@Jubbal & Cars - I would just like to clarify some things for potential future buyers of the ND MX-5. The Club model does not come standard with the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package. This package is a $4,500 option and brings the MSRP on a Club model to $37,610 (in Snowflake White Pearl Mica and including destination charge) for 2023. Another thing to note is that the Grand Touring (GT) trim of the ND if purchased in 6 speed manual comes with all of the performance hardware that the Club model gets as standard. This includes the Limited Slip rear differential, Bilstein shocks, and strut tower brace. I believe this is the case from 2020 on GT models. In 2019 (first year of the ND2 you could option something called the GT-S package and this got you the performance hardware of the Club on a GT for that model year. The GT is also only about 15 pounds heavier vs the Club. This is for the drop top roadsters and the weight numbers are directly from Flying Miata. The GT also has many nice extras that can only be had by going to a GT. One of these extras from the GT package that I never hear mentioned by anyone during testing or reviews is the double layered/insulated canvas top that only comes on the GT. This alone is pretty big if you will be driving your car daily on busy interstates where you’re traveling at higher speeds and around semi trucks and what not. The GT has a much quieter cabin space with the top up vs the Club or Sport under these conditions. I thought I’d share this because I hear the misconception that the Club comes with the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package as standard AND for less money than the GT come up pretty often when people review the ND Club model.
Back in March of 2017 when I bought my Club soft top with the Brembo / BBS package I paid NO WHERE near $4,400 for that ! In today' world of inflated prices & dealers asking OVER MSRP you can say I stole it !
Unless you're planning on doing a lot of track time or autocrossing, no, the Club model with the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package is definitely NOT the package to get. If all you're going to do is drive your Miata on the street, which describes 99% of all Miata buyers, then you actually pay quite a bit more to get quite a bit less with this particular trim package. This package costs $37,610, not the $31K Jubal mentioned. Meanwhile, the GT soft top w/ manual in Snowflake White Pearl Mica costs $34,600. So, you actually pay $3,010 MORE for this package than for the GT, and with the GT you can walk right into your local dealership and purchase it on the spot, at a healthy discount. With the Club model, you have to order it and wait. Mazda offers the Club only on an individual-order basis now. Dealerships do not receive regular allocations of the Club, as they do with the Sport and GT. More importanly, the ONLY component of this Club w/ Brembo/BBS/Recaros package that might offer you any real benefit on the street is the different seat, and even that's debatable. Some people simply can't stand the Recaro seats, because those people do not fit in them. They end up sitting on the bolsters, rather than between them. Very uncomfortable. The intrusive metal frames bother a lot of people, as well. Additionally, those non-breathable alcantara inserts in the Recaros are hotter in summer than the perforated leather of the GT, and the alcantara doesn't wear as well over time. On the street, no one will ever notice the very slight weight difference between the BBS wheels and the GT's much prettier dark silver alloys. Accounts vary, but the general consensus is the Club's BBS wheel is only a pound or so lighter than the GT's wheel. Whatever the actual number, it's an entirely negligible difference. Ditto, the Brembo brakes. No one on the street is braking hard enough, often enough to stress the stock GT brakes, which are more than up to the task of confidently stopping the 2,341-lb GT soft top w/ manual. As with the BBS wheels, any benefit of those Brembos will be negligible at best on the street. For most drivers, the BBS and Brembos offer nothing more than a Placebo Effect. Combined with the tiny black lip spoiler and front air dam, what you really receive for your extra $3,010 is a different seat and a sporty appearance package. On the track, yes, the Club with the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package is probably worth the extra money. For the street, however, compared to the GT, again, you just paid $3,010 more for your Club, and this is what you're missing: perforated leather seats; auto on-off headlights; adaptive (swiveling) front lighting; automatic high-beam control; rain-sensing wipers; body-colored Snowflake White Pearl Mica mirrors; heated mirrors; auto-dimming driver's side mirror; high-gloss dark silver painted alloy wheels; an additional layer of sound-proofing insulation on the soft top; automatic climate control; auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink; black doorsill trimplates with stainless steel inserts; Sirius 3-year Traffic and Travel Link subscription (traffic, weather, sports scores, fuel prices, nearby parking or parking by destination); Mazda Navigation System. With the GT you also get all of the Club's standard upgraded hardware: LSD; Bilstein shocks; stiffer springs; front strut-tower brace. Bottom line, the GT is the better trim package by far, unless you're a track junky, and/or you really love the Recaros and the look of the blacked-out appearance package. Otherwise, if you will primarily or exclusively drive your MX-5 on the street, save yourself a ton of money and get the far better equipped, nicer to live with, equally sporty and competent GT.
