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The Mazda MX-5 Miata was the car that kicked off the modern-day roadster craze back in 1989, and it remains one of my favorite two-seaters. New for 2007 is an optional power-operated retractable hardtop. Does the metal roof make the Miata any more (or less) loveable? We took the Miata on a long trip through New York State to find out, with Mother Nature giving us ample opportunity to find out just how weatherproof the hardtop Miata really is. Base price $21,280, price as tested $29,795, EPA fuel economy 22-25 MPG city, 30 MPG highway.
First glance: Mazda 1, Mother Nature 0
Larger photos: Front--rear, top down--rear, top up
"We've certainly put this little car through hell, haven't we?" my wife Robin said as we drove through the suburbs of Manhattan. "Sailed" might be a better description; New York was getting one of the heaviest rainstorms on record and the Hudson Parkway, known for flooding, was starting to look more like the Hudson River. We were nearing the end of a 10-day 1,500-mile trip through New York State in the MX-5 Miata. Less than 50 of those miles were driven with the top down; most of our trip was cold, rainy and snowy. It turned out to be a lousy trip for a convertible but a great test of the Miata's power retractable hardtop roof, a new-for-2007 $1,870 option. Despite the almost uniformly crappy weather, the Mazda MX-5 Miata proved itself, once again, to be the ideal touring companion -- even with the top up.
The Miata is one of many hardtop convertibles now on the market. Others include the VW Eos, Mercedes SLK, Pontiac G6, Volvo V70 and the 2008 Chrysler Sebring. What sets the Miata apart is that its hardtop stows in the same space as the soft top (link goes to photo), so there's no loss of trunk space. Granted, the Miata's 5.3 cubic foot trunk is tiny, but thanks to its gas struts (in place of regular hinges) and tire repair kit (in place of a spare), we were able to cram in a week-and-a-half's worth of luggage. With the roof up, the space behind the seats provides a tad more storage room for coats and small bags.
See the Miata's top in action:
From the side: 1 2 3 4 5
From the back: 1 2 3 4 5
In the Driver's Seat: Same ingenious design with a little more space
Mazda introduced the third generation of the MX-5 Miata in 2006; the car has grown with each redesign, and the latest version makes little guys like me feel, well, not so little. I liked the extra stretch-out room, though I did miss the intimacy of the old Miata's cabin.
Compare the MX-5 Miata with newer roadsters like the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice, and Miata's nearly two decades of experience shows: The cabin is chock full of storage spaces and cupholders. Both the glove box and the between-the-seats bin are lockable; the latter also conceals the release for the fuel-filler flap. Stereo controls are a bit more complex than I’d like to see, and not all of the lettering on the steering wheel controls is illuminated -- I can't count the number of times I inadvertently changed the radio station when I meant to set the cruise control. My biggest complaint concerns the plastic sun visors, which don't pivot out to the side -- a major omission in a convertible.
Mazda sells the MX-5 Miata in four trim levels: Special Value (SV), Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. I tested the latter, and appreciated standard amenities like a Bose stereo and heated leather seats (very nice for days like this). Options, including a Premium Package with keyless ignition and electronic stability control and Sport Suspension with stiffer spring rates and a limited slip differential, brought the price up to nearly $30k. For those who can do without the toys, the new entry-level SV model is a much better deal at just over $21k.
On the Road: A joy to drive... as long as there's no snow
The MX-5 Miata's 2-liter 166 horsepower engine pulls smoothly and evenly all the way up to its 7,100-or-so RPM rev limiter. It's plenty quick and pretty frugal; we averaged 27 MPG in our back-road touring. SV and Sport models come with a 5-speed manual, while Touring and Grand Touring get a 6-speed stick. A 6-speed automatic is optional on all Miatas save the SV, but why miss out on the Miata's light clutch and excellent short-throw shifter? They're a joy, even in Manhattan traffic.
Handling has always been one of the MX-5 Miata's highlights. The steering is very direct and responsive, which can take some getting used to on long straightaways, but in the curves the Miata is your best friend. In snow, however, the Miata's light weight and rear-wheel-drive make it your worst enemy -- something I discovered as I slipped and slid over snowy roads near Lake Placid, NY. If you're buying the Miata hardtop as a winter-friendly convertible, be sure to invest in a set of snow tires. (The $500 sport suspension with its limited-slip differential is also a good idea.)
Because the Miata was designed as a soft-top convertible, there's no detectable difference in stiffness or handling with the top down. (Lopping the roof off can affect a car's rigidity, and some convertibles are prone to chassis flex.) The hard-top makes the Miata quieter, but not as quiet as a proper coupe. Little noise seeps in through the roof, but the top's storage well behind the seats serves as a echo chamber that magnifies road and tire noise when the top is up.
Journey's End: Hard top or soft top, Miata's as loveable as ever
I love the Miata. Always have, probably always will. But would I buy the hardtop? Hmm.
Many people like hard-top convertibles because they seal up as tight as a coupe -- something our 1,500 mile bad-weather odyssey proved beyond a doubt. But modern-day soft-top convertibles, including the Miata, are just as weatherproof, at least when new. The biggest advantage to the hard-top is that the roof will last as long as long as the rest of the car. It won't get tattered and torn after a dozen winters, and thieves can't knife it open to steal your stereo. The trade-off, however, is the additional complexity of the power top. If you do plan on a long-term relationship with your Miata -- and judging from Mazda's build quality, two or three decades isn't out of the question -- the power top mechanism is just one more thing that could break.
As a California resident, I'd probably pass on the hard top. The convenience of a power-operated top is a novelty for the Miata, but it's not as if the soft-top's manual roof is hard to operate -- just twist the release lever, give it a shove upwards, and off you go. Still, driving through the Rust Belt reminded me that if I lived back east, the hardtop would be a sound investment.
Regardless, I'd still recommend the Miata, in one form or another, over any other two-seat roadster out there. It's more practical and better to drive than the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. The Honda S2000 is quicker but pricier. Simply put, the Miata remains one of the best two-seat convertibles you can buy. -- Aaron Gold
