2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata

　　

2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata Review

byChristian WardlawCorrespondent

　　Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at zzdcar and was the first editor-in-chief of zzdcar.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.

　　In the decades since the original Mazda MX-5 Miata revived the notion of a pure, affordable two-seat sports car with a convertible roof, many automakers have tried to replicate its success. But they've all pretty much given up, and the Miata is still the go-to choice after four generations and more than 30 years of near continuous production.

　　For 2022, the Miata gets yet another engineering tweak to enhance its fun-to-drive nature in the form of Kinematic Posture Control (KPC). The way Mazda describes it, KPC is a brake-based technology that can reduce body roll, improve steering response, and enhance the effectiveness of the car's available limited-slip differential. Simply put, when taking corners at high speed, KPC applies light braking to the car's inner rear wheel to pull the car down on that corner. You can read more about what our test team thinks of it in our Expert Rating below.

　　There is another change for the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata: An automatic transmission is now available only with top trim, where it is an option. All other Miatas have a six-speed manual gearbox, which, if you ask us, is as it should be. The Miata is simply at its best when you get to row your own gears.

　　Few two-seat convertibles remain available, and the MX-5 Miata is the most affordable one you can buy. There's a case to be made for considering the redesigned Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 instead since they share many of the Miata's qualities but are more practical and livable. But, as always, we expect the Miata to weather the test of time and continue to provide unadulterated driving joy.

　　

What's it like to live with?

Since Mazda last redesigned the sports car for the 2016 model year, we've twice put a fourth-generation Miata into our long-term testing fleet. You can see what we thought of living with the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata and how significant changes altered satisfaction with the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Now that Kinematic Posture Control is standard, we might need to add a 2022 edition to the rotation. You know, in the name of science. And fun.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Good

　　7.9

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

9.0/10

　　How does the MX-5 Miata drive? Mazda's latest upgrade to the Miata is what it calls Kinematic Posture Control. It's a brake-based torque vectoring system that Mazda says should help the car turn in during harder driving, but the new system didn't make much of an impression during our time with the venerable roadster. We could feel the system working (and we could smell the brakes after a hard session on our test track), but it didn't make too much of a difference.

　　Even so, the Miata is a light, nimble, precise and easy-to-drive sports car even when you're pushing its limits. At our test track, our manual-equipped Miata accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. That's respectable but a bit off the pace of the Subaru BRZ (6.1 seconds) or a hot hatch such as the VW Golf GTI. Braking performance is solid, and we measured a stop from 60 mph in just 113 feet.

　　

Comfort

7.5/10

　　How comfortable is the MX-5 Miata? Small two-seat roadsters aren't known for comfort, but the Miata is surprisingly livable in the day-to-day grind. You'll notice big lumps and bumps in the road as the Miata tends to crash over pavement that's in poor shape, but smaller imperfections are much more muted. For many on staff, the Miata seats are one of the high points of the interior — they're supportive and comfortable — and the seat heaters do a great job of warming you up during chilly excursions. That said, a few editors found the seats to be a bit oddly padded and bolstered in odd places.

　　One unfortunate reality of the Miata — you'll be shocked to read this, we know! — is its exceptional amount of wind noise. The cabin can be a truly uncomfortable place to be with the top up on the highway. Shouting is occasionally required to speak with passengers. An alternate solution is to drive with the top down and the windows up while you enjoy the Miata's unlimited headroom. It's going to be a bit noisy anyway.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below