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According to numerous media reports, Mazda has announced a base price of $24,950 for the next Mazda MX-5.
A current model MX-5 costs $23,970. Given that the new car is smaller, lighter and is only slightly down on power (not that it matters, thanks to the lower curb weight) and is a thoroughly modern package inside and out, the $980 premium is a small price to pay. If anyone in Canada wants a gently used Mazda3 with very low lease payments, get in touch with me.
43 Comments on “2016 Mazda Miata Comes In At Under $25k...”
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Wow. And, whenever I see one on the road, I’m going to think, “Hey an S2… Oh! Miata!”
That’s the exact inverse of how I first saw my S2000 on the corner of the Chevy dealer’s used-car lot.
I predict 33 percent in sales the first year with 20 percent over a five year period. Says analyst…
That’s only $161.29 per horsepower!!!
Fail.
Hmm, so couple grand less than a BRZ, and of course this is superior. But same price as a Camaro.
Adjusted, this is less money than you were paying for a FWD Celica in 05 or 06, as those were $22k for the GTS model, and $17 for the GT.
Truly a pretty well priced little car.
The 2ZZ in the Celica GT-S would put the MX-5 in the weeds, every time.
Well, until the lift bolts cracked, anyway!
Really, it was that quick? Funny enough, at the time the 350Z started at $26,800. That’s quite a performance jump for a small price gap.
Motor Trend clocked it at 6.6, but realistically it was low 7s. NB Miatas were a bit slower.
That particular GT-S had the Toyota version of VTEC, and the car itself was pretty light.
2ZZ was a Yamaha developed engine, so you know it was a screamer.
Honestly, the GT-S was a lot more fun to drive than the Z. The interior sucked, and it was rough and noisy, but you’d have a hard time finding a sharper and more responsive car for even close to the price.
…that same 2ZZ-GE will do less than five seconds in a car carrying less than two thousand pounds…
…i’m curious to see the new MX-5’s real-world acceleration after its weight-loss regimen; i expect it’ll come reasonably close to the NC…
I’ve owned an example of each of the previous generations. They were all delightful. I’ll purchase a gen 4 “fer sure”.
All I want a couple more inches of seat-track travel.
Please, Mazda, may this finally be the Miata I can fit in.
This sounds on-point for price, especially considering the cost of the 86 twins and this being a drop-top.
Even if the power to weight is down a little bit, this is a compelling package. I can definitely see considering this in the future as a fun car.
Plus it finally looks aggressive enough, I like the comparison the the S2k.
The great thing about the Miata is that you can easily find a lightly used version for way, way less than new. The twins are easy to find used and cheap, but they are quickly approaching WRX status (almost all of the used ones you will see were driven very hard and/or modded.)
Well if the abuse my S2k has seen is any indicator, any sports car I would buy would be driven very hard as well. As long as the maintenance, both scheduled and preventative, is done, I’m not worried.
What duffman13 said word for word, except I don’t see one in my driveway – we’re not to an empty nest yet and we have a toy
Is an LSD standard across the board or does one have to step up to a Club trim? The current MX5 doesn’t offer it on the base, it is an option on the GT, and standard on the club. Unfortunately, the club was a $3k premium over the sport on the NC. I do like these a lot, but it doesn’t work with my kiddo still in a car seat.
D’oh. Reading comprehension failure on my part.
How many companies would/could do this, to wit:
1) Make the MX-5 significantly lighter
2) WHILE significantly increasing its torsional rigidity
3) while improving the quality/fit-finish of interior materials & assembly
4) While offering two engine choices, for European & NA markets
5) While keeping a genuine manual (and a great one) available
6) At this price point (in both nominal,and more importantly, inflation adjusted terms)?
Say whatever one will, but Mazda is an engineer’s wet dream, much the way that Honda used to be, and this is all the more remarkable given that they produce affordable, very reliable, stylish vehicles, not super-priced supercars, in relatively low volume.
It is only because of people like Nobuhiro Yamamoto that I am not completely cynical, jaded & hopeless about the future for true aficionados when it comes to quality, honesty & designing/engineering passion regarding the automotive industry.
