Rants and Raves: 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata – Features

Dates in fleet: 8/3/07 to 8/17/07

It had been a while since I’d driven a Miata, and this was the first time I’d had a chance to spend more than a few minutes with the power hardtop version. I’d forgotten how great this car really is, from the fantastic steering and the positive-feeling shifter to the ride quality, which can be considered downright supple if you factor in the car’s miniscule wheelbase. The most amazing part, however, is the power hardtop. It makes the MX-5 true year-round transportation—albeit for those without kids underfoot—and takes up no more room than the traditional cloth roof when folded. Thanks to the hardworking folks who pulled off this feat of engineering, I was never forced to make a compromise over an entire weekend with the car. It served admirably from the golf course (I put my clubs in the passenger seat, but could have probably wedged them in the trunk if I’d bothered to try) to the hardware store, where the trunk opening was—to my surprise—large enough to swallow a brand-new, still-in-its-box 3000-pound-rated floor jack.

SCOTT MOSHER

You might call me a sun worshiper. Yeah I know its bad for my skin, but I lay out anyway. I’m a previous owner of a Del Sol and loved the hard-top aspect of that car.

Living in L.A. and having a cloth top for a daily driver is asking for trouble. Having a cloth top in Michigan also has its downsides, as you can imagine.

The power-retractable-hardtop on this is ingenious. It’s super-fast and solves all my dilemmas. What an engaging roadster. With this latest gen I can sit in the driver’s seat and not have my forehead exposed to the elements. Many Miata-philes feel the increased size and weight are unforgivable sins, but I disagree. At six-foot-one, I am taller than average but even so I know plenty of gearheads at or above my height.