@@stms4411 Of course it does. It gives you a lot more than the Club. Minus the Club's expensive Brembo/BBS/Recaro package, there is no reason to get the Club over the GT. The GT has the Club completely covered.
Loved my ND2. In a perfect world, it was my perfect street car. I've had 4 different Miatas as my daily driver over the years, but with how the average American drives these days, I no longer felt like it was safe enough for me or my passenger. Way too many close calls with texting CUV/SUV drivers that didn't see me at all, not that they even bother to look anymore.
I daily an NB in Los Angeles & it often feels like ninja assassins are coming to kill you! I won't let other peoples lack of skill or attentiveness tell me what I should drive though!
I guess it's all in where you live. I wouldn't have one of these in Atlanta, D.C., nor any other large city, not thinking of accidents, but theft and having the top cut open, etc...
When I bought my 2023 MX5 GT, it was the 4th of the ND's I've had. I wasn't looking for a Cadillac, I was looking for a Sportscar, a Roadster. Cup holders.. I don't eat or drink in my cars. I used to smoke and looked for ashtrays, but now I Vape and do not need an ashtray these days. I have to have a straight stick roadster, rag top and this car is all of what a driver looks for and I'm 78 years old, and not simile.
I opted for an older ND1. Installed an OFT on it, raised rev line to around 7200 + little bump in power. All in I saved about 50% off a new for a very well built car. Still great value for the money. If I could financially afford a new one, I would buy a new one. I do miss my NA '94. But this one is plenty fun.
2016 MX-5 Club soft top owner with the Brembo / BBS package driving it daily in 4 seasons for 6 years. Artic White too so it looks exactly like your ND2 Club press car. I have a little more torque off the line in the ND1 & its quick but I have to shift earlier as it runs out of revs. Envy those roads you have out in CA ! Its been a great car though thru some of the absolutely worst weather conditions. Great car !
I owned an AP1 S2000 for 5 years. I currently own a 30th AE ND2. Each has its unique character but both are amazing machines to drive. I am pretty sure my ND2 will be a keeper for life. @jabbal, If you are ever in the Tucson area and want to take mine (w/ proper suspension setup) for a spin on Mt Lemmon, hit me up.
Well RedCarrot, I live in South Carolina and close enough to the winding roads of N. Carolina and Tennessee to have fun in my 2023 MX-5 GT, the 4th one I've owned so far. Being 78 I find it hard to take long trips in the car, but will do it sometime this summer for sure.
That is a joke but some may believe it. Going 70 in a 35 could be deemed dangerous by AI and video could be banned😅 Thus s 3:17 haded on purpose. On a racecourse speedometer would be clear.
I’ve always been interested to take one of these for a drive. In terms of purchase decision though, the looming possibility of a used S2000 is a pretty potent thing to consider. These look fun though.
I’d drive both before making a decision. S2000 is more hardcore with appropriate advantages & disadvantages. I’m older so Miata or BRZ make the terrible roads where I live bearable. Nothing is more fun than lightweight cars & curvy roads
Hey Jubbal, when would we get to hear if 2024 Miata fixed the steering issues with new rack? Seems like some dealers are already have it on lot, looking forward to you driving it.
The ND2 RF Grand Touring is my sole daily driver. No interior space issues as a 5'7 guy, even with my gf in the passenger seat. Perfectly fine doing regular grocery runs and 99% of other transport needs. Bringing full size (not carry on) luggage for two on a weeklong trip? Heh No. Picking up an air conditioning unit from Lowes? Nope. Buying 60inch picture frames from Michaels? Again no. But in the more than 3 years ive had mine, those are literary the only instances where cargo space has ever been an issue, so i just planned ahead for them.
Have you ever driven an NC Miata? Steering is way better than ND and still hydraulic. The car in general is arguably more analog. Might be an interesting comparison!
Thanks for a great video and review. I'm looking at the upcoming ND3 in blue with beige roof and interior, but everytime I get into my weekend lowered MR2 Spyder on these sort of roads in the Adelaide Hills, I find myself yelling "what they hell was I thinking? Wohoo!"
There’s a company that does an ls v8 swap on these also. What beast that is. ND1 also can be turbo or supercharged. And I also believe there is a company BBR that does tuning on the euro models and gets about 220hp with just some cams and tune on the nd2. That’s the route I’d take. A 2021/2022 nd2 rf with some suspension bits from “flyin miata” or “good-win racing” and the BBR tune in an rf club with the “bbb” package (brembo/bilstein/bbs) and heated recaro seats with Bose sound system.
