2010 Mx-5
 

You see it in flame wars on forums and buried in the comment sections of YouTube and Facebook: The data are gathered, plugged in, computed. A conclusion spits out. The digital beings follow it blindly. It is their code.

Problem: The Mazda MX-5 does not compute. The formulae can't explain its rampant success, why it's a constant favorite. Nor can the digital readouts explain why we ranked the MX-5 third in this year's Best Driver's Car comparison -- that's three spots ahead of the Corvette ZR1 -- despite the Miata producing the worst performance numbers of all the contenders. This result bothers the hard-coded digital beings. "How dare you say this diminutive roadster is on par with the world heavyweights!" they rage. They erase the MX-5 from their conscious with snide bits of text. Or they ignore it, lest they contemplate too long and fry a circuit.

The Miata doesn't do data plots. Never has. The roadster eschews numbers for a greater goal: driving bliss. "Oneness with horse and rider," Mazda calls it. The automaker says its objective wasn't to make the 2009 MX-5 faster. "Put last year's and this year's on a track, and they'll cross the finish line at the same time," said one engineer. "But the driver of the new one will have a bigger smile."

The engineers revised the suspension to reduce body roll and increase steering feel by repositioning outer ball joints and adjusting the damping. They upped the redline 500 rpm, just so you could scream above 7000. They found another horsepower up there, too. To models equipped with a six-speed manual, they added something called an Induction Sound Enhancer, which uses tuned pipes to route the intake note to the cabin. The Miata circa 2009 sounded more like a carbureted roadster.

The same is true a year later. The 2010 model brings a reshuffling of color and package availability, but the smile remains, even on the nose of the car. We sampled the MX-5 line on an autocross and on the windy, two-lane mountain roads off California's Monterey coast. Our cars had the $500 Suspension Package, which adds Bilstein shocks, a larger rear stabilizer bar, and limited-slip differential. And through our time with the car, that smile became infectious.

How could it not? The MX-5 has an unbelievable sense of balance and control. You can drive it like a hooligan on an autocross, sliding the rear around wherever you want to. Anticipating a drift and dialing in opposite lock becomes a sixth sense. The chassis communicates its movements clearly. It's just as fun on bumpy country roads too, with quick reflexes begging you to eke closer to the limit. The induction note sings each of the 167 horses through the cabin, becoming sweeter as you to reach toward the 7200-rpm redline. With the top down, there's literally nothing separating you from the experience.

If you have the Power Retractable Hard Top, press a button and 12 seconds is all it takes to open up to (or close out) the world. Introduced in 2007, the hardtop has been a rampant success, now accounting for 50 percent of MX-5 sales. It doesn't compromise trunk space and adds just 82 pounds overall.

The soft top remains the quickest and lightest, though. Just unlock the latch above the rearview mirror, and throw the roof over your shoulder with one hand. It's that easy. The genius of the MX-5 lies in this simplicity. It's this absence of technology run amok that makes you long for more time behind the wheel on a longer, windier road. This car makes you happy.

Still want a number? Fine: 850,000. That's how many MX-5s Mazda has sold since its introduction in 1989, making it the most popular two-seat convertible sports car in the world. Guinness World Records says so. Try that in your formula.

Base Price $23,560-$30,100
Vehicle layout Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door, convertible
Engine 2.0L/158-167-hp /140-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve 4-cyl
Transmission 5-speed, 6-speed manual; 6-speed automatic
Curb weight 2400-2550 (mfr)
Wheelbase 91.7 in
Length x width x height 157.3 x 67.7 x 49.0-49.4 in
0-60 mph 6.7 sec MT est
EPA city/hwy fuel econ 21-22 / 28 mpg
CO2 emissions 0.82-0.80 lb/mile
On sale in the U.S. Currently

http://image.motortrend.com/f/302407...assenger-2.jpg

http://image.motortrend.com/f/252206...w-static-2.jpg


that mouth is so UGLY!
http://image.motortrend.com/f/302401...MX-5-seats.jpg

http://image.motortrend.com/f/302400...erior-view.jpg

http://image.motortrend.com/f/302400...X-5-engine.jpg

But according to Americans it's gay.

The e-penis, motorcycle-riding tough guys at least :lol:

It is gay!

It looks like something you'd give a 3 year old to ride around the back yard with.

And he's not even "Amuricun" (said with traditional Bushizm Texas accent)

:lol:

It's not ghey, it's a girls car. Get it right. :lol:

Plus it is also associated with impending doom for motorcyclists at the gap because the miata group is well known for their lack of driving ability and precise aim when targeting motorcycles.

It looks a lot better than it used to :idk:

So what model of car consistently has better drivers?

I'd be willing to bet a higher % of Miata drivers race than practically any other model of car.

