Mazda Mx 5 Rf Review 2019 30th Anniversary Edition

Orange you glad I'thousand using this joke for another 30th Anniversary Miata photo caption?

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The more things change, the more they stay the same. Information technology'south been 3 decades since Mazda launched the MX-5 Miata, however after xxx years, this 4th-generation model feels but like the outset one did: lightweight, perfectly balanced and incredibly easy to love.

To celebrate the Miata'due south 30th anniversary, Mazda created a special, limited-edition example, absolutely all of which are sold out (womp womp) -- yes, even the new resource allotment. The ane y'all see here is technically a paradigm -- its numbered plaque reads "0000/3000" -- and will live in Mazda'south historical collection at its North American headquarters in Irvine, California.

The 30th Anniversary Edition is based on the mid-grade Miata Club model, and can be had in either soft-top or RF hard-top spec. (For what it's worth, much equally I love the RF, it's still not the one I'd get. Miatas are roadsters; hard-tops add weight.) These special MX-5s wear Racing Orange pigment on the torso and restriction calipers, and they take special 17-inch Rays wheels, Bilstein dampers (if you get the manual transmission, anyway, which you should) and Brembo front end brakes. On the within, orange accents are found on the Recaro seats, doors, shifter and dashboard.

The orange accents wait great, and the Recaro seats are comfy and supportive.

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Aside from the orangish paint and unique wheels, all of these options can exist had on the standard Miata Club, and I think this is truly the best way to experience the fourth-generation MX-5. The slightly stiffer suspension keeps things a footling fleck flatter while cornering, and I admittedly love the Recaro seats -- they're comfortable and supportive, but don't hinder the motility of the commuter. (Fun fact: Mazda says it specifically designed the Miata'southward seats to have less shoulder support, making it piece of cake for drivers to turn around in lodge to hands raise/lower the transmission roof.)

The 30th Ceremony machine uses the aforementioned engine as other Miatas: a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated inline-4, which makes 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. This engine was slightly reworked for the 2019 model yr to have taller gearing, a higher redline and a teensy bit more power, and I think information technology meliorate suits the character of the MX-v. I dearest being able to current of air this car out in each gear, dancing near the seven,500-rpm redline while shuffling through switchbacks. Put your foot down and the Miata responds instantly. And when information technology's time to upshift, the light clutch pedal and short-throw gearbox deserve a chef's osculation for how perfectly they're tuned.

This motorcar doesn't drive whatever differently than a standard Miata, and that's not a complaint, it's a compliment. The more time I spend behind the wheel of the MX-five, the more I appreciate the facets that others might label as shortcomings. The car leans in turns. It's a niggling underpowered. To me, though, this means I tin truly exploit every ounce of this roadster'due south potential on public roads without fearfulness of breaking the law or sending myself careening off a cliff. I can't recall of another new machine that's this fun to drive below l mph.

30th Ceremony Edition or non, the Miata is such a sweetheart.

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Of course, this has e'er been the Miata's best trait. Drive any of the NA, NB or NC versions that came before this quaternary-generation ND, and you'll savor a like experience. Even the NC, the largest of all four Miatas, feels tiny and nimble and endlessly tossable. I've driven an NA and a ND dorsum to back and the best thing I tin say is that the experience is and so, then similar. That Mazda managed to keep the ND's weight so shut to the original Miata's is another testament to this dorsum-to-basics, keep-it-simple approach.

A long drive along my favorite canyon roads in the 30th Ceremony Miata reminds me that, after all this time, Mazda hasn't forgotten what makes this auto slap-up. The visitor has never tried to rethink it, or reinvent it. But at the same time, the Miata never feels like it'due south long in the tooth, or growing stale. This motorcar could be exactly the same for another three decades, and I guarantee nosotros'll still sing its praises. The Miata is all about the bond between the driver, the car and the road. And as we head toward an increasingly automated automotive future, it's extremely refreshing to have something so uncomplicated and honest available -- and for nether $30,000, too.

Here'due south to the next 30 years.

2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Edition is a lovely orange shell

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Source: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2019-mazda-mx5-miata-30th-anniversary-quick-drive-review/

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