No time to explain asshole, I have two ND Miatas and everything from the German Alps to Rimini on the coast of Italy as my playground. Get in, buckle your ass up, and clutch kick this 2.0L slice of high revving self fulfillment into a grand tour from Munich to Rimini!

The ND Miata retains a lot of what made the original “great”, and is probably as faithful to the NA’s philosophy as any car can be. And while the Miata purist (whatever that means) might throw a shit-fit over the car gaining 200lbs to a road cracking 2300 lbs and now having electric power steering, the ND does address an issue the original car did have: you won’t get bullied on the road (as much)!

Especially in Europe, the 2.0L Miata is king of the slow cars. So while a BMW 328i will still leave you in the dust, you can sleep soundly knowing you’ll probably be faster than most Dacias.

With above average relative power comes great responsibility… so let’s give two of them to some 20 year olds!

Chapter 1 – Derestrict my Autobahn

An ND Miata will top out around 230kph (140-ish mph) according to itself. I, for one, prefer to be an optimist again, and will believe in the little roadster that could(n’t), and not what the GPS said (~130mph). What I can’t be optimistic about, is how the car behaves near that top speed.

Driving this car at high speed reveals two flaws. The first is the wind noise, which is more like having a hand dryer by your head. The second, is this car’s lack of confidence once you pass 100mph. The front gets light, any crosswind or wake from another vehicle unsettles the car, and your utmost attention and concentration is needed to make this little roadster behave.

However, if you don’t try and hit Vmax on derestricted autobahn, the Miata doesn’t care if it’s on a highway. Wind noise is still as annoying as sitting next to an upset toddler on a flight.

Chapter 2 – A Pass Named Stelvio

But highways aren’t what this car is for. So let’s submit ourselves to the alps, flip to top down, and become one with the Miata.

Did you know the ND Miata is a wonderfully balanced and easily controllable car at the limit? I learned this while sideways, somewhere in a dirt lot in Austria. You should too!

The Miata on these roads (some of which might actually wide enough for two cars!) was about as good as you’d image while not being a cynical prick. The car has enough torque to get up mountains while the engine has enough revs to make you giggle like an idiot as the vacuum cleaner of a four banger screams to 7500 rpm.

Most of the roads out here are either really tight and switchback-y, or winding and kinda open towards the base of an Alp.

So let’s head to the most switchback-y of all: the Stelvio Pass.

Climbing from the Swiss side, the increasingly narrow road opens up once the the forest recedes. Above the tree line, the road twists its way up a valley as the world around you disappears until it’s just you, a view, and a car eager for punishment.

Turn in is immediate, and the lack of any weight paired with summer tires means the car gives you confidence to actually corner at speed. You feel the rear move around while the tires still haven’t broken into a slide. You can ride near what feels like the limit with full control, as the car talks to you the way you talk to your therapist.

There’s some (correction, a fair amount of) body roll in the car which can add to the feeling on rear instability while still at a controllable speed. This also means that the Miata is eager to rotate, either from an aggressive turn in or by “powering” on exist (or just mashing the clutch like a wannabe rally driver). It’s a car that just begs you to let it shake its ass, before reigning itself back into the land of control, usually in second gear.

Chapter 3 – An Italian Summer

I won’t lie, in order to get to the first stop in Laga di Garda, the Miata crossed like 4 counties almost exclusively on mountain passes by over eager 20-something-year-olds.

And while there are a lot of backroads in the Lago Garda area, it’s also dotted with small renaissance era towns with a single main road that traces the coast and almost insists you drive under the speed limit. And to that, the Miata can show off its grand touring abilities.

(This is just an excuse to bitch about the interior)

The ND Miata’s interior is pretty straight forward. Bit of body color on the doors, bit of fake carbon fiber “to taste”, a minimal amount of buttons, three large gauges, aaaand not much else.

What I forgot about the screen? Look some memories are better left repressed.

Do I have to talk about infotainment? Look it’s a touchscreen that responded to my fingers about as well as my ex. I can probably count on one hand how many times it actually did something when pressed. There’s a knob that lets you control it as well, since the engineers knew that it would have a nervous break down and go *pop* when it actually needed to do something. CarPlay was constantly fighting a seizure, either refusing to connect or going thermo-fucking-nuclear when maps were changed. And then sometimes, always when most inconvenient, the system would have a full nervous break down, disassociate from the car, and completely restart itself. Thank you Mazda.