I am just talking about the gap group. Just cause you can race, doesn't mean you are a good gap driver. Race line = kill someone line.

Probably the car group I fear the least in going up there on a weekend is the Mini Cooper group. They are well versed on the rules up there and police their own.

as if bikers are somehow better.......lol

All happy and shit....

Great car...even the old slow and pokey ones are a blast to drive.

Agreed the r1 r6 rally is the worst imo

Actually the worst group doesn't even use the road for fun.....bear hunters

With the BOATERS running a close second...though the boaters don't toss motor oil on the roads..they just tow the boats across the lines at mach speeds thru blind corners

You can stick nice teeth and sunglasses on a pile of shit. Its still a pile of shit though.

Sounds indicative of the particular club those people belong to......Rather than anything to do with the car itself :shrug:

It's not easy to take a car that small and make it look like a macho Lambo or something :shrug:

yeah it really has nothing to do with the car but the drivers. Some miata drivers are really f'in fast and safe through there. It's just something I think about besides girl car when I see a miata.

Homeslice, your aversion to anything 'macho' or 'manly' is disturbing.

Perfomance is not the only thing people look at when they buy a sports car. We want something we can see ourselves in too. Miatas are girly looking cars, wether you like it or not. Kinda like a solstice or a beetle.

I already admitted, the early ones looked lame/gay/girly. But the new one? I don't see what's so girly about it. It's certainly less girly than a Mini or Beetle.

What would you do to it to make it less girly? Bigger fender arches & fat tires maybe? That's about all I can think of. Scoops & wings would look stupid.

Why doesn't anyone call an S2000 girly?

The big fucking smiley face on the front of it looks like it's ready to take a massive dick in it's mouth makes it pretty girly.

That, more room, and about 600 horsepower...

And like trip said, get rid of that dick eating grin on the front of it.

I would love a first gen
http://pics.sr4000.com/pics/12010283...-5--266945.jpg

That one looks stoned, :lol:

Why do they feel the need to put a stupid face on these cars? Make the grill bigger and retro headlights like the AC Cobra or an Austin Healey and a bit of a wider stance and I think it would look decent. Its the smile that makes this car "Gay" or a "chick's" car.

I sat and watched full size 18 wheelers with trailers in tow going up and down Deal's Gap. Couldn't believe it...but they made it through somehow.

I like em. I'd own one. I'd race one. It is the SV650 of the auto world. I bet it has made better drivers out of most that have driven it, compared to say a vette or Mustang GT because it has little HP and a very communicative chassis, teaching the driver more about corner technique and entrance speed than a heavy Murican pony car...

I don't understand why the Mazdaspeed version had such a short run... stuff the Mazdaspeed3 engine and party down (well, except that it's already expensive and has surprisingly poor MPG ratings for such a light car)

the factory caught on fire, accelerating the transition to the NC. I'll write more later, but my well-modded NC is prob my favorite car I've ever owned, and the list includes a Supra Turbo, 2 S2000s, Cayman S, and E90 M3 (which I still own). At my local track, it hung w/ a S/c'd S2000 w/ 2x the power and R compounds, and left a stock S2000 CR in the dust. It ranks right w the CS and a similarly modded NC as the 3 best handling cars I've ever driven.

What is an NC?

Seats in those pics look limp-wristed. Are there better seats available?

NA = 1st gen 90-97
NB = 2nd gen 99-05
NC = 3rd gen 06+

I'll take that bet.

How much ya' got?

I said practically, so I can't be pinned down :lol:

Accurate numbers couldn't be found anyway.

You're good about avoiding the absolute. ;)

You are thinking about the Miata drivers that buy one for sport.

I'd be willing to bet that the majority of owners do not buy it to take it to the track but because it is cute, convertible, cheaper than a Z3 and not as manly as daddy's/hubby's Corvette.

And facts. He likes to avoid those as well :lol

All I know is that almost all of the Miata's I see on the road, no matter man or woman driver, have a Manual transmission.

That says something about the type of buyer if you ask me.

Most Miata owners I see are men, not women. Furthermore, they are usually in their 40's or 50's. I highly doubt the average man in his 40's or 50's is going to be buying it because it's cute.

I always saw tons of Miatas at autocrosses back when I used to do that, in 3 different states. There were always more Miatas doing it than Corvettes or any other type of car. And if you want to talk about road racing, there's a whole Spec race series that's been devoted to Miatas for years.

All three of the girls I know that have Miatas race them. I used to drive a Miata(borrowed for a few months from a friend)....took my husband out on our first date in it. :lol:

I agree with Homeslice.

Every Miata driver I have ever seen is an older grey haired male. Around here almost every one I see is lowered with 8" wheels, and rollbars. I rarely see a stock one.

