2016 10Best Cars: Mazda MX-5 Miata

10BEST CARS

We understand the Mazda MX-5 Miata because it subscribes to our worldview. It’s a manifesto of car enthusiasm in steel, glass, and rubber. Make it small. Make it light. Make it quick. Make it efficient. Make it affordable. Make it reliable. Make us smile.

There’s a new Miata parked outside, exhaust ticking. It’s the afterglow of a run up and down Angeles Crest Highway north of L.A., the City of Angels and the City of Miatas. If the car feels as if it were created for these roads, that’s because its engineering sign-off happened here. Every brake application, throttle blip, snap downshift, and slalom toward the apex is an invocation of joy. The Miata strings together corners like they’re rosary beads. You might be tired at the end, but it’ll be a happy kind of exhaustion.

The Miata isn’t a numbers car, although 2309 pounds and a 5.9-second zero-to-60 time are impressive figures. Light steering effort hints at the low mass, and the feedback is as clear and uninterrupted as a landline call. Fling it into any corner and the Miata’s body moves around more than those of modern sports cars. It reacts to your inputs by diving, squatting, and rolling. It’s floppy and eager, like a puppy scurrying across a wood floor to lick your face.

“An object lesson in vehicle dynamics, one of the best-handling cars in the world for less than the sales tax on a Ferrari.” –M. Duff

And how could you not love its face? Restyled to look meaner and leaner, the Miata’s design has finally purged its bogus British affectation. Sharp edges and lines fold over the machinery, while fenders punch outward. The headlights are knee-high; its beltline is more like a thighline. The view out of this two-seater is mostly ­bumpers and tires of other cars. Lesser drivers would feel vulnerable, but we’re happy down here, even if we can’t find the 12-volt outlet (it’s by the passenger’s left ankle).

With the top tucked away, our senses heighten. Smells roll in—dry grass, dusty pavement, the creaky Ford Aerostar that has finally pulled over to let us by. Vibrations course through the car. We’ve entered a Miata state of mind. Happiness washes over. The little roadster beneath us surges forward to the next corner. Amen.

How We’d Build It

The Miata is a simple and sporty car, so ours would follow suit. We would start with the MX-5 Club version ($29,420), which brings a sport-tuned suspension, limited-slip differential, and bigger wheels. We would of course specify the standard manual transmission. The only option we’d bother adding is Advanced Keyless Entry ($130) because we don’t want to have to reach into our pocket for the key. Grand total would be a steal at $29,550.