Miata MX-5: Hairdresser’s Car or Just FUN?

I had the opportunity to drive a car that many of my friends told me I would hate. Yup, I met the car that is always the answer. You know the car: the MX-5 Miata. Some say this car is a chick car. Others… well, they say what they want. Personally, I had the opportunity to try it and I wanted to seize the opportunity.

I had to go to meetings in Portland for a couple of days. The meetings.... Well, they are meetings. However, I landed at the airport and saw that National had an MX-5 RF. I like the look of the car with the top up, but now I confess and make public that my secret fetish has been the Miata. I don’t want to admit it because, well, they are a hairdresser’s car. They do not rumble when you start them. They do not make children cry when you downshift. So, what is the point? At least, that is what I always told myself as I would procrastinate by watching YouTube videos that reviewed the MX-5.

This is not my first time driving a Miata. One of my friends had a first-gen Miata. You know the, really, really, really, really, really…. you get the idea…. slow one. It was a hoot to drive despite the lack of pin you to the seat power. However, I always felt the car felt toooooo slow. I mean, like if you raced a middle-aged runner trying to get back in shape, you would sweat whether or not you could beat the runner off the line in a drag race. Yes, the first-gen cars felt that slow. You wouldn’t even try to race an Olympic runner in peak shape.

There was an adorable, charming quality. Yes, I liked the smiley front end. It made me smile back. I liked the ability to take the top down in 30 seconds. The thing I REAAALLY liked was how the car handled. The car did make me smile, but I did not get the allure of it at the time. I thought it was cute, but not something for me. At that time, I was going to stick to motorcycles. So, I have been pretty dismissive of the Miata and the claims that people make, saying, “It is always the answer.” I sort of got it, but walked away congratulating my friend on his new car. I was not really moved by the car.

This is where I thought maybe I should give the car another go. There are plenty of videos out there on YouTube celebrating the car. So, I am here in Portland. I am by myself. Who cares if the car is a flop because I only have to live with it for 2 1/2 days? So, I inquired at the front desk about the Miata. The young lady at the counter looked at me and said, “You sure? There are a lot of cars available.” I didn’t waiver, signed the paperwork, and I was off to check out of the lot. I went to the gate and had the top down by the time I was out of the garage. I was smiling already.

Unfortunately, this is a rental place. So, they cannot have manuals because most Americans want to make coffee, shower, brush teeth, make all their phone calls, and text all their friends while they are backing down the driveway which makes a focused and visceral driving experience pretty much impossible. I wish Americans would get lost in the drive more often and just enjoy the experience. Unfortunately, I think Americans see the drive as a way to get to a destination rather than the experience itself. That is a long rant to say, ‘I wish I could have tried the manual”. Anyway, I am thankful for the car nonetheless. I will settle for the automatic.

Initial Impressions

My initial impression of the Miata was not fair. The problem is Portland. You do not think “I am speed.” You think, “I am traffic.” So, initially, I never had a chance to let the car run or feel any advantage of the car as I drove from the airport to my hotel. I can say that there is a lot more room in this Miata than in the first generation. When I dropped the car off at the rental place the guy who checked it in said, “How did you fit in that thing?” I showed him how I sat sideways and then worked my legs in the car. I do grant it took a little practice to get in and out quickly, but eventually it was second nature.

It also has more get-up-and-go than the first one. I would never say that this is a fast car, but I will say that it is quick enough to be a reliable English roadster. The original vision of the Miata was to copy the old English roadsters. Think small roadster like MG or Triumph. The recipe is small car, light car, convertible, not a ton of power, but with a ton of predictable handling making this a momentum car. You carry the speed into the corner rather than trusting a big motor to get you to speed on the straightaway.

There is one big difference between this car and the English roadster. The English roadster gave you adventure and practice if you ever ended up in a sticky interrogation session playing russian roulette. Bear with me. You see, Russian Roulette is a game of stress. You don’t know how things are going to end. That is sort of like taking a weekend drive in an English Roadster. You might return to your garage, you might be fixing it on the side of the road, or you might be parking it at your mechanic’s place and hitching a ride home. The Miata captured the driving experience minus the…. shall we say…. adventure aspect of the original roadster. Maybe this is why the Miata is a hit, “All the drive without the Roulette.” Maybe Mazda can try that for a new slogan.

