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      05-20-2007, 04:17 PM   #1
takedown8
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Just drove a Miata MX-5!

I'm currently in San Francisco with my wife, and we rented a Mazda Miata MX-5 yesterday. It was a 2006 model.

I have to say it was pretty fun to drive! Much more like a true roadster, I would think. It's small (barely fit my luggage back there...had to jam it in!) and had a manual soft top. 6-speed automatic with steptronic paddle shifters.

The car is very peppy and the paddle shifters are fun to use. Of course there's not close to as much power and the engine doesn't roar like the Z4, but acceleration is great. First and second gear pretty much get you nowhere unlike the Z4 (mine is 5-speed). Rough gear changes when over 4-5000rpm.

At first I thought the manual soft top would be a PITA, but it's extremely easy to put down and up. You don't even have to get out of the car. Because the top is so small, you just unhook it, give it a pit of a pull, and it just flies backwards and snaps in place. To pull up, you just unlock, give it a pull and it flies forward. It seems that the Z4 softtop would be more difficult to manage manually due to its size, but I'm not sure 'cause mine is automatic.

There's a little wind deflector that folds up and down. Even though the car is very small and the trunk is tiny, there is some space behind the seats for the soft top to fold into that you can use. The Z4 space is not really accessible though you don't really need it due to the larger trunk.

The sound system is lacklustre, but the car has all little options one likes to have: cruise control, multifunction steering wheel, cup holders (4 cupholders for some reason). The Z4 is just super luxury compared to this car.

I definitely see the appeal of the Miata. It seems like a great, fun, little vert for a great price. If I had one, I wouldn't even mind getting a manual top. Would rather have my Zed any day, but the Z4 is a luxurious beast compared to the fun, little miata. Would be a great car for my wife...she loved it and we got a nice tan with the top down.
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      05-20-2007, 06:11 PM   #2
Daveop
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Never driven a Miata before but one place I thought it would really be superior to the Z4 is in road visibility, sometimes I feel like i'm driving in a tub in the Z4, where with the miata sicne its so small and you sit higher in it, visibility might be alot better.. what did you think of that aspect?
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      05-20-2007, 06:23 PM   #3
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Both the Miata and the Honda S2000 have a much lower hoodline than the Z4. One of the changes from my old S2000 that has been the hardest for me to get used to is the view of the road in front of the car and I am still trying to get used to where the front end is while I am parking the Z4. The nose of the car is enormous in comparison, but the Miata and the Honda S2000 both have much smaller engine blocks than the inline 6 we have.

I bought my Z4 Coupe for exactly the differences that takedown8 described - the Z4 luxuries. I got spoiled by a string of Audis I used to own prior to getting an S2000 and I really missed being pampered. I almost bought a Miata instead of the S2000, but after test driving both liked the extra power of the Honda. The S2000 actually had far more trunk space than the Miata and felt better built too, but while both are a lot of fun for a romp on a twisty road they lack a lot of the amenities that make owning the Z4 a much nicer overall experience.
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      05-20-2007, 07:21 PM   #4
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I test drove a Miata a few years ago, & definitely see the appeal.
A fun little car at the price.
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      05-20-2007, 08:53 PM   #5
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I got in one while testing cars and got right back out. My knees and elbows were hitting all over the place and it was obvious I would never be comfortable in it. I did like the S2000 I drove, in fact liked it a lot - I found the steering much more precise than the Z (maybe because it didn't have runflats!). But given how and where I drive the high revs necessary to get anything out of it just wouldn't work.
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      05-21-2007, 08:14 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by takedown8 View Post
Would be a great car for my wife...she loved it and we got a nice tan with the top down.

Couldn't have said it better myself (fun...but a chick car nonetheless)
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      05-21-2007, 09:35 AM   #7
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I shopped the MX5 last fall just before I chose Zeddi. I thought it a wonderful car but the main problem for me was the tight cockpit; I could not get quite far enough away from the steering wheel and elbow room was lacking.

As far as the body styling goes the Mazda looks great up close in the showroom but when I see them on the road I yawn. Everytime I see a Z4 it REALLY GETS MY ATTENTION.
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      05-21-2007, 09:38 AM   #8
takedown8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveO View Post
Never driven a Miata before but one place I thought it would really be superior to the Z4 is in road visibility, sometimes I feel like i'm driving in a tub in the Z4, where with the miata sicne its so small and you sit higher in it, visibility might be alot better.. what did you think of that aspect?
I know what you mean, because you sit so low in the Zed and it has a long nose. I wouldn't say the miata has better visibility. You still sit quite low in it. You do have a smaller blind spot just because the car is much smaller though (if that's what you mean).

With the top down in either car though, problems with visibility are erased, so go with that option whenever possible!
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