Now since I’m in a shit mood after having to relive those memories, how about some more of this car’s “unique character” eh?

It has no glove box. Storage in the center is big enough for a walkie-talkie, the storage between the seat backs is large enough for a VHS Camera. The rear suspension has taken up residence where the trunk should be, and the trunk’s opening is more of a port hole than anything.

Also these seats are terrible after an hour. They can’t recline much, actually they can’t do much of anything really. And they’re so thin and weakly padded you’re better off with a wooden bench to be honest. “Oh but it’s light weight and super supportive and -“ shut it. Its 2023, we have a helicopter on mars but can’t make a lightweight seat that doesn’t make me regret having a spine. Oh it’s heated, great that atones for everything!

But there are still things that don’t piss me off. The garages are big, bulbous things that proudly and clearly stare at you from behind the thin wheel. And not to be too obsessive, but the steering wheel managing to still be thin and un-girthy like so many modern cars honestly adds to how well the car car feels when you use it. “It’s almost 90’s” (wow…) in how simple it is. Mazda also decided to leave everything as a physical button or dial as well. Which is nice. VW.

Cruising from town to town, top down and music going (the speakers are in the seats… THEY’RE IN THE SEATS..!), the softer side do the car’s suspension tuning gets to take over. Being light, the car’s not too stiffly sprung to begin with, and that bit of body slosh that makes it rowdy on mountain passes helps to do its best at making up for the church benches it calls seats.

The car won’t egg you on much. There’s no strong induction or exhaust noise and no jump in torque unless you’ve passed 4500-5000 rpm. The little Miata still retains its eagerness to turn in, and it’s around this time you start to notice the steering is both really quick… but also a little dulled. It’s not vague or weird, but if you’ve every driven the NA (or any of the prior gens), it will come back feeling a bit dead.

Chapter 4 – Back roads and Rally Chodes

RallyLegend San Marino is a religious experience that is half petrol fueled fever dream, and half Forza Horizon lobby, with famous rally cars flying by you on public roads.

Italdisco is advised for this next part (edit: I no longer can listen to Italdisco for the next few months). Douschebaggy Martini Racing jackets are optional.

The culmination of exploring this car in many different environments leads you to trust in Mazda vehicle dynamicists, letting traction be uncontrolled, and living up to the part of two Americans in a sports car driving through the Italian country side.

And fuck me sideways I get it now. The eagerness this car has to turn in is amazing and matched perfectly to a road that looks like a buncha worms in a can. It happily changes direction like an over eager child, all while you’re like the central computer taking in all of the car’s inputs. You can feel the rear end move, you have full confidence to clutch kick the car around a hairpin, giving the car wide open throttle as it swings around with controllable chaos.

And it’s repeatable too. Corner after corner it eats every ounce of mechanical abuse up without as much as a slip. And the more you keep driving and pushing this little car, the more rewarding it becomes. 1st gear becomes second, the slide becomes longer, your smile becomes bigger. This stupid little car, more than any car that I’ve driven, has lurked in the deep recesses of my mind since I gave the keys to my friend to return it. Help me.

Chapter 5 – Late Night Date Night

There’s only one way to finish up the Miata experience. This involves the countryside north of Munich, a lot of German new wave, and another idiot in love.

It’s in this moment, going from village to village in complete darkness, your driving slows down, as someone’s singing helps drown out the disappointment that is the exhaust note. All interrupted by brief bursts of adrenaline and volume once you’ve left town limits.

The late autumn moon illuminates her eyes, slowly trusting that a dumb American can in fact drive. Song after song, gear after gear, into a night that felt like it had no end. And that stupid little convertible seamlessly melts to be both background to the occasion and yet integral to the experience. I moved in with her the following month, my last big hurray living overseas, and while a miata isn’t to blame, some nights will stick with you for a long time.

We done here?

So then, the ND Miata. A 7500 rpm dopamine rush, a go kart on steroids, a lake side cruiser, and a proper little sports car. It’s not a car for everyone, but I think it can make anyone smile. It’s a pure driving experience and makes you well aware of that. It’s compromised as a daily, but also livable enough if you still wanted it use it often. It talks to you, learns with you, and allows you trust it. It’s a car that wants nothing more than to have a good time.

But also, buy an s2000.