Disclosure: I had the opportunity to test drive a Mazda Miata loaner in exchange for this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.
We have been lucky enough to review several cars (Kia Sorento, Kia Soul and Mitsubishi Outlander) here on WithOurBest but never have we had the opportunity to review a sports car! Much less the best selling two-seater sports car… ever! You can’t imagine my excitement when a Meteor Gray 25th Anniversary Mazda MX-5 Miata pulled into our drive way for us to spend the week with?
The 2015 Mazda MX-5 is a sight to behold… I couldn’t wait to jump into the cockpit and take down the roof with just a push of a button. Feeling the Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) kick back and let in the fall evening sky (all in about 12 seconds) was something that I could really get used to! We’ve never owned a convertible before and if the thought of having a soft canvas roof (and the potential noise that comes with it) scares you like it does me, then you’d love the PRHT… it’s quiet, solid, and quick to take down. You go from fully enclosed to feeling free in no time and it’s ahh-mazing!
I’m not a sports car aficionado but I definitely enjoy a sporty ride! While I’ve not spent a lot of time driving manual transmission cars, the 6-speed in the 2015 MX-5 felt like butter between my fingers. It was so easy to move it from gear to gear and having the short throw between gears makes working my way up to 6th a fun, engaging, and entertaining experience! The 6 speed means that the lower gears provide lots of fun torque for whipping around corners and supplying plenty of get-up-and-go from each and every stop light! For as much pep as this car has, my husband was amazed to learn that it’s only packing a 2.0L engine in it! Though it’s tuned really well as 167 horsepower are created by that power plant! Not bad considering my old 2.0L Mazda Protege put out around 120!
Of course the well tuned smaller engine means that it doesn’t suck down the gas and ends up getting around 28 highway and 21 city… no doubt because you’re drawn to have a little too much fun working through the transmission! The 2015 MX-5 has built in traction control so if you do decide to get after it, it’ll help keep you in check. However, as my husband learned in the little snowstorm we had, turning off the traction control definitely allows you to have a different type of fun!!
I could spend all day talking about the interior of the car but instead I’ll just hit you with the highlights! This is a compact sports car and so there’s not a lot of space to pack in a lot of bells and whistles on the inside, but what they are able to put in there is well laid out. The Bose Centerpoint 7-speaker Surround Sound System with AudioPilot is literally at your fingertips right off of the shifter knob which makes running through the available Sirius satellite radio stations a breeze. Other features of the car are equally accessible from the HomeLink Mirror to the Having hands free bluetooth is also clutch (see what I did there?) as you’ll likely be working your way up and down the Miata’s gears as you Zoom Zoom around city streets!
Though some areas felt a little cramped, the car is definitely not without legroom and the ability to adjust the seats easily is the best I’ve had in a long time. While I admit there’s not much of an option here, I feel like the center console cup holder could have been set down a little lower. I found it got in the way some when working through this little car’s gears.
Speaking of comfort though, did I tell you that this baby comes with heated leather seats?? This added bonus meant that my husband and I could put the top down when maybe you normally wouldn’t because of an extra chill in the air. They provided plenty of warmth and were extra awesome on those cold November mornings! I was genuinely surprised at how quickly they heated up! Top down and chilly is no match for the aerodynamics of the MX-5 with her top down and the seats cranked on high!
All in all, this was a super fun car to demo and drive around for the week. It’s handling is literally second to none and the 6 speed transmission meant getting off the line in even a 2.0 L engine was always fun. The car looks sleek, is fun to drive, has a comfortable interior, and has plenty of features to keep you satisfied on longer drives… The 2015 Mazda MX-5 Miata starts at $24,720 though the model we demoed was decked out and weighed in at $32,935. A pretty penny but not outrageous for a car this fun… oh and did I mention the top comes down in true Transformers fashion! 🙂 What’s not to love?
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