The 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club Is Still A Perfect Weekend Topless Sports Car 

I absolutely love the MX5. This spec with the brembo package and in their soul red color is sex on wheels. The only thing about the MX5 I don't like is that it has gotten very expensive. The club trim with the BBS/Brembo package is 37k unfortunately. Also the used market nowadays does not favor this car either. I think in 2022 this is a problem considering the GR86 is significantly less money. Even though not a convertible I think the GR86 handles better and probably give you more bang for your buck handling wise. The used alternative would be a first generation Z4 which can be had between 10k-20k for a 3.0i or 3.0si model. Thanks for the review and keep up the great work!

Lovely review, I love my nd too!! But looking at what a horrible prospect the mx30 is I don’t get why mazda doesn’t pull an i3->mini electric and just put that drivetrain in the mx5 reversed.

A complete redesign is much needed.

So. Sophian, how come you sold the car? I have the CX 50, but I am really considering trade in for RF. Do you think it’s worth it?

Why did you sell your 2016?

My husband and I just bought a white GT last Saturday. We also got a great deal since the 2023s are out! We both love it! I have a GTI which is fantastic but when I drive the Miata it puts a huge smile on my face and it is so much fun to drive! It’s the best! My favorite!

Which Mazda dealer is that?

Bob Moore Mazda in Oklahoma City. As an update to this story...I owned that 2022 Mx-5 for less than 3 months before being involved in an accident that totalled the car. The MX-5 had less than 800 miles on it. I was uninjured except for a very sore arm, shoulder and bruised temple. After settling with the insurance company, I was able to locate and buy a similar new 2022 Mx-5 about 100 miles away for around $2500 less than I paid for the original. I'm just as pleased with it as I was with the other...especially since I've consistently averaged over 42 mpg in the city and almost 48 mpg on the 100 mile trip back from when I bought it.

Congratz man!

@larsgbg2304 thanks..

Electrification will kill the light weight fun of this car.

I feel like at the right price an electrified version would be like a fun weekender car that you wouldn’t mind your freshly licensed teen to drive. I think if done right it’d be a dope option

Totally agree. Losing out in the engagement on a manual transmission is the end of the MX5.

How about supercharged?

Amen

💋💋💋💋💋💋😜😜🍌🍌👈👈

You are FOS! The ND2 engine upgrade makes the car. Your ND1 has a crap econobox version of the engine from the base Mazda 3. Yuck!!

I see what you're saying. I have an ND2 but rarely rev it to 7k+. It's a good engine, but I actually prefer the turbo engine in the Fiat 124.

@@horatiotimewaster5755 I test drove a 2017 Fiat 124 Spyder Abarth with Brembo brakes & found the clutch pedal to be very heavy in traffic. That shifter felt very finicky in the Abarth missing shifts from a stop thinking I was in 1st but instead in 3rd. Turbo lag was not fun. The next day is when I went to the Mazda dealer to test drive a 2016 MX-5 Club soft top. Basically the same car in the same color. The clutch pedal was super light & throttle response was instant. In turns it also felt more athletic. It was a magical feeling driving in that MX-5. The dealer even extended my test drive ( it was 15 minutes past closing on a Saturday ) thru the weekend asking me to come back Monday after work to make a decision. I drove that car 240 miles in a little more than a day. My trade in car stayed in their dealer lot. Monday I was there after work with my checkbook ! 6.5 years later I still think it was one of my best decisions. So my experience in back to back test drives !

I am looking for the rf 2.0 184hp here in Italy. I love it. But are only few around. And thats also why I like it. Its unique

Agreed! I chuckled when Sofyan was wishing for power and cooled seats. He also complained about the trunk, which I think is very roomy for such a little car. The interior feels way tighter than The NA,though.

wow

Get a use one. These cars depreciate a lot.

@@jocamp5 I've looked, they're difficult to find at my location. And the ones I've found are still around the msrp for a used one. But I'm still looking 😁

@@jocamp5 That’s totally false unless you totally abused the car and trashed it. The ND2 Miata specifically with the manual transmission is still worth almost as much as a new one. I could sell my 2020 RF today for nearly what I paid for it 2 years and 15,000 miles ago.

I’ve heard folks say the Miata is overpriced. To realize this is not a parts bin car , almost everything in the Miata is specific to the Miata . You take a look at the underside and realize it’s engineered really good at that price point .

@@jocamp5 no they don’t lol

Exercise more.

The Soul Red Metalic is the only color that I like The other colors are boring and not a match with the Miata.

Yes, it's classy looking n goes from silver to gold based on the lighting.

Former ND1 Miata owner. I’m sure the ND2 engine is better, but here’s the thing - there isn’t any new car that has the engine characteristics similar to a K20. It doesn’t exist. I would argue that the ND2 Miata is probably the closest thing you can get. I don’t know of any 4 cylinders sold today that rev to 7500 besides the ND2.

Drove the ND2 and S2000 back to back, F22 motor is in a whole different league, especially in high rpm when VTEC kick in.

@@Baggged_LC I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. The ND2 is the much better motor for daily driving as it makes more torque earlier.

@@jameshuegli3534 It's also just quicker, lighter and safer in general.

I'm 70 and I realized if I was ever going to buy a Miata I better get going. I bought a 2023 red RF GT. It's the only color I liked. I fell in love with it and still love it. It's about as practical as a screen door on a submarine but dang it's fun!

That is a great color, actually... very distinctive. I still wish Mazda would give us a dark green, though.

GASSY?

I will say the GT's does lack lumbar support. I unzipped the back of the seat and put a lumbar pillow inside which actually pushes The lumbar area out in the seat from the inside back. Much better now And you would never know that the lumbar pillow is inside the seat back.

That is exactly the spec I got in SRC of course. In Europe the sport package is an extra 1500€ as compared to the GT line. But before (eventually) modifying the suspension I wanted to try the “normal” trim. Even the sport package is too soft for me most probably and I did not wanted the BBS wheels but original Mazda rims. Recaro seats were also not a must have for me. So I went for the exact trim you are describing. Furthermore, one car was available at the dealership with these exact specs. So I called my wife, got the green light 😂 and got the car 😊. It was that or waiting at least 8 to 10 months. Got it in June and had a blast with it this summer. My reasons for getting the car were the exact same ones as yours: it is an analog car, a non-electrified car, a light car, it comes with a minimum of electronics or assistance BS. The NE might be great but the EU rules are a major concern, especially safety requirements (assistance that is useless). So the ND appeared to me as the Last of the Mohicans and I jumped on it while it still exists.

Why not not buy a base with a manual and save more all power and performance needed for ordinary non track cruising at best value?

@@rembo183 The GT has MANY features that only it gets... active headlights, navigation, auto climate control, leather seats, etc. These creature comforts make it well worth the price, in my opinion. If you're not interested in those features, you can certainly skip the GT, but I want that stuff. It's the overpriced Club performance package that I think is useless.

@@dlg5485 - I agree!

@@dlg5485 nice choice

Digital speedometers, to me, look less sporty and more artificial.

Absolutely not. The center tach and speedo being analog is what makes this car so special. The only other current car that has a setup like this is the Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman and those are six figures.

Have you tried gluing a tablet to the tach? That would give you what you want and keep everything analog for a vast majority of MX5 owners.

Have someone help you to learn to read a clock.

Rip the dash from a CX-30 and it'd be perfect.

Rear springs in the club are stiffer.

@@denizsarigul Not according to Mazda. Same Bilstein shocks, springs, and strut tower. Same part numbers.