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Mazda MX-5 Miata NB

Second gen1998–2005

Lightweight, rear-drive, manual roadster. The blueprint nobody else has the discipline to ship.

28 reviewers · 82 videos · 12 hours watched · 56 press articles

Generations
NA1989–1997NB1998–2005NC2006–2015ND2016–present
// 00 the verdict

Reviewers strongly agree on its handling and fun to drive, but split on performance and daily drivability.

across 28 reviewers

// scorecard at a glance
// where reviewers split
Performance
13 say · liveable

"immediately it is a more potent engine than that little 1.6 in the na"

Zygrene · ▶ 8:28
6 say · critical

"it's not that fast from the factory this car takes about an hour to get from 0 to 60."

The Left Pedal · ▶ 1:52
Daily drivability
14 say · liveable

"it's got a bigger boot... it's generally just got much more space inside than the mr2... you can use it for weekends away you can use it for your shopping"

Classics World · ▶ 2:04
6 say · critical

"there are no glass windows there are no glass side windows"

ShootingCars · ▶ 5:14
Value
23 say · liveable

"the value to fun proposition that you get with it... is unbeatable"

EddieX · ▶ 1:56
1 say · critical

"nearly 20,000 for a little 2C toosa seems like a heck of a lot of money"

Men and Motors · ▶ 4:54
// the categories
// 01

Performance

3.5/528 of 28 reviewerssplit

“it's not that fast from the factory this car takes about an hour to get from 0 to 60.”

critical · The Left Pedal · ▶ 1:52

“immediately it is a more potent engine than that little 1.6 in the na”

positive · Zygrene · ▶ 8:28

“Fitted with a turbocharger and egged on by 7 and 1/2 lb of boost, the tidy 1.8-L 4 now throws out 178 hp and 166 lb feet of torque.”

positive · MotorWeek · ▶ 2:16
// 02

Handling

4.5/528 of 28 reviewersstrong consensus

“the steering is awesome I mean you get plenty of warning there whenever you know it's just starting to step out a little bit”

positive · Realistick · ▶ 21:46

“the steering really came alive. I could really just feel exactly what the front tires are doing.”

positive · Zygrene · ▶ 22:05

“Crucially it's rear-wheel drive so you can take it out a nice day like this and have some fun with it.”

positive · High Peak Autos · ▶ 3:31
// 03

Fun to drive

4.5/528 of 28 reviewersconsensus

“man is it fun. The fact that I'm not doing a million miles an hour does not affect me at all.”

positive · ShootingCars · ▶ 3:26

“out of all the cars I've reviewed so far this one is the most confidence inspiring on that stretch of road”

positive · Zygrene · ▶ 16:48

“it's more fun to drive a slow car fast on a fast car slow and this is one of the cars that really does approximate being a go-kart on the road”

positive · EddieX · ▶ 5:29
// 04

Daily drivability

3.5/527 of 28 reviewerssplit

“it's got a bigger boot... it's generally just got much more space inside than the mr2... you can use it for weekends away you can use it for your shopping”

positive · Classics World · ▶ 2:04

“there are no glass windows there are no glass side windows”

critical · ShootingCars · ▶ 5:14

“I don't quite fit I'm kind of uh slouching down scrunched up to see the traffic light right now”

critical · EddieX · ▶ 3:13
// 05

Value

4.5/528 of 28 reviewerssplit

“the value to fun proposition that you get with it... is unbeatable”

positive · EddieX · ▶ 1:56

“the mx-5 is the best sports car you can buy on a tight budget.”

positive · High Peak Autos · ▶ 0:53

“as far as running cost goes I'm gonna give the nuts to the Miata”

positive · The Slip Angle · ▶ 19:20
How it stacks up

Hear it in the reviewer’s words

Brian Makse
Posted Oct 17, 2026Open on YouTube
Moments worth your time
MotorWeek
Posted Sep 10, 2026Open on YouTube
Moments worth your time
ShootingCars
Posted May 25, 2026Open on YouTube
Moments worth your time
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Head to head
From the press · 56 articles