2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertible

　　

2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata Review

byMark TakahashiCorrespondent

　　Mark Takahashi has worked in the automotive industry since 2001. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Mark has also contributed to Motor Trend, Auto Aficionado, Chevy High Performance and several motorcycle magazines in various roles. Mark is also a juror on the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and can be seen regularly on the zzdcar YouTube channel and sometimes representing the company in media interviews.

　　

Pros

Fun and engaging to drive, even at low speedsOne of the most fuel-efficient sports cars you can buyManual soft top is easy to raise or lower quicklyRespectably smooth ride

Cons

Not much room to stretch out insideCan't fit much stuff in the trunkCabin gets loud at highway speeds, even with the top up

What's new

Possible redesign in for 2024Part of the fourth MX-5 Miata generation introduced for 2016

　　

Overview

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is the poster child for automotive fun. Since its debut in 1989, this two-seat drop-top roadster has thrilled drivers with its inspiring agility. The current fourth-generation Miata has been in production since 2016, which puts it at an eight-year run and suggests a redesign is in the works. A handful of spy shots confirm Mazda is working on something new, and executives have confirmed the Miata will return.

　　It's unclear at the moment if the fifth-generation Miata will be a 2024 or 2025 model. With almost no official information we're left to speculate, so here are some of our best guesses. We're confident that the Miata will continue with an internal combustion engine and it will likely remain a four-cylinder that makes around 200 horsepower. We would hope a manual transmission remains because Miatas have historically provided some of the best three-pedal experiences. But these days there's no guarantee. We also expect it to be rear-wheel-drive only.

　　Wilder predictions involve a mild hybrid system, but that might add too much weight to the featherlight Miata. That also makes a fully electric model unlikely because it would be a challenge to squeeze enough batteries into the small roadster to provide an effective, competitive range.

　　If we're wrong on the timing of a new Miata, we expect the 2024 model to return in much the same form, though perhaps we'll get some special-edition models to commemorate the end of this generation. If that's the case, our Expert Rating below still applies, so make sure to see why it's one of the most enjoyable sports cars at any price.

　　

What's it like to live with?

As one of the most entertaining vehicles you can buy, you better believe we've added a Mazda MX-5 Miata to the zzdcar long-term test fleet. In fact, we've added five of them over the years, including a 2016 Miata and the more powerful 2019 model from the current generation. These extended tests give us a more complete ownership experience over the course of a year, and in the case of the Miata, it only served to deepen our affection for this pint-size drop-top.

　　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

　　edmunds TESTED

　　In a world of ever more complex performance cars, the refreshingly pure and elemental Mazda MX-5 Miata is proof that you don't need go-faster tech to have a great time. It isn't perfect and presents a number of glaring compromises when it comes to day-to-day usability, but that's not why you buy a Miata. In the pantheon of sports cars, the Miata delivers the thrills and joys every keen driver is looking for, and that's what makes it so beloved.

　　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 our 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.

　　

Interior

7.0/10

　　How’s the interior? The cabin's elegant design makes the most of the tidy space and prioritizes the fun of driving. Most of the controls are easy to reach given the small cabin. The infotainment system's control knob is awkwardly placed, but redundant touchscreen controls make it less of an issue. The cupholders, too, are awkwardly placed and make getting drinks extremely cumbersome.

　　Drivers over 6 feet tall will notice the lack of head- and legroom. Also, the passenger footwell is shorter than the driver's and taller co-pilots won't be able to fully extend their legs regardless of how far back they push the seats. The lack of space is this interior's only real downfall, though not a particularly surprising one.

　　One of the very best things about a soft-top Miata is just how quickly you can retract and extend the top. It's a manual top, so there's no power operation, but it's quite easy to do.

　　

Technology

8.0/10

　　How’s the tech? A Miata must balance driving purity with a driver's desire for modern connectivity and safety tech. Two USB ports are standard, as is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. There's also an impressive list of driver assist features — the blind-spot warning system is particularly useful should you opt to have the top up.

　　The nine-speaker Bose audio system does a good job of both filling the cabin with sound and competing with ambient noise. Voice controls are limited and stick to a menu of on-screen prompts, but the system recognizes speech well. The available navigation works fine enough but is fairly basic in scope and design.