I agree. It is a very engineering driven company.
Years ago I recall reading about the development of the Speed3. The head of the company was always around driving and testing the developing car.
Just cool.
and I was looking over my original 05 orange sunrise Mazda3 S 5 door yesterday. Still a wonderful design all these years later.
A classic, in my mind. And how I wish that wonderful large rear hatch window was still around today.
Of ALL our cars, this is my wife’s fav. Go figure.
“It is only because of people like Nobuhiro Yamamoto that I am not completely cynical, jaded & hopeless about the future for true aficionados when it comes to quality, honesty & designing/engineering passion regarding the automotive industry.” – DeadWeight
I take the opposite viewpoint and consider this to be a unicorn that no other established auto maker will replicate in the near future, if ever again. It’s such an unfettered expression of light weight performance at the expense of virtually everything regular drivers hold dear (horsepower, space, big wheels, etc.) that it would be ruined by committee at any other large company. Furthermore, the auto media suggests that Mazda will have trouble surviving without the help of a larger, more mainstream company, which would likely result in a more diluted product line tailored towards Joe Horsepower and John Grounded-to-the-ground.
I love the fact that this car gets some people so worked up due to the lack of horsepower. I suspect these people would find another reason not to buy it even if it did have 200 HP (i.e. not practical, girly car, etc.) and would never have seriously considered it to begin with.
I don’t think that it’s unreasonable to think of this as a Japanese version of a base Lotus Elise with more power, a real interior, and affordable. Granted, rarely is the base Lotus Elise with 130ish hp ever discussed, but people still respect it because it’s a Lotus and the attendant badge prestige.
…i have both (well, the NC MX-5 and federal elise) and other than the compact do-more-with-less form factor, they’re very different cars with very different personalities…people often call the MX-5 a japanese *elan* with all the bugs sorted out, but in either case it’s a substantially heavier and more solid car carrying a LOT more coddling luxury by comparison to lotus’ traditional minimalism…they’re each fun to drive in their own way, but cut from entirely different cloth…
…if anything, i’d compare the MX-5 to a base evora, shrunk down one size…
What’s it been like to live with the Elise?
…i still owe derek an AMA on that account…
@ …m…
I can’t wait to read it! I’ve always been curious about the Elise, but haven’t been in a position to own one.
@ DW – as a former Miata owner I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately based on Steve Lang’s research, the “reliable” point requires an asterisk in the case of the CX-7.
And in Canada it’ll costs $29,450. So much for free trade.
If that is true we should feel privileged for getting the car so cheap. That current exchange rate is 1.26, so our price at par would be $31,437.
Too the keystroke from my fingers, the CAD has been hammered after a near decade of a deflated USD. If this was priced in at around $30K CAD it’s cheaper than it’s US counterpart.
$25k for the base model in America.
In Canada it’ll be $31k for the base stripper and $38k if you want the better suspension and an LSD, because fuck you that’s why.
Well now that our dollar is back to 0.8 USD, at least it makes sense again…
Ideally, this is what Freight and PDI should be for: handling fluctuations in exchange rate.
Mind you, automakers have gone to the well with F+PDI a little too often.
Maybe instead of replacing my daily driver with similar, I can add a Miata and hang on to the well depreciated DD. I won’t actually do that, but Mazda has made it more tempting than ever. I wonder how accommodating dealerships are with joy rides for people they know won’t pull the trigger.
I do like the Miata in all its forms. If I didn’t have my Spitfire I would have bought one or more eons ago, and the new one looks like a bargain.
Might end up with one as a tow-behind for the winter escape RV I am planning to buy in a few years.
As a former Spitfire owner who now daily drives a Miata, there is no way I’d go back. The only advantages to a Spitfire are that younger people have no idea what it is and ask if it’s a old Jaguar (true story), and that the Spitfire has a smaller turning radius than a Miata. Aside from that, the Miata is superior in every way.
Buy a Miata and sell the Spitfire – you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it years ago.
