The Mazda MX-5 Miata is perhaps the most successful 2-seater sports car ever and has a solid fan base in every country it's sold in. Ever since the first generation (NA) of the Miata came in 1989, it received multiple accolades from almost all the popular automobile magazines, making it the best offering of the sports car segment. With the arrival of the fourth-generation Miata (ND), which came in 2015, all the qualities that made it an excellent proposition are carried forward while adding many more to make it a better value proposition.
The 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata sees no major changes from the outgoing 2021, apart from a few updates to the features of some of the higher trims. More color palettes are added to the list as well. The silky-smooth 2-liter motor comes unchanged, and so is the lively chassis and the incredibly precise steering, all of which make it the most fun-to-drive car of the lot. Offered for a base MSRP of $26,830, the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata is here to compete with the likes of the Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86, and the Mini Cooper Convertible.
10 Free-Revving Motor Is A Joy
The 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata is part of the ND generation which came out in 2015 and the powertrain comes with no changes. The 2-liter SKYACTIV-G naturally aspirated DOHC motor in the MX-5 Miata is capable of producing an impressive 181 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. This motor is known for its excellent refinement and free-revving nature, both of which made it a favorite amongst American car buyers.
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This motor produces its peak torque of 151 lb-ft at a very low 4,000 rpm and that makes it an easy car to drive around the cities. You don't need to mash on the gas pedal to extract the potential of the powertrain. This also helps the Miata to be an excellent proposition on the racetrack. The top-end performance is superb for the size of the engine. It could do 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds and achieve a quarter-mile time of 15.1 seconds at 94 mph.
9 Slick Gearbox Remains Unchanged
The 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata is quite synonymous with its driving experience, and one of the main reasons for that is the slick-shifting 6-speed manual gearbox that comes as standard. The gearing is spot on, with adequately short initial gears and a long sixth gear, making it decent in both cities and highways. The transmission has a positive shift feel, and the gears fall in with ease.
There is also an optional 6-speed automatic transmission, which is offered for an additional price of $500 for the convertible and $550 for the RF trims. This automatic transmission is also adequately fast and doesn't let down the overall driving experience. The kick downs are reasonably fast and being a torque converter unit, it is also very smooth.
8 Great Handling And Driving Dynamics
What makes the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata one of the most preferred monikers of the segment has to be the excellent handling the car offer. The chassis and suspension of the Miata are well-calibrated and hence the driving experience is easily next to none, even when considering the excellent rivals like the Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GR86.
This is a car that needs to be driven around a racetrack and even with a puny 2-liter motor, it offers a surreal amount of fun. Take the corners a bit enthusiastically and the car holds on to the road like a leech. There is more than enough amount of grip and the electronic power steering offers an insane feel and feedback. The suspension is adequately stiff, too.
7 Ride Quality Is A Bit Firm
The 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata comes with double-wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension setup. It gets coil springs and front and rear anti-roll bars as standard too. Since this is a car that is made for having fun, the ride quality is on the stiffer side. As a result, driving through the city streets is not as comfortable as the rivals of the segment.
In comparison, the 2022 Toyota GR86 is tuned to the softer side and has a more plush ride quality. However, take Miata above 50 mph, and you would appreciate how good the car drives at higher speeds. There is no pitching and bobbing like that of the GR86 and BRZ, and the passengers are going to have a very comfortable traveling experience. The highway stability is excellent too.
6 Frugal Powertrain
The gas mileage is one area that would surely surprise many of the prospective buyers. With the 2L naturally aspirated motor mated to the 6-speed manual gearbox, the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata can return 26 MPG in the city and 35 MPG on the highway, which equates to combined gas mileage of 30 MPG.
With an 11.9-gallon fuel tank capacity on offer, the 2022 MX-5 Miata also does about 309 miles of city range and 416 miles of highway range. Even though the gas mileage is better than the rivals, with a slightly smaller tank capacity, the range is a bit. If you opt for the automatic version, the fuel efficiency could be slightly lower than the manual version.
5 Not The Most Refined Of The Lot
If you expect it to be refined like some of the regular cars that are available at the same price tag, you would be disappointed. This a 2-seater sports car and hence the refinement level is surely a notch below other normal sedans and hatchbacks. The tire noise and road noise is on the higher side in the Miata, and that can be associated with the lower sound-deadening materials in this convertible.
Even for the RF version, which gets a roof, the sound insulation leaves a lot to be desired. In comparison, the 2022 Mini Cooper Convertible is superior . Apart from that, the engine gets loud at the higher revs and that might turn away a few prospective buyers. Even the interior quality is not the best of the lot.
4 One Of The Most Affordable Convertibles
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Available for a base MSRP of $26,830, the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata is the cheapest offering of the segment. This base Sport trim also manages to get a reasonably long list of interior, exterior, and safety features, making it a value for money proposition. The much-needed features such as LED headlights, LED taillights, touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and many more come as standard.
In comparison, both the Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GR86 miss out on some of these essential techs. They are also about $1,500 more expensive than the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Mini Cooper Convertible is somewhat expensive too. However, it offers a bit more sophistication, mainly due to the inclusion of a few more infotainment and interior features for the base trims.
3 Appealing Exterior Design
The design looks striking from all angles, and that is one of the biggest USPs of this vehicle. Coming in both convertible and coupe versions, the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata looks very clean when viewed from the front, with sharp hood lines, a well-sculpted bumper, and handsome-looking LED headlights.
The side looks relatively plain, and what helps it stand apart is the beautifully crafted 17" metallic black aluminum-alloy wheels. The slight fender flares and the reasonably wide 205 section tires give character too. Apart from that, it also gets 7 exterior colors, 2 rooftop colors, and Appearance Package, all of which help it to stand out very well.
2 Brakes Are Pretty Impressive
The 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata comes with 11" front and rear rotors, all of which are ventilated. The braking features like ABS with EBD, brake assist, and hill hold control are on board as well. The braking has always been a strong point of the current generation of the MX-5 Miata and the same ethos is carried forward to this 2022 iteration.
The bite is sharp, and the brakes are more than powerful enough to make the car stop from a high speed. It doesn't lose control under hard braking, which could be a problem with the older generation Miatas. Apart from that, the brake fade is well under control, and even after a hard track session, the brakes hold up pretty well.
1 Infotainment Gets All The Bells And Whistles
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Coming with a 7" touchscreen infotainment system that could also be easily controlled by the rotary knob and buttons on the center console, the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata is not going to disappoint the buyers. Even though the display is pretty small for this day and age, it gets all the features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, CD player, Bluetooth, and many more.
The interface is pretty slick and there aren't any noticeable lags and stutters with the UI. The display is reasonably bright and has good viewing angles too. When it comes to the audio experience, the Bose 9-speaker audio system turned out to be pretty good. Even though it is a bass-heavy system, the mids and high-frequency audio output doesn't sound very muddy with a bit of tweaking.