The Club and GT manual are mechanically identical with each other, so there is no performance difference. I'd get the GT for the extra comfort/luxury features, since you're not giving anything up and there's not a huge price difference.
Correct you get the LSD if you choose the manual on the GT. You also get the same Billistein suspension as the club on the GT. Literally the only difference is brakes, wheels, and Ricaro seats. While the GT come with leather seats. No performance differences other than stopping.
@@mikekern6577 And the stopping part is largely irrelevant on a vehicle that weighs 2400 pounds. The standard brakes are just fine, but they can easily be upgraded if you want the comforts of the GT and better brakes.
Had a hard choice with this recently...some of the features on the GT are pretty nice, autodimming mirrors are probably a godsend in a car this height, but ultimately went with a club.
@@chrisx5127 2k more than what? It depends on how you configure the Club. If you're looking at a loaded club with the Brembo/BBS package, that's the most expensive Miata you can buy. I loaded GT is significantly less than that.
LOL...nice job blurring out the speedo on some of those accelerations! I just bought basically the same car ('23 Club w/Brembo/BBS/Recaro package) and am loving every drive!
not that i'm a race car driver but last time i was in the super tight canyons around malibu there was an ND2 miata stuck to my bumper, i think they're a bit more nimble in really tight canyon situations.
Perfect road for an ND. I have the lower power 1.5. Last year in the Scottish Highlands I was following a tuned Golf GTI with double the power and lowered stiffened suspension. We were followed by an Aston Martin DB9. After 20 minutes in close possession the golf let me past (no straights to safely overtake). I left them both way behind me. I caught up with them later in the day. The GTI driver wanted to know what mods I had made. He couldn't comprehend that it was a stock base model. The Aston Martin driver said he was faster than me in the straights but couldn't get any power down on the bends where I was destroying them. Not bad for 131bhp.
@@andyhart5669that's why the car is fun. And most people will never know because they have never driven one and some of them never will because it's an underpowered japanese car. They will never get it.
Boy u got that right! Owned na n nb but sold my Audi recently to go back to Mazda after retirement. Carmax let me borrow a 2018 for a day n was too small, goofy screen, n wow detached electric steering-not inspiring….. Drove a one owner 37k 2013 prht n within 2 minutes I was sold👍
I read about carbon buildup in the direct injection Skyactive. That makes me think I won’t get longevity. Is there a way to prevent premature engine issues?
Its a shame Mazda don't offer the delightful 1500 cc engine, in all markets around the world Its the engine they deigned the car around in the first place, and NO the MX5 doesn't need more power, in the 2 Litre engine. What the car really needs is a far more focussed suspension set up, and much stiffer sway bars, front and rear. The car doesn't need more power as its always better to drive a car with less power, on the limit
I don't think you should have turned the TC off. I think that also turns the kinematic posture control off and having that on is probably preferable. The difference for street driving is probably small but that is just something to bear in mind.
Rev matching is so easy bruh, especially in a sports car like this with a good throttle response. You can teach it to a complete manual novice in an hour. It's stick shift driving 101. Honestly, I don't understand wanting to drive a manual but then wanting a computer to blip the throttle for you. It's taking away so much of the experience. With auto blip, you don't ever have to heel and toe downshift which is the most fun you can have with three pedals and a stick. What's the point?
Will it be able to maintain highway speeds. I hear they have a hard time keeping up with traffic on highway if there is a headwind and you have to keep it at full throttle to do 80 mph in windy conditions or on a hill
Yes, 85mph not a problem, that’s about 3200 RPMish in 6th. Going up a significant hill, one should be in 5th or possibly 4th depending if they want to maintain or accelerate.
A Miata is faster and has better power-to-weight than most trucks and SUVs. They can do 140+ mph. It's a freaking sports car. Why would anyone think they would have trouble maintaining highway speeds? Lol
I have 2 na6s. They are approaching masochistic to own and daily. Rust, electronics, every soft rubber anything. The main competitor for nd2 miata is NB2 miata. Look at all the stupid crap in this nd interior. This car will be the last good used car you can get in 15 years though
Can you custom order a soft top ND with the mirrors and windshield frame paint matched instead of black? So you could get a paint matched removable hardtop?
@@KennyKnoxify I want a miata but convinced myself it not practical especially here in Minnesota. And I don't have any other vehicle. Life is just ugh lol.
It’s under powered even for a economy car. This is 2023. Put a motor in the thing what is the problem? Mazda just keeps putting the same stupid engine in it year after year