That’s assuming you own the Spitfire to drive it rather than to work on it in the garage, of course…
As a daily driver I agree with you 99% – a Spitfire also has more room and trunk space than a Miata. As a toy, not so much. It is every bit as reliable as your Miata as a sunny day toy. It has been more reliable than the early NA Miata that my friend has owned for one year less than the 19 years I have owned it, which is also used as a sunny day toy. Of course that car has not had a restoration, though it is getting to the point where it could use one. It cost 1/3 as much to buy, a fraction as much to maintain and insure over the years, and is worth 3-4X as much currently and going up every year. It is MUCH more special than a dime a dozen Miata, and every bit as much fun to drive, in a more vintage way. Ultimately, there is just no getting around that it is a 1950s design fundamentally. But as a toy that just adds to the charm. In my younger years I did put a lot more miles on it annually, I really did daily drive it once the salt was gone, but now it’s just a sunny day toy. It usually gets one afternoon of maintenance a season, then is good to go until the next year. I love that it starts first turn of the key every year after sitting in the garage for 4-5 months, doesn’t even need a trickle charger.
Today, the calculus would be different in deciding between the two as a toy car. As I said, a nice Spitfire is 3X the cost of a usable old Miata, and infinitely harder to come by. The ease of working on the Spitfire more than makes up for the fact that it might need more work until it is up to par if you are a DIY type. The Spitfire is more fun to drive slower than a Miata, and also opens up the world of classic car events. A Miata is a lot more comfortable, and easier to deal with if you need to pay to have it worked on. The top keeps the rain out a whole lot better. And a heater that is more than a suggestion!
I find most people think it is an MG of some kind, never been
accused of it being a Jaguar. Both are great cars in their own ways. I certainly wouldn’t want a Spitfire as my only car, it just isn’t comfortable enough if nothing else. Hence why I’d like a Miata as an RV dingy once my snowbird plans come to fruition. But the Spitfire isn’t going anywhere.
I get the impression you never got your Spitfire past the project car stage, that is too bad. They work very well once you do. I was lucky, my car was 80% restored (100% mechanically) when I bought it, and has always been fundamentally reliable.
I’ll start out by saying that my 1977 Spitfire was fully restored both cosmetically and mechanically and was fully operational while I owned it – it never failed to start and never broke down in those seven years. It even came upgraded with twin SU carbs, header, and a performance cam when I bought it, so it had more more power than the standard model. It was my daily driver for three years.
I had both the Spitfire and my current 2000 Miata for about 4 years, and I just found myself driving the Spitfire less and less. The Miata was just more fun to drive, and was vastly more comfortable, particularly in the rain. I’ve done several 1500+ mile drives in less than a week in the Miata – can’t imagine doing that in the Spitfire.
As to room, well, the Spitfire does have more space behind the seats, but the trunk in my car is just as big as in the Sptifire – the early Miatas with the spare in the trunk are a more limited when it comes to space, of course.
In my experience the Spitfire is fine as a fair-weather toy, but as a fun car to drive on a regular basis in all weathers, the Miata beats the heck out of a Spitfire, at least in my experience.
krhodes1, your logic is like mine, with this twist: since I have a Miata, when I think of adding a second fun car that’s a roadster (Spitfire included), I think I shouldn’t get a second roadster, but something different. Like the ’65 Corvair Corsa offered for sale on a street near me, for example. Funny how that body style now looks cool to me. There are so many Miatas on the used market: my ’96 cost only $3800 three years ago and is still valued at that much or more, and it’s completely reliable and gives the full Miata experience. The 16-year-old who sold it to me said, “the chics dig this car,” so I guess it’s true that it’s a chic car.
I’m liking it already!
The only question for me is how well it will fit me, as a guy with a long torso and short legs – my current NB Miata has had a big chunk of seat foam taken out so my head would stop hitting the roof.
Aside from that, I’m all in. I like the styling more than the NC version, and as I get older side airbags start looking more attractive. Now I just to need to wait until the dealers stop asking for a premium for early adopters.
Nice looking car. From some angles the head lights look small others they look fine. But smaller is always better.
Review it first Derek, share with us, make your decision, then only then sell the 3, :).