2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata Review: Still the Best Sports Car on Sale Today
Everything is perfect in my magical world filled with Miatas
But, and there is always a but, there is one big problem with the 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata. An issue so severe that I actually cannot, in good conscious, recommend the 2018 Miata to you. At least, not yet. Shocked? I know, me too, and I wrote all of that praise on the last two pages.
The biggest problem with the 2018 Mazda Miata is that there will soon be a 2019 Mazda Miata.
For 2019 the MX-5 Miata is getting a mid-cycle refresh that is much more exciting than the phrase ‘mid-cycle refresh’ implies. The engine, still the same basic 2.0-liter inline-four, gets the wick turned up in a big way. Horsepower jumps from 155 to 181, torque rises from 148 lb-ft to 151, and the red line RPM skyrockets from 6,800 revs to 7,500 RPM. That’s a 17% increase in power and an 11% increase in engine RPM. It also sounds like the most fun Miata ever made, which is surprising because I thought this was the most fun Miata ever made.
Mazda took the magic formula and somehow managed to make it just a bit better still. If there is a more fun combination of traits than the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata is soon to offer, I have yet to find it on the road.
All of that said, if Mazda wants to sell me this leftover 2018 MX-5 Miata Club, I guess I’ll take it off their hands for them. After all, it’s still the best sports car on sale today.
Photography for 6SpeedOnline by Jake Stumph
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