 | Positives: A thrilling drive at any speed, attractive roadster looks, wonderful manual transmission, mesmerizing and practical retractable hardtop. |
 | Negatives: A bit tight for 6+ footers, needs a frameless rearview mirror, infotainment screen is looking dated, could have a sportier exhaust. |
 | Bottom Line: We continue to love the Miata, especially in RF form. It's four-seasons drivable, wonderful to look at, and it's one of the purest naturally-aspirated cars you can buy. |
Driving Experience
The Miata continues to be one of the best driving cars for the money. The 181 horsepower is just right, and we love tossing this little roadster with its telepathic steering and chassis. The Brembo brakes are superb, as well.
Ride Quality: The Miata RF's ride can feel choppy over gaps, but we won't complain. The payoff is excellent road feel and a solid understanding of how a sports car should drive.
Acceleration: The Miata is quick but not mindblowing. 0-60 mph arrives in under six seconds. It's the connection to the car that makes the driving experience so thrilling at any speed. The six-speed manual shifter wonderful to use, and it's nearly impossible to mis-shift. The play between the engine and transmission is truly engaging.
Braking: The RF's optional Brembo brakes are powerful and progressive. Scrubbing speed is easy, and they appears to be no fade under hard driving.
Steering: The Miata RF's steering feels on the light side, but effort has recently been improved. It's super-precise, and turn-in is quick, too. It's well-matched for the chassis.
Handling: The car feels balanced and pivots with authority around corners. The body roll is very manageable, and there's just the right amount of understeer.
Technology
The Miata's infotainment system is getting dated. It doesn't have the same OS as more current models, and the size of the screen is on the small side. That said, we don't want more distractions, so it does what it needs to do.
Infotainment System: It would be nice if Mazda updated the OS in the Miata. It's simple and easy to use (no touchscreen), but it's definitely showing its age with dated graphics.
Controls: The Mazda Commander Control rotary knob on the center console is really easy to use, and it's a good size. Graduated clicks make it a cinch to find and select what you want with minimal distraction.
Styling
The Miata in RF guise is a stunner from virtually every angle. The roof and its flying buttresses adds a level of Italian exotic flair that's not present on the soft top. The rest of the car is well-executed, and the Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint adds just the right amount of drama. We also love the dark BBS wheels.
Front: The front fascia has a big grille that's downplayed by the black slats, and the hood creases and fender bulges look great paired with the slender cat-eye headlights.
Rear: The view of the hardtop targa roof from the back looks great with the seatrest hoops peeking through. The simple LED taillights look great, as do the dual exhaust ports.
Profile: The classic roaster profile is elegant and sporty, and the dark BBS wheels pick up the black tint in the paint. We also love the way the RF looks top up or top down. The lines are clean and elegant, while the muscularity of the curves in front and back make the tight dimensions work in the RF's favor.
Cabin: The RF's is everything you need and nothing you don't. It's never overstyled, and materials are good for this price point. The door trim and dash trim match the seats and unify the interior. We also love the body-colored door trim.
Comfort
The Miata's cabin is good but not great. The Recaro seats in our Club helped, but there's still a challenge presented for those over six-feet tall. Otherwise, ergonomics are very good.
Front Seats: The optional Recaro seats in our tester were phenomenal. Adjustability is still minimal due to the cabin size limitations, and our 6'1" frame found it a bit tight. Thin-soled shoes are a must.
Rear Seats: Not applicable. All Miatas have been and are two-seaters only.
NVH (noise/vibration/harshness): While it's not as loud as a Alfa Romeo 4C, you can still pretty much hear everything, but that's part of the joy of driving a roaster.
Visibility: The rearview mirror's frame is too thick for a car like this with limited windshield height. You can get a frameless mirror for other Mazda models, so why not this one? Also, rear-side visibility is impeded by the RF's roof buttresses, but who cares. This thing is spectacular.
Climate: The climate control system works well, but we would love to see an "air-scarf" type of setup like Mercedes' that blows hot air around your neck from the seats.
Safety
The Miata has not been crash-tested by either body, but it does have decent safety tech.
IIHS Rating: Not tested
NHTSA Rating: Not tested
Standard Tech: Our Club tester with a tire pressure monitoring system, blind spot monitoring, ABS brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist, rear cross-traffic alert, high beam control, and a lane departure warning system.
Optional Tech: None
Storage/Cargo
The Miata is small in terms of overall storage and cargo, but that's not what you buy a roadster for. We thought it was just fine for our needs, but others might find it restrictive.
Storage Space: There's a small armrest compartment in the center console, but it doesn't hold much. Opt to use the bigger glovebox between the seats, and you can toss in more gear. The removable cupholders that dock just aft of the armrest compartment are definitely afterthoughts.
Cargo Room: There's 4.48 cubic feet of trunk space in the RF, down from the soft-top's 4.59 cubic feet. No one will notice the difference, really. You still can go to the grocery store and get a couple of bags in, thankfully, and even take a weekend trip with a couple of medium-sized duffels.
Fuel Economy
We didn't bother to get good gas mileage because we wanted to exploit the Miata RF's driving dynamics every minute we were behind the wheel. That said, it still manages more than respectable numbers for a sporty car.
Observed: 23.8 mpg
Distance Driven: 143 miles
Audio
The 9-speaker Bose sound system is standard and has good sound quality, but it could use more power to mitigate wind and road noise when the top is down. That said, we're not sure where a bigger, more powerful system would fit.
