2011 Mazda Miata MX-5

2.0-liter DOHC Four
This, ladies and gentlemen, is a simple sports car propelled by a simple powertrain. And while that path to simplicity is necessarily sophisticated, Mazda has resisted the urge to install more cylinders, which all-too-typically require a heavier structure. The die was cast in 1990, and while that die may have been broadened ever so slightly, it's still immediately recognizable - and immediately enjoyable.

Aluminum
To look at the Miata's spec sheet, you'd think the starting price was mid-$30s (or $40s) rather than mid-$20s, as the structure is chock-full of this lightweight alloy. Hood, trunk, front control arms, rear suspension uprights and rear brake calipers are all crafted in a material many carmakers have yet to discover - in any application. It keeps the Miata commendably light, and to briefly channel Camelot, "light makes right."

We have room for over 100 words, but need only two: It's tight. With that, we'll add the following: While its dimensions remain small, the end result is a passenger compartment more personal than confining. The Miata's beauty is in its balance - enough room to be a daily commuter, and enough stowage to enjoy the occasional weekend furlough, but never so much that you and your passenger are isolated from your immediate environment. Despite its (modest) consumption of fossil fuels, this may very well be the most eco-sensitive transport on four wheels; you will feel everything around you. And while the appointments are appropriate to its price and segment, they recede in importance to what you've just seen, and what the next trip will bring.

We have room for over 100 words, but need only three: It's a Miata. With that, we'll add the following: While its proportions remain classic, the MX-5 Miata has evolved over the course of its two-plus decades. Short overhangs front and rear combine with a widened track to create a very athletic presence. The sheetmetal itself is "of a piece," with little - if any - extraneous additions to distract. We prefer the more traditional profile provided by the soft top, but unlike some hard top convertibles, the Miata's Power Retractable Hardtop (PRHT) supplies few (if any) negatives. And while our take on the Mazda3's recently acquired edge is purely subjective, we thank a Superior Being every day that he (or she) spared the Miata its stylistic extravagance.

With 167 horsepower (@ 7,000 rpm) from its 2.0-liter displacement, the MX-5's powertrain is merely middle-of-the-pack in terms of horsepower to displacement. But what it provides in driving enjoyment puts it solidly in pole position, with feedback - both mechanical and aural - fully appropriate to the classic sports car experience. And much of that has been engineered in. One example: The engine's plastic composite intake manifold is designed to transmit - rather than mask - certain frequencies that duplicate a sports car's "audio." Both 5-speed and 6-speed manuals are short in their throws and precise in their actuation. And as noted, a 6-speed automatic is optional across the board, but only truly appropriate if you've lost your left leg in a racing accident.

2.0-liter in-line 4
167 horsepower @ 7000 rpm (manual), 158 horsepower @ 6700 rpm (automatic)
140 lb.-ft. of torque @ 5000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/28(5-speed manual), 21/28 (6-speed manual), 21/28 (6-speed automatic)

The three MX-5 trim levels - Sport, Touring and Grand Touring - range in price from about $24,000 (5-speed Sport) to almost $29,000 (Grand Touring automatic), plus whatever port or dealer-installed accessories the consumer would care to add. The Power Retractable Hard Top has its own price schedule, spread over three trim levels: Touring, Grand Touring and Special Edition. Here, entry level is approximately $28,000 (6-speed Touring) and tops out at over $32,000 (PRHT automatic Special Edition). Be sure and check kbb.com's Fair Purchase Price for what consumers are paying in your market area. Historically, Miata resale has been consistently strong, a testament to both its long-term reliability and desirability to successive generations of car buyers.

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