The next-gen MX-5 Miata thread
- Thread starter homeforsummer
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I have been seeing a lot of these MX-5's lately in my town, by a lot i mean I'm seeing on every time i leave the house and it's a different one every time. Every single one of them had an old guy or woman behind the wheel, the youngest i saw was a middle aged woman.
The first time i saw one was at the end of last summer and it was driven by an old guy who was an absolute em how do i put? A C word. There were a few of us about to cross a pedestrian crossing and one guy on a bicycle came from behind us and crossed the road, the old guy didn't stop and put his foot down. The guy on the bike obviously swore at him and the old douche proudly and smuggly stuck his head up and said the crossing is for pedestrians not bikes. Which was funny as there were 5 or 6 of us crossing on foot. If i had time i would have booted his car or chucked some of my shopping at his head. It's actually rustlin my jimmies thinking about it lol.
Is the representative of MX-5 owners? In the UK at least?
The first time i saw one was at the end of last summer and it was driven by an old guy who was an absolute em how do i put? A C word. There were a few of us about to cross a pedestrian crossing and one guy on a bicycle came from behind us and crossed the road, the old guy didn't stop and put his foot down. The guy on the bike obviously swore at him and the old douche proudly and smuggly stuck his head up and said the crossing is for pedestrians not bikes. Which was funny as there were 5 or 6 of us crossing on foot. If i had time i would have booted his car or chucked some of my shopping at his head. It's actually rustlin my jimmies thinking about it lol.
Is the representative of MX-5 owners? In the UK at least?
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The age, or the knob running through a pedestrian crossing?
If the former, then probably, if the latter, then absolutely not. I've certainly seen a few middle-aged and up drivers in these new MX-5s, but then that's long been the case for these cars, and the average age comes down as they fall within reach of younger, less affluent drivers.
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Convertible enthusiast?
- 1,404
- Poland
- J_Chmielinski
You mean kicked it? If so, then you're an even bigger "C word" than the MX-5 driver.
- 3,826
Yes the former.
Yes, yes i would totally be a bigger C word for booting the caf of a guy who drove through a pedestrian crossing while people were crossing it all whilst he was being smug to the cyclicist he nearly hit. Get off your high horse.
- 11,916
- Marin County
Should I sell my P-car for an Abarth Spider?
or should I buy a warehouse in Texas/Nevada and keep hording cars...?
or should I buy a warehouse in Texas/Nevada and keep hording cars...?
ROAD_DOGG33J
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- 14,301
- IL, USA
- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
I saw a Fiat 124. It was okay, but I can't unsee that it's an MX-5 with a different skin on it. The skin doesn't fit all that well either. It's like those C5 to C1 corvette conversions.
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Very much agree. The Abarth looks okay to me, mainly because it uses a few visual tricks to distract from the basic shape, but I regard suspiciously anyone who thinks it's more attractive than the regular MX-5. The proportions are quite poor for a start - a long front overhang is rarely desirable on a traditional front-engined, rear-drive sports car.
ROAD_DOGG33J
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- IL, USA
- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
One of the places it falls apart for me is the side view. There is a curve that dips at the door. Looking at the MX-5, this works well with the sloping hood and trunk. It doesn't flow as well on the 124 and accentuates the 'blockiness' of the trunk and hood/front-end design. As mentioned, the six inches in added length are also unsightly.
The extra power is nice, but I think I would be stopping at the Mazda dealership first.
The extra power is nice, but I think I would be stopping at the Mazda dealership first.
- 24,017
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
- 3,417
- NJ
- Rave2Grave
I don't like how heavy the RF is, or how damn expensive it is, or the fact that the roof is powered. I miss the days of the NA and NB where the hardtop was removable and you never had to worry about replacing the motors and such. Power tops are too complicated and expensive. $32k for a 2-seat convertible with 155 hp is insane. I'll take the $25k Sport model and install LSD and call it a day.
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Are the motors in the NC PRHT prone to burning out?
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It's not at all that bad in terms of weight. I mean, you will notice the difference, but it's still much lighter than an 86. Also like how they finally buttoned down the suspension on this one, compared to the roadster.
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It's not at all that bad in terms of weight. I mean, you will notice the difference, but it's still much lighter than an 86. Also like how they finally buttoned down the suspension on this one, compared to the roadster.
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- 27,219
- United Kingdom
Yeah, the weight isn't bad at all. Mine came up 1096kg (2416 lbs) with a full tank of fuel on our scales. Or about 107kg (236 lbs) more than my 1992 car did, and that has no spare wheel, no passenger seat, and didn't have the hard top fitted at the time.
Can't see the motors being a real problem either. Not heard of any issues with the NC, and the mechanism seems a lot simpler than it looks.
Frankly removing the hardtop on my NA is a pain in the ass. It's a two-person job and as a result when it's either on or off it tends to stay that way for months on end regardless of whether I actually want it on or off or not. It's on right now - as of two or three weeks ago - and I probably won't bother removing it again until next spring.
I quite like the duality of having a full, secure hard top when the weather or place I've parked calls for it, and an open-topped car the rest of the time.
The price isn't that bad either. Given it walks all over a GT86 in a straight line it's a bit short-sighted to simply equate the on-paper power to the price.
