Crashing our long-term 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata into the side
of a Lincoln MKX will go down as one of the worst experiences of my life. I’ll
never forget standing on the side of the road and staring at the Miata’s
mangled mug while the Lincoln’s driver (who was at fault) tried to make small
talk. “The car looks so new. I feel awful,” she said. “And look at how cute it
is. It must be so much fun.” I was fuming. I looked back at the Miata, nodded
in agreement, and managed to give her a pained smile. That pretty much sums up
the power the Miata had on us for more than a year—all smiles, all of the time.
That accident put the Miata out of commission for a week.
But despite the short break, we managed to rack up 35,782 miles through its
15-month stay. Not bad for being the tiniest car in #MTGarage. Our Miata was
the Club variant packed with Bilstein shocks, a limited-slip differential,
shock tower bracing, an aero kit, a Bose sound system, and the optional BBS
wheel package with Brembo brakes. Its 2.0-liter I-4 (the sole engine choice for
the Miata) put out 155 hp and 148 lb-ft, which was more than adequate for the
2,313-pound featherweight roadster.
Our long-term MX-5 was a carbon copy of the one that entered
our 2015 Best Driver’s Car competition, where the Miata had the least amount