drive over 12k miles per year - fuel economy is important to me, which is another reason I’ll likely pass on the new GRZ twins.

Hubby loved his Miata convertible. The car was too small for me. I typically only have one car so my Mustang is a good daily driver with more room for trips and hauling stuff while still being a fun car.

I wish gas was also $4.69 where I live.

Excellent review. Very detailed. Lots of info.

I ordered this same exact Miata in April without the BBR package (probably won't get the car until August) and have been regretting not getting the package, but you made me feel much better about my decision!

The most fun car u can buy today, and the rf version looks incredibly sexy, especially when lowered, with bbs pack, and spacers, looks exotic.

I haven't driven the new 86/BRZ, but I have the old and the ND (not a '22 though). I do prefer the driving of the ND in almost every way. The BRZ felt a little numb to me. The steering was good, but the pedals felt very numb overall, especially the throttle. Conversely, the ND felt like any other miata, very familiar. I'm impressed with how much tech it has but the way it feels so much like an NB or an NC in terms of driving. Also agree the ND feels more composed in the tail-end, but if you hit a bumpy curve with it it bounces around in the tail a bit much. But the suspension in the 86 was no picnic either in similar situations, IMO, so guess you have to take it at face value given the price point. Amazing cars considering the price. Didn't realize the ND was 500lbs less, that's nuts. Think I'd go for the ND though in terms of driving around daily or for spirited drives. It's more enjoyable to drive IMO and it looks better IMO. Also, the convertible aspect is nice.

I love that blue. I have the 2018 mazda miata mx-5 in that same color. It's an amazing car.

Would love to just try driving one of these some day. Drove a friends clapped out NA and it was a hoot lol.

Hey what's happening Matt it's awesome driving a six speed manual transmission it's fantastic 😊❤

i personally feel,the premium-price is mainly because,regardless of 'soft-top or RF series' of the convertible-experience(s).the other cars compared are like most that are out there now,all fixed-roofs,other than a bmw z4 roadster there's nothing comparable and the whole 'not fast enough' blows me away,try a 2022 if you can(manual) and rev it out,i was hooked,impressed,and more than enough perfect power for ME in other words very quick and 'fast' enough,if you track or race then i cant offer no advice there,i will tell those reading you are surely,EXTREMELY feeling planted to the ground,and this car is extremely responsive,and lastly i will comment on MY RF =) there is NOooo,none at all, wind-buffeting,no discomfort to ones ears,no helio-drone in the ears etc unlike other cars out there.and the more ironic thing is, this is convertible with no wind-buffeting vs a fixed-roof-car with it.take my word for it...if my RF had the wind-buffeting,well,idve sold/traded it by now,i had that experience on a gmc and not long after, that truck was gone for that reason alone.

Happy Easter Matt! New flash on the 2024 Miata! I drove a GTRF yesterday and I liked the older models better! Steering felt heavy and more resistant to turn. Suspension felt too stiff for me. Resolution of screen in r Reverse still grainy with small picture even with a larger screen! Overall nothing to like more except the center console was a little better, but not much. Price is higher at $40k plus. Only Buy used …

And also nice chirp. :D

The GR86 and BRZ requires premium fuel in addition to the lower epa ratings. They are also incredible cars, but with the current high fuel costs, it would make a difference.

I've been looking closely at the ND2. I own a mildly modified NC2 GT 6MT PRHT, and I could not be happier with it. I go on drives with no destination, just for the fun of driving. Maybe in the future I'll get an ND2.

Thanks for your review and information 👍 ❤

Hi Matt, love your review. Does your vehicle has bilstein dampers? Is the ride harsh/uncomfortable/jittery compared to GT? I hear varying feedback but love to get your thoughts on it.

Forget it, I need to slide. Every day before I go to work, I slide all over my neighborhood and then in the evening when I come home I slide all over again, and then late at night I want to slide again.

For anyone whose owned a Miata, how do they perform in the winter months? Its a vehicle I wouldn't mind thinking about in the future but in the midwest here, we have snow/ice in the winter months

I had an ND1 and loved it. Wish I could have kept it but daily driving this at 6'3" was a bit of a big ask.

In California the 2022 GR86 auto is $42,000 with the dealer markup.

Great video, thanks!

The improve “software” is ok , but it’s perfect overall…go ND2 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Just traded my NC 2008 PRHT for a new 2023 RF GT, well equipped for MSRP of $37,500. It’s got Bilstein shocks and an LSD and it’s a manual. Soul Red and beautiful. To me it’s a good value since nothing else out there which is affordable, except Mustang, in a fun to drive convertible. The Boxster and the Z4 are much more money and not more fun to drive.

I bought a club in Sept 21 and got 3K off the sticker so I only paid 28K. I was interested in the 86 but I couldn't even find one to test drive

Good review! I'm surprised that this Miata is more difficult to oversteer because my ND on the stock Potenza tires drifted very easily, especially in wet or dusty roads. So I assume the new posture control is the culprit for this.

I could upgrade my daily and save my RX-8! This looks awesome man

Amazing bargain! Great review.

Have you drove a sport trim? Is the club to harsh for city and highway?

I know they get great reviews, but man that's a lot of money so spend on a two seater that's not practical and doesn't have a little more HP.

Hey @MattMaranMotoring, pretty specific question here but hope you see it. I wanted to know if you thought the pedals were totally fine in the ND2 or if optioning the aluminum pedals for 450 bucks would be worth it. Generally on my fun cars, I have aluminum pedals if only just for the more premium look but wanted to get your hit on if they are worth it. Thanks!

Why compare this Pure Roadster to sporty family cars like the GR86 and the BRZ? That and the 'ol cup holder complaint and the small trunk and not having a sizable glove compartment, a glove compartment is for gloves and they take up no space at all.

Problem is inflation is going up but wages have been stagnant if not negative now 20 years later..

@Matt, how is it compared to the Bullitt?

This reminds me of my 2019 Civic Coupe LX… kidding. Although I will say it rides well and the 2.0L is punchy.

I wonder what it feels like driving this car for a weekend trip, something like 6-8hrs trip.

would you pick the Miata or GR86? for a sole daily vehicle?

I’m 6’2 so I’m not sure if I fit well. In the 86 I was pretty comfy

is it the light making this like light blue grey colour or it is the dark machine grey colour?

Pretty sure if you shut off the traction control them the KPC is also shut off

I came close to buying one a few months ago but ultimately found the non-Recaro seats to be of very poor quality. Given the high price to add the Recaros, I'm going to wait and hope for refreshed infotainment and a heated steering steering wheel. I also fully do not fit in the RF with the roof closed.

Do you happen to know if the Recaro seats offer any more or less legroom? I am 6' tall and was wanting the slightest bit more when I sat in the standard seats.

Are inside small? Feel comfortable?

Yeah buddy

Whats with the monster truck ride height 😂

I have a new Mx 5 just be warned the KPC doesn't work if you turn off the traction control.Mistake by Mazda because any good driver would turn off the traction control.

I got 40mpg with my ND1 on the highway.

It is easier to lose body weight than to gram light strategy. Buy used and modify.

"I rather drive a slow car fast, rather than a fast car slow". Which lightweight sports car should you get? "Miata is always the answer".

I don't understand why every single car reviewers talk about drifting... On the streets.

Coworker has a rf

Hey Matt, was this Miata more fun than Elantra N

Miata is the best fun car!

I would get the $27k Miata. Ill wait for even better prices.

They kept the price down, but can you even get one at MSRP. I doubt it.