Can't see the motors being a real problem either. Not heard of any issues with the NC, and the mechanism seems a lot simpler than it looks.
Frankly removing the hardtop on my NA is a pain in the ass. It's a two-person job and as a result when it's either on or off it tends to stay that way for months on end regardless of whether I actually want it on or off or not. It's on right now - as of two or three weeks ago - and I probably won't bother removing it again until next spring.
I quite like the duality of having a full, secure hard top when the weather or place I've parked calls for it, and an open-topped car the rest of the time.
The price isn't that bad either. Given it walks all over a GT86 in a straight line it's a bit short-sighted to simply equate the on-paper power to the price.
CodeRedR51
Premium
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- Rave2Grave
^ Ugh, auto stop/start is so stupid. I work for a dealership and always turn that feature off. If I want to turn the car off to save fuel, I'll do it myself thank you very much. It's silly to have the engine shut down a split second before the light turns green sometimes. For longer stops I can understand it. Kind of.
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- Marin County
Part of me was hoping for a bit of a facelift, but I suppose it's still a bit early.
- 51,534
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
What would you have expected or like(d) to have changed? Just curious.
- 11,916
- Marin County
I think overall the car is pretty good, but I don't think the headlights are particularly nice. I admit that they work better in person than in photos, but I think they are a little to squinty. The facelifts of the CX-5 and (probably) next gen Mazda 3 have better resolved front ends (detailing around grill/headlights/hood interface) than their first generation counterparts. I was hoping for a similar refresh. Both those are new models and the MX-5 is receiving a very minor update, so it's not surprising that not much has been changed. I still loooove the ass of the MX-5.
- 51,534
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
I can see the front doesn't look like part of the "family". Where as the NA( RX-7 connection) and NC(RX-8-type circular wheel openings & tailights) do, in their generations. I'd love to see the current concept's snout, on the MX-5.
The tailights of the ND, may have previewed what's to come, with the RX Vision, Vision CC and Kai having a similar or variation, of that detail.
The tailights of the ND, may have previewed what's to come, with the RX Vision, Vision CC and Kai having a similar or variation, of that detail.
- 3,417
- NJ
- Rave2Grave
Drove this today at my job.
A bit cramped, moreso than my 96 felt but it's been 3 years since I sold that one. It handles so well. Shame it was an automatic. The 1.4L turbo makes a nice noise and it gets up to speed with gusto. I would like to drive a ND to compare.
A bit cramped, moreso than my 96 felt but it's been 3 years since I sold that one. It handles so well. Shame it was an automatic. The 1.4L turbo makes a nice noise and it gets up to speed with gusto. I would like to drive a ND to compare.
- 11,916
- Marin County
I've driven both (manual Abarth 124, automatic + manual ND) and I have to say the ND feels quicker and more immediate 90% of the time. That 2 liter is punchier down low way beyond its on-paper stats give it a right to be. There is quite a lot of torque/weight ratio and spot-on gear ratios going on. The 124 feels a little lethargic by comparison, giving away some low-end torque to lag and the top end just fades away. Really pinned, I think the 124 might be ever so slightly faster if you keep the turbo boiled and the tach in the mid range, but the 2 liter seems more suited to the chassis.
If I had not driven both cars, I would have assumed the complete opposite.
If I had not driven both cars, I would have assumed the complete opposite.
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- 27,219
- United Kingdom
The 2-litre MX-5 definitely has better low-rev response - below about 2k - and feels a little more lively right at the top of the rev range (though it's not a hugely pleasant car to rev out).
But the 124 Abarth feels way stronger in the mid-range, which realistically is where you're likely to spend the most time. I know there's more to sports cars than going sideways everywhere, but the extra torque in the Abarth does make it easier to play around, and it's punchier out of corners when you're not being a bit of a knob too.
So for me I'd say it's the other way around - the Abarth feels quicker the majority of the time, but overall I don't think there's much in it if you were to floor both from a complete stop.
The Abarth has the marginally better chassis for me too. Feels a bit less wobbly and rolls a little less, with a slightly tighter feel to the steering.
The Abarth's biggest problem is that it's ridiculously expensive, and not as attractive as the Mazda. And I've not driven a regular Fiat 124 Spider, but I'm led to believe those are a bit disappointing.
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I think it's highly dependent on one's driving style and intended use of the car in addition to location. My perception of the Abarth was that it felt too soggy down low, then a decent burp of torque, and then nothing after 5500rpm. To me it feels like too-small of an engine with a lot of boost. The MX-5 isn't exactly a barnstormer, but for city driving (especially with hills...San Francisco...) the MX-5 seems more amenable to stop & go, and when I get out on a good road, the lack of surly mid range isn't really a concern for me. For a more twisty road with hairpins, I think the Abarth might be a little more enjoyable to squirt around. For the longer sweeping roads or the aforementioned city driving, I think the MX-5 is a little better. (Engine related only). Highway driving is kind of a wash; either get into boost or downshift to pass. I guess the Abarth is a little easier.
I totally agree about the chassis tuning of the Abarth. It feels more buttoned-up than the slightly wallowy MX-5. The price of the Abarth in the US is similar to upper trim level MX-5s. It doesn't seem really that expensive.
Full disclosure: I was not aware of the sport button when I drove the Abarth, so I'm not sure how big of a difference that makes.
