By Derek Price
Automotive Writer
When Mazda announced an all-new MX-5 Miata was coming out for 2016, it was almost like a doctor saying my baby needs to have a heart, lung and face transplant.
It’s this little roadster, after all, that made me fall in love with cars in the first place. I’ve got an emotional connection to this car that borders on insanity after owning Miatas for years and even helping to found a Miata Club in Arkansas more than a decade ago.
Saying “new Miata” to me is like saying “new Taj Mahal.” Can you really take a bulldozer to it and make it better?
At Mazda’s invitation, I went all the way to California to find out.
For starters, you’ve got to understand what makes the Miata such a special car to drive. It’s about the connection to the road, the wind in your hair, the handling that makes you feel at one with the car, and the sense of speed even when you’re driving slowly. This has been the essence of the Miata ever since it was introduced back in 1989 as a ’90 model.
It’s one of the rare cases in the car-marketing world where “it’s just like the old one” is actually a selling point.
After selling nearly 1 million copies, the Mazda Miata is getting a complete overhaul for 2016. The new car should keep enthusiasts happy by staying true to the original Miata that launched a quarter century ago.
To make that case, Mazda compares the all-new Miata to the 26-year-old version in several ways. It weighs only 182 pounds more than the original, despite getting bigger and adding today’s government-mandated safety features. Adjusting for inflation, its starting price is even lower than the original. And it was developed with the same Japanese “jinba ittai” philosophy as the original, inspired by the sense of a horse and rider working together as one body.
There are plenty of differences compared with the outgoing third-generation Miata design, though.
It gets a new engine that’s 25 percent more fuel efficient and, surprisingly for a sports car, slightly less powerful. Mazda says the horsepower was scaled back to help with its handling balance and because its lighter weight means more power is not needed. Even with the power reduction, it’s still faster than the outgoing car because it weighs so much less.
Enthusiasts will understand that; horsepower nuts might not.
The convertible top is even easier to operate now, with a spring-loaded release and only one latch to use. You can raise it with your pinkie finger (literally — I tried it.)
The glove box has been eliminated, replaced by two small storage bins behind each of the front seats. That’s Mazda’s biggest, and perhaps only, mistake on this car because it takes away one of the Miata’s very few nods to practicality.
The Miata’s cabin is roomier than ever, despite the body dimensions shrinking slightly. It eliminated its glove box, though.
The body is slightly smaller and dramatically prettier than the outgoing model. In person, it’s a stunning car to look at from any angle. Despite the outside dimensions shrinking, though, the inside of the car is actually roomier than ever before, helping us 2015-size people fit more comfortably.
None of that matters, though, if the Miata doesn’t deliver all the right sensations over the road. And fortunately, Mazda absolutely nailed the driving feel of this car, creating the only vehicle on the planet that legitimately tempts me to give up my beloved first-generation Miata.
Driving through the winding canyon roads of Southern California — one of the prettiest places on Earth in one of the most joy-inducing cars on Earth — I got a nice preview of what heaven might feel like if I manage to live a good life.
At a Glance
What was tested?
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring ($30,065). Options: None. Price as tested (including $820 destination charge): $30,885
Wheelbase: 90.9 in.
Length: 154.1 in.
Width: 68.3 in.
Height: 48.6 in.
Engine: 2.0-liter I4 (155 hp, 148 lbs.-ft. torque)
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Estimated Mileage: 27 city, 36 highway
RATINGS
Style: 10
Performance: 10
Price: 10
Handling: 10
Ride: 7
Comfort: 7
Quality: 10
Overall: 10
Video Review:
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata
bit.ly/16miata
Why buy it?
It maintains the spirit of the original Miata, plain and simple. It’s about the pure joy of driving and is a wonderful, gorgeous, back-to-basics improvement over the third generation of this legendary roadster.