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2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited November 2015 in Mazda
image2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

Twelve months with the lightweight, back-to-basics 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. It's great to drive, but what's it like to live with for 20,000 miles?

Read the full story here


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    zman49zman49 Member Posts: 12
    When the Fiat 124 comes out, I would sure like to see a comparison between it and the Miata.
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    bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    I am very excited about this one and look forward to reading about it for the next year.
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    thepuffthepuff Member Posts: 87
    All of the ads and marketing show men driving these cute little toys, in real life I find that to be a rarity.
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Not around here - it's mostly guys. Did meet a woman with a nice one last week but hers was an automatic.
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    7driver7driver Member Posts: 145
    I don't think I've ever seen a woman Miata driver. Ever.
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    sharpendsharpend Member Posts: 177
    Wow, and you can even time travel back exactly one year in the new Miata. Incredible!
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    s197gts197gt Member Posts: 486
    edited November 2015
    finally saw the new miata two days ago. driven by a guy. he was coming around the corner pretty quick. couldn't even get a good look at it. it was red, i know that.

    most i see, old or new, are driven by guys.
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    markinnaples_markinnaples_ Member Posts: 251
    Great choice to L-T test. But, why is the M down on HP, and how much is it down?
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    kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    Excellent choice! There will be a lot of people interested in reading updates. $30k is a lot of money for such a small vehicle (I paid $8,600 for my 2000 about 5 years ago), but it should be a very enjoyable car.

    I'll be curious to hear about how well larger people fit in the car. I'm 5'11" and as soon as I first sat in my 2000, I was like "oh my". I had to remove the sun visors just to be able to see out (2 bolts, so designed to be removed) and then did the "foamectamy" to remove padding to further give me slightly more space. It seemed to be designed for shorter people.

    In terms of gender, my NB is NOT a feminine car, despite my wife making fun of it (she wanted me to get a truck so I could do furniture runs and such). Its loud (not in an obnoxious way, but in a not-quiet way), firm (with aggressive tires) and designed to be driven. Everything other than the pure driving experience is put secondary (like cupholders).

    Its a great commuter car for me and I drive it all year long (even in sub 30 degree weather) with the top down. Don't try and drive it on ice or snow though...
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    kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    thepuff said:

    All of the ads and marketing show men driving these cute little toys, in real life I find that to be a rarity.

    LOL. I doubt that many women would be interested in driving a car that doesn't cater to their needs. Its a driving vehicle and only those who like to drive would enjoy it.
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2015
    Women don't like to drive?

    A rarity would be a man in a New Beetle. But if you get in one, they are fun to drive. And if you're 5'11, you'll fit fine without having to defoam it LOL.

    Drive what you like (I'm in a very manly minivan :D )

    This was my '97. Only had it for a weekend though. Wouldn't pass IM.


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    cjasiscjasis Member Posts: 274
    Great pick up. I really liked the ND Miata I sat in at the OC Auto Show.
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    throwbackthrowback Member Posts: 445
    I predict whomever manages the sign out board will be getting some nice Christmas gifts!
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    daryleasondaryleason Member Posts: 501
    I always wanted an NA Miata. Preferably one of the '96-98 models that had a slightly larger engine. And they do get a lot of flak about being a "girl's car" here in Texas. But, it sort of parallels the old MG roadsters too, if you think about it. Gearheads in the 40s through the 60s absolutely hated those little roadsters when everyone else only cared about the 1/4 mile, Horsepower, or top speed. It's no different today. So I guess, when you think about it, it's sort of in the spirit of the roadster.
    I know Edmunds has (had?) an older Miata that they were going to Auto-Cross or something. It'd be interesting to see them compare side by side.
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2015
    Not sure, but I think one of them wound up in hoopty status. Might not have been a fleet Miata though.

    There was a '97 floating around for a while too.
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    aerodaxaerodax Member Posts: 9
    I'm so bummed by this announcement. I sat in the car on Saturday at the LA Auto show and with my 6 foot frame I shockingly did not fit comfortably in this car. Such a shame, it's going to be a tease watching the updates from this car.
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Maybe Fiat will stretch out the Spider for you.
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    daryleasondaryleason Member Posts: 501
    stever said:

    Not sure, but I think one of them wound up in hoopty status. Might not have been a fleet Miata though.

    There was a '97 floating around for a while too.

    Yeah, I saw that too, @stever . I know they were working on one as a track setup, then it sort of petered out.
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    desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    The only real competitor is the MINI convertible. Time for a comparo.
    (most publications think the Toybarus are, but they are wrong. Those are not convertibles).
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    wheelmccoywheelmccoy Member Posts: 97
    sharpend said:

    Wow, and you can even time travel back exactly one year in the new Miata. Incredible!

    Hey, the new Miata can do 88 mph easily. For those who missed it, check out the title and date:

    2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Long-Term Road Test: Introduction
    November 24, 2014

    Anyway, I am looking forward to reading about this long termer. And please do a suspension walk around!
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    joespizza2gojoespizza2go Member Posts: 3
    I wonder how wise it is to get the Club version and then go down the route of it being a long term tester. There's going to be so many "but we did get the Club version which is xyz" when they talk about city and country driving.
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    darthbimmerdarthbimmer Member Posts: 606
    For all that the Miata is poked fun at for being "a woman's car"-- the context typically being, a car that looks cute but doesn't perform-- most of the Miatas I see are driven by men. And quite a few of them are outfitted for track days, so the performance capability certainly is there. I'd likely have bought one myself years ago, but at 6'1" I don't fit. When I've tried I've had to wedge myself in. My knees are tucked tightly under the wheel, my legs have no lateral room to move, my head contacts the headliner, and my eyes are above the windshield frame. I figure the anyone 5'11" or taller is going to have a hard time fitting. That opts out more than half the U.S. male population so maybe that's why it's "a woman's car".
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