Regardless, the huge production figures for the Miata make it a sucker bet behind, say, just about any Lotus model ever made, for starters...

There's someone who works at a body shop I pass on my way to work every day that has a Miata with a slick body kit, not unlike this one:
http://www.miata.net/products/hot/im...3_2889693.jpeg

It took me a couple passes of straight rubber-necking to figure out what it was... What threw me is that it doesn't have the pop-up headlights, but rather it has permanently mounted lights smoothed into the hood. Looks pretty good...

Similar to:

http://redlineunlimited.com/Images/M...ght_medium.gif

Looks alot better than the factory ground effects packages such as the Mazdaspeeds, which was just an 80's-esque lip with foglights in it.

My Miata. Regardless of what anyone thinks, I love it, and think it's one of the funnest cars I've ever driven. I'd sell my E90 M3 before this car, which is a keeper.

W/ new hardtop, just bought last night:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3425/...c8009d40_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/...c2f3b96b_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3603/...c4e507b1_b.jpg

Is there a big difference in noise between the hardtop and softtop?

What mods have you done to it?

Homeslice, wind noise is way down, other noises about the same.

Troy, here's a list off the top of my head:

Tein Mono Flex coilovers
RX-8 Sport sway bars
aligned/corner balanced
Enkei 17x9 RP-F1's w/ 235/40 Dunlop Direzza Star Specs
I.L. Motorsports braces - FSTB + 3 underneath
Goodwin Racing double hoop roll bar
MS CAI
Goodwin Racing header, midpipe, & exhaust
OEM hardtop
Pioneer double-DIN HU w/ BT phone/audio

a HD clutch and LW flywheel is going in tomorrow, then it will be done other than routine maint.

How much did the coilovers drop it?

Was is basically stock when you got it?

I ask all of this because the wife really wants one for herself....but I'm pushing for a 370 or a used M3 coupe

I may actually go and drive one after seeing yours

http://image.motortrend.com/f/302407...assenger-2.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ilies/340x.png

In my excitement to install the coilovers, I neglected to measure the drop! We set the Teins' shock bodies 2" shorter than stock (before fine tuning via corner weighting), so that's an approximate drop. The nice thing is that ride height is fully adjustable, and I have room to go up or down.

Yes, I bought it brand new w/ the intent to develop it into what it's become, and I'm very happy w/ it. Fun factor and handling is up there w/ anything I've ever driven. It's also good on gas/consumables, cheap to insure, top goes up/down in an instant, and it doesn't attract undesirable attention. It parks right next to my '08 M3 sedan, and more often than not I go for the MX-5's keys.

Stock suspension tuning is too soft IMO, so if y'all have any sporting aspirations I'd budget for at least springs &/or sways. As for the decision vs. the Z/M3, I think the MX-5 (once the suspension tuning is fixed) is more fun on tighter, twistier tracks/roads, and when the weather is nice enough to enjoy top down driving. The others would be better for a long distance road trip. There's no right or wrong answer w/ those choices!

Would it have been too soft even with the Bilstein suspension?

My car had the suspension package, and it's supposedly even softer than the base suspension. Well worth the $400-$500 pkg. cost just for the LSD, though.

parents saw this in Poland last week......wtf?

Fiat Barchetta.
Fail, due to FWD(and it is a fiat)

NICE!

Motor Trend has learned that Mazda will be downsizing its famed softtop and shedding precious pounds off its next-generation MX-5 Miata, currently under development at the company's Hiroshima headquarters in Japan. A source close to Mazda confirmed that the R&D team, now under the leadership of chief engineer Shuko Yamamoto, will be going back to basics to redefine the MX-5 for its proposed 2011 launch.

The goal? Getting size and weight down to where they were 20 years ago. "The current model is just too heavy," says our source. The original 1989 MX-5 weighed just 2100 lbs. and was powered by a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine. That is where Mazda wants to take the fourth-generation coupe, a car that today, in third-generation guise, tips the scales at a hefty 2460 lbs. According to a source inside Mazda, the R&D team will be targeting a curb weight of around 1000 kgs. or 2200 lbs. But shedding more than 250 lbs. while maintaining the current car's safety levels and spacious cockpit won't be easy.

...

Our source says that getting weight down will enable the incorporation of a smaller, lighter engine, crucial in lowering emissions and improving fuel economy. "We are testing both 1.6 and 1.8 liter engines, which undercut our current 2.0 liter unit, but deliver the same 160-170 hp power range," informs our insider. "Obviously we are giving priority to the 1.6-liter, but who knows?"

http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/...ans/index.html

Another new one? When did the current one come out, 08?

And reducing weight sounds nice, but it's probably going to make it even noisier on the highway. I wish I could tolerate one as my only car, but I'm not in my 20's anymore.

:lol

Even better.