　　

Storage

5.5/10

　　How’s the storage? No one should expect a two-seat convertible to be a utilitarian machine, so the Miata's lack of carrying capacity shouldn't come as a surprise. The Miata's trunk measures just 4.6 cubic feet, which means it won't be suitable for longer trips that require more than one piece of luggage per passenger. The space is tall enough for carry-on luggage or a few tall grocery bags. But unlike larger convertibles, there's no back seat to use as a cargo shelf. There's not even a glovebox. Instead, the Miata just has a small bin between the seats that serves as the main storage area for things such as smartphones, wallets or small handbags.

　　There is sufficient room for one child or toddler in a forward-facing seat or booster only. There are no car seat anchors or top-tether attachment points.

　　

Fuel Economy

9.5/10

　　How’s the fuel economy? EPA-estimated fuel economy for the Miata with the six-speed manual is 29 mpg combined (26 city/34 highway). During our two weeks with the Miata, we regularly saw 27 mpg on a mix of both city streets and highways, but we may have been a little overzealous with the go pedal. In other tests, Miatas have regularly exceeded their fuel economy estimates.

　　

Value

8.5/10

　　Is the MX-5 Miata a good value? Despite being small, the Miata isn't flimsy. It's built well and every thing has a solid feel to it, though the gear lever in our test vehicle constantly rattled around inside the gate. Typical of Mazdas these days, an abundance of soft plastics and synthetic leather coverings give the interior an upscale feel. While the price can creep in upper trims and with option packages, the Miata is a good value overall.

　　Mazda's bumper-to-bumper warranty is good for three years/36,000 miles, while the powertrain is covered for five years/60,000 miles. These are average for the segment. Roadside assistance is offered for three years/36,000 miles, which is below average among non-luxury convertibles.

　　

Wildcard

0.5/10

　　The Miata is truly in a class of its own. There is not another rear-wheel-drive convertible that delivers the same thrills at the same price. It's both entertaining and compliant, and it does this with a certain purity missing from more modern, tech-advanced cars. After so long, the Miata, for many, is still the answer. And it's the right one.

　　

Which MX-5 Miata does zzdcar recommend?

Mazda hasn't released official information on the 2024 MX-5 Miata as of this writing. We'll update our recommendation if anything changes, but based on last year's Miata, we recommend the Club trim. You get improved handling and traction from the sport-tuned Bilstein suspension and limited-slip differential, as well as a few niceties such as heated seats and a Bose premium audio system.

　　

Mazda MX-5 Miata models

[Editor's note: The following unofficial information is based on last year's MX-5 Miata. If it returns in 2024 without a redesign, we expect it will have a similar lineup and we'll update this section once we have complete information.] The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a small two-seat convertible available in three trim levels: Sport, Club and Grand Touring. Each one is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (181 horsepower, 151 lb-ft of torque) driving the rear wheels through a standard six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic is optional with the Grand Touring trim. Note that there's also the Miata RF, which has a retractable hardtop and is reviewed separately. Standard feature highlights for the Miata include:Sport

　　The base MX-5 Miata Sport is equipped with:

　　16-inch black alloy wheels with high-performance tires LED headlights and taillights Black manual convertible top Keyless entry and push-button engine start Tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel Leather-wrapped steering wheel, shift knob and parking brake Cloth seats 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration Six-speaker audio system Two USB ports Cruise control Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios) Blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning (alerts you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse) Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane)Club

　　The Club is the sportiest Miata, adding:

　　17-inch black alloy wheels Sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers Shock tower brace (stiffens the body structure to help with handling precision) Limited-slip differential (enhances traction during acceleration) Black front lip and rear spoiler Upper door panel trim in exterior color Gray contrast-color seat stitching Heated seats Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto Satellite radio Nine-speaker Bose audio system The Club's exclusive Brembo/BBS Recaro package includes:

　　Brembo front brakes with red front and rear calipers 17-inch dark gray forged alloy BBS wheels Aerodynamic body kit Heated Recaro sport seats Grand Touring

　　The Grand Touring is the most luxurious MX-5. It builds off the Club (minus the front and rear spoilers) and adds:

　　17-inch dark silver alloy wheels Automatic headlights with automatic high-beam assist Adaptive headlights (swivel as you turn the steering wheel for better illumination in curves) Automatic rain-sensing windshield wipers Heated side mirrors with auto-dimming driver's side glass Auto-dimming rearview mirror Automatic climate control Leather upholstery Navigation system Road sign assistance (detects certain road signs and displays them on the instrument panel)The sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers, limited-slip differential and shock tower brace aren't available with the optional automatic transmission.