10/10 Would Recommend: 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring
I have spent my entire automotive life hearing just how great the Mazda MX-5 Miata is from practically every journalist, enthusiast, or TV personality. I mean, even Jeremy Clarkson loves the thing… so there must be some merit, right?
NEED TO KNOW
- The MX-5 Miata is the best-selling two-seat sports car of all time and has outlasted every American and Japanese competitor from its era.
- The Grand Touring trim adds heated leather seats, Bose 9-speaker audio, and wireless Apple CarPlay at $34,210 as tested.
- Mazda’s design philosophy of ‘everything you need and nothing more’ means the car prioritizes driving feel over luxury amenities.
- The 181 hp SKYACTIV engine and rear-wheel drive make for an engaging drive even at legal speeds on back roads.
I have driven all the competition from various makers over the years as well: Honda S2000, Pontiac Solstice GXP, and Porsche Cayman (I know, I know. BUT it IS the hardtop version of the Boxter which IS a direct competitor). With exception of the Porsche, all competition has come and gone over the over 3 decades of the Miata’s lifespan, and with a price tag double that of our tester, the Porsche Boxter really is in a different league when it comes to potential buyers.
While all those competitors have their merits and their place in automotive history, this MX-5 shows exactly why it is the best-selling 2-seat sports car of all time. Since its introduction as a 1990 model, the MX-5 Miata has stuck to its original formula of “everything you need and nothing more.” Mazda used a design credo across the four generations of the MX-5’s development: the phrase jinba ittai (人馬一体), which translates into English as “rider and horse (jinba) as one body (ittai)” and we believe it.
Getting behind the wheel of an MX-5 Miata immediately takes you back to the 50s and 60s on a small, European back road in a lightweight sports car of the time. That was the genesis of Americans’ sports car obsession after all. So, take a seat, buckle up, and take a ride with me down an East Texas back road in the closest thing I can imagine to driving perfection.
2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring Specs:
Learn more:
https://www.mazdausa.com/vehicles/mx-5-miata
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2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring
PROS
- Writer calls it 'the closest thing I can imagine to driving perfection' after driving East Texas back roads
- Near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution and sport-tuned Bilstein suspension deliver the 'jinba ittai' rider-and-horse connection
- 6-speed manual transmission keeps the driver fully engaged with rear-wheel drive
- Exceptional fuel economy for a sports car at 26/34/29 mpg
- Starting at $32,300 the Grand Touring undercuts Porsche Boxster by more than half while delivering genuine sports-car thrills
CONS
- Seating for only 2 people limits family or group utility
- 7-inch infotainment screen is modest by modern standards