For the love of the Miata
Mazda’s little sports car has earned its peppy nickname
Just before getting married in Las Vegas (and no, an Elvis impersonator was not involved), my bride-to-be and I rented a first-generation Mazda Miata and spent several fabulous days bombing around the region, visiting Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and cruising through the spectacular Red Rock Canyon.
Anumber of years (ahem) later, we’re at it again. And this time, Claire and I are taking Mazda’s all-new, fourth-generation Miata roadster from Oakville to the 50th Annual Zurich Bean Festival in Huron County.
Amazingly, little has changed in those intervening years. She still looks great in red, loves a winding country road and carries herself with an unbridled youthful ebullience. Same goes for the Mazda.
With a couple of overnight bags stuffed in the trunk, we drop the manual roof (which amounts to a toss over the shoulder), don some baseball caps and point this Soul Mica Red Miata’s all-new sexy snout toward the Halton Hills.
It takes only a handful of turns and a few runs through the gearbox to discover the 2016 MX-5 Miata is a damned near-perfect realization of the little roadster’s original intent — unfiltered, sports car fun.
Astute readers will know Mazda dropped the “Miata” handle (a North America-only name) with the introduction of the generation-three car. Since 2006, Mazda’s elemental roadster has been known officially as the MX-5. Although not by anyone I met. I say “MX-5” and am usually met with a blank stare. This car will forever be known as the Miata.
The generation-three car was pretty fabulous. This generation four is better, in every way.
The wizards at Mazda have pulled off an impressive trick here. By the numbers, the 2016 Miata is, in fact, marginally shorter than the1990 original, yet has only gained 60 kilograms despite now sporting all the current necessities such as airbags, power windows and a modern crash structure. Compared to the out- going 2015 car, the 2016 has shed over 100 kilograms.
It all starts with a new aluminum-intensive structure and filters down from there. Every component is lighter: engine, transmission, electric steering, LED headlights. The 2016 Miata is down to four-bolt wheels. Even the owner’s man- ual is tiny. I’m sure the engineers obsessed over that, too.
With the morning sun filtering through the trees and the warm air filling the cabin, we bid the cows good morning and pick up the occasional birdsong over the growl of the exhaust. The Mazda Miata was made for days and roads like these. Or maybe it’s the other way round.
This new-generation Miata has a new 2.0L four that makes 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. Power is down slightly from last year, but torque is up and the curve is fatter.
And that makes this 1,058-kilogram featherweight considerably more fleet than its predecessor. There’s no more flat spot in the power curve — it surges ahead with linear urgency from just about anywhere.
Granted, the 2016 MX-5 Miata is hardly a rocket or a hard-edged race car, but neither is it meant to be. It rolls in the corners but cuts the perfect line. The closely set pedals are ideally placed for heel-and-toe downshifting, and the short throw six-speed shifter is a work of tactile art. The steering reads your mind. You can even coax some gentle oversteer out of this terrific chassis.
The Miata is all about economy of motion. Small inputs and big rewards.
Once through the Halton Hills, we jump on the 401 for a bit and then duck out onto Hwy. 8 to Kitchener, Ont. Our route takes us through Stratford, and an hour later, we roll into Zurich. Along with the food, vendors, live music and rides, the Bean Festival is renowned for its giant cruise — usually 400-plus vehicles. We first head to the ball field to take in the sights and see if our diminutive red wedge garners any attention. It does.
Compared to its forbearers that are cute, friendly and guppy-like, this fourth-generation Miata cuts an altogether more exotic profile. The snout is low with slit-like headlights. The angular body, sitting on black, 17-inch alloys, rises up to an elevated posterior that takes a page right out of the Italian playbook. Yeah, it’s hot. Miata people know exactly what this car is. Others are just intrigued. I park it next to a 1957 MGA, a mentor from six-decades past that is not so far removed from our modern-day offering.
Despite the Miata’s new compact dimensions, I find the interior to be marginally roomier. The fabric seats in this $35,300 GS are wonderfully supportive and comfy on the long haul. And all those other convertibles that brag roof retraction in under 20 seconds? Try under two. It’s a one latch and one-armed operation from the driver’s seat — both up and down. Brilliant.
With night falling, we follow a bright swath cut through the country darkness by the Miata’s brilliant LED headlights. Another reason to love this car. Yes, the trunk is tiny and what we needed for the weekend pretty much filled it. But I know there’s just enough room in there for a local strawberry rhubarb pie to be picked up in the morning. And that, like this reimagined roaster from Mazda, is all I really need. Freelance writer Peter Bleakney is a regular contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. The vehicle he tested was provided by the manufacturer. To reach Peter, email wheels@thestar.ca and put his name in the subject line.