Final thoughts: Mazda MX-5 Miata

Automotive Engineer Tom Mutchler waves bye-bye to a staff favorite, the Mazda MX-5 Miata:

I've gone on record before about my Miata affection, listing it as my favorite car based on spending a week around San Francisco and Marin County in a ratty first-generation Miata many years ago. Now a new MX-5 Miata  (with a rebadged moniker that threatened to disregard years of name recognition and brand equity here in the States) is out, and it’s faster, more comfortable, and a lot nicer inside. My heart only grows fonder.

I drove our tested model to work recently on a partly sunny, 75-degree morning. The top lowers in all of two seconds, the benchmark for all manual convertible tops. (The available power hardtop for 2007 seems like gilding the lily.) A "snick-snick" shifter, excellent steering, an enthusiast-friendly stability control, and a free-revving engine that actually makes a stock, normally-aspirated Miata quick for the first time all add up to make the car a joy to drive. Not that you have to speed in the Miata--it feels fast even going slow, helping to keep my license clean.

I'm not alone in my thoughts, judging by flipping through the car's logbook. After we test a car, we usually keep it around for a few months. Logbook entries become sparse, usually limited to a terse "No problems." Sometimes cars get forgotten in the back lot, pushed aside from there being another 80+ cars a year to drive and test. But not our MX-5; there are several pages of post-test entries, and most are variations on one theme:

"Still a ball to drive!"
"Fun, fun, fun!"
"Problem: it's not mine."
"So much fun to drive. Rolling therapy!"

Being my favorite car sure doesn't make it a perfect car. Relatively narrow seats, high levels of noise, a taut ride, and short wheelbase mean that this isn't my first, second, or hundredth pick for a road trip car. But for an hour- or two-long sortie on a windy back road, there isn't much better--especially at the price.

--Tom Mutchler