Behind the Wheel of the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata

We drive the most powerful Miata Mazda has produced to date in both soft top and RF guise.

Transcript

00:00 Hi, I'm Stefan Aukbeck with Motor Trend, and I'm driving the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata.

00:19 The Miata's always been an enthusiast car.

00:21 For four generations now, it's been the darling of auto enthusiasts because of its balance,

00:28 the slick shifter, and it's never been the most powerful car, but for 2019, Mazda decided

00:34 to give it a nice boost of power, namely in the form of 26 extra horsepower, so the Miata

00:40 now makes 181 horsepower.

00:42 Torque didn't get neglected, too.

00:43 It got a slight boost, only a couple pound-feet to 151.

00:48 But the most important part here is that the Miata now has a redline of 7,500 RPM, so there's

00:53 a lot more room to play with, and you're not always wondering, like, "Is the car going

00:58 to start huffing and puffing the moment I get past 5,000 RPM?"

01:01 Nope, don't need to worry about that anymore.

01:04 And you get the power smoothly, as a Miata should.

01:08 The manual transmission still stays the same, snickety, easy to use, and very friendly.

01:14 And in general, this Miata is still the lovable roadster that everybody from amateur racers

01:21 to professionals can drive and enjoy.

01:24 The limits are approachable.

01:26 Other additions include a standard backup camera.

01:29 You can get the Recaro seats now on the Club RF, and you can get the GTS trim, so that

01:35 means you get limited slip differential, most important part, the Bilstein shocks, slightly

01:41 stiffer springs, and a strut tower brace, all for $750.

01:47 You can put your foot down in this car still, even with that extra 26 horsepower, and not

01:50 get in much trouble.

01:52 It's still fun in legal speeds.

01:54 That's the beauty of this car.

01:56 If you want to go extra legal speed, be my guest.

01:58 Just don't tell us.

01:59 From Road to Trend, I'm Stefan Augbeck.

02:01 See you soon.

02:01 [music]

02:08 (upbeat music)