Let me just talk about the power. Yes, it is faster than the original, but we probably should understand the standard of fast. Now, fast is a Dodge Demon. I never drove one, but I got a ride in a widebody Challenger Red Eye for some reason the owner doesn’t let people drive that car. When the driver hit the gas, I think I grew a mullet and zoomed back to 17 years old. It was epic! The car ran through three gears and filled the cabin with smoke before it really bit into the tarmac. It was AWESOME. That was awesome power. I am pretty sure that my face looked like the Nazis when they opened the ark in Raiders of the Lost Ark. All I could say was, “Can we do that again?”

The Miata will not give you this experience, but I am 100 percent okay with that because I understand the purpose of this car. It is safe to say that the Miata or MX-5 would not win a drag race against the Red Eye Hellcat. The car is not designed to win the race against the Hell Cat. I am not sure that the MX-5 would even win many drag races against other sports cars. If you want to win drag races, then buy a demon, but if you want to really drive a car, then get a Miata. The point of the car is to drive it. It is to drive the car on real roads. The suspension did not feel harsh to me, and it did not feel too soft. It is almost a Goldilocks without the creepiness of sleeping in a stranger’s bed. What sorts of things did people teach their children in these tales? Back on point…The car did well, soaking up bumps considering how close it is to the road. If I bought one, I would upgrade to coilovers to get a bit of a stiffer ride because there is more body roll than I would want. However, the car HANDLES very well right out of the box.

I got back to my hotel. I checked into the hotel, and then I drove around Portland a bit to check out the city. The city is busy and congested. I did not see that as a great test for the car, but it is zippy enough to get in and out of traffic. I found a few roads to drive that were okay, but I needed to up my game.

I found a nice parking spot for the car so we could both get some rest.

Driving the Car

The next day I suffer… I mean, I attend my meetings. We are supposed to have some mixer at night, but I figured I saw most of these people throughout the day. So, I blow off the mixer and drive to Mt. Hood. I found some good roads using Chat GPT. The trick is to ask Chat GPT what some good roads are that motorcyclists ride in area x (I entered Portland, but that probably will not help you if you are never on Portland). Sometimes you can even find the speed traps if you do your research, which helps you avoid tickets. The meeting is adjourned, I literally sneak out the back, and jump in the car.

I start climbing up to Mt. Hood on OR-35 and realize that this car is a little quicker than I gave it credit for. Now, I am not saying Hellcat or Corvette fast, but it exceeded my expectations which was basically a runner’s pace. The car could get out of its own way, and when the corners started showing up… OH MY! I went into the first corner a little lazy and cautious because I really did not know how it would stick. Then I hit the next corner a little faster. Before I knew it, the tires were starting to make some noises, and I was howling louder than the tires! The car is an absolute BLAST! I would say that it is close to motorcycle fun. I really understand what people mean when they say, “This car is a momentum car.” Yes, this car will carry the momentum! What a hoot!

The automatic, while not my first choice, did well. It held the gears when I would downshift using the paddles or the center console shifter. If you have to get an automatic, this is a pretty good experience. The trans did search a bit when it was not in normal mode, but it did pretty well on its own in sport mode. With that said, the car would rev out very well.

The car sounded fine, but I would still upgrade the headers and exhaust if I bought one. Mostly, because I would want to hear more of the engine. I want to emphasize that the car did well right out of the gate with the factory tires and all. This car has come a long way from the original generation, but still holds the simple charm of the first one. Kudos for Mazda for pulling that off.

One thing that I had to get used to was the roof line. If you have the top down (I followed the Miata rule even in Portland rain) yup, I rode topless.... The car, not the dad bod. The world is not ready for that, nor would I expect it to be. The hard top is more like a targa top when the top is down. So, my peripheral vision kept seeing something behind me. It was just the side of the roofline, and nothing threatening. I like the idea of a hard top, but I think I would still go for the canvas top.

Conclusion

So, the Miata.... Yeah, total Paulie’s Pick. I think I know what I am going to start budgeting to buy. Overall, I would say, not fast, but a lot of fun to drive. Great in the corners, wonderful for touring back roads, and at 30.6 mpg, certainly a great daily driver! My complaints are easily solved within Mazda’s in-house options. I would get the soft top, the manual, upgrade the brakes, new header/exhaust, and eventually coil-overs. I think I would do it in that order. I like the look of the car with hard top, but I would rather have the whole back open. I found the pillars distracting, but it is something that someone could get used to seeing.

The video below is Jay Leno’s review of the car, along with his interview of the original creators, Bob Hall, and Tom Matano. You’re already procrastinating, so what is another 7 minutes?

Take the chance and rent one if you have to rent a car anyway! Thanks again for reading, and until we meet again, may the Lord’s blessing and peace be upon you!