2023 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF

With a $36k starting price, a new Mazda MX-5 Miata RF convertible is still the cheapest hard-top convertible on sale in the USA, and the latest ND generation has remained true to the recipe of the original 1990 NA: A fizzy, rev-happy naturally aspirated inline four-cylinder engine sitting north-south under the hood and driving the rear wheels of a pint-sized, featherweight convertible. From the 115 horsepower of the original's 1.6-liter engine, outputs ballooned over the years, but weight hasn't; the car still sneaks in below 2,500 pounds, even in its heaviest automatic RF configuration, and despite all its modern safety equipment. That makes 181 hp plenty to play with and the MX-5 Miata demonstrates why less can be so much more. The tiny tot is as light on its feet and as eager to please as it's ever been, and the snug Retractable Fastback top turns it into a coupe like the Toyota GR86 or Subaru BRZ - its closest realistic rivals. The 2023 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF we review here is back with hardly any changes. It starts at $7k more than these aforementioned rivals though. Is it priced out of contention?

The MSRP of the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring trim starts at $35,750, and the Club trim will cost you $38,950. The $1,165 destination fee is not included in these prices.

If you're a numbers person who's after blistering sprints and tire-melting torque, look elsewhere. The MX-5 Miata is about different kinds of numbers, like lightness and weight distribution. Lotus' Colin Chapman famously said 'Simplify, then add lightness', and Mazda has taken this ethos to heart. Unlike a German sports model that's as stiff as a plank, Mazda engineered some lean and compliance into the Miata's suspension that initially appears to be at odds with its sporty aspirations. Until you drive it and realize that the car is dialed into the driver's synapses, with chatty, surgically precise steering, and just enough lean to clearly communicate the handling limits. It doesn't pound undulations into submission; it breathes with the road, and with relatively little power, low grip limits, and so little weight to manage, it's hilarious fun to drive at sane speeds at eight-tenths, without ever having to risk exiting into the undergrowth tail first or losing your license. The punchy engine and positive manual gearchange are a perfect duo; the car loses much of its magic in automatic guise.

The MX-5 Miata is a unicorn. The Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ subscribe to a similar philosophy and are cheaper, but their tops don't come off, so the Mazda is the only one that gives you a convertible and coupe in the same package. If you don't like canvas tops, there's nothing to touch it, and it ticks boxes nothing else does. And if you live in a cold-weather state, it provides far superior insulation against the elements than a soft top. But if you live in fair-weather country, we'd say save both the weight and money and opt for the soft-top MX-5 Miata - the way it was always intended to be.

The Club provides the most fun you can have in an MX-5 Miata RF. We love the Recaro seats, the forged BBS wheels, and the standard sport suspension, while the Brembo brakes are a big upgrade on the somewhat fade-prone stock items. It gives you all the RF advantages and a true coupe motoring option, along with the maximum fun the lightweight platform allows. We don't need luxuries like the climate control and leather of the Grand Touring in a Miata, and the auto 'box doesn't do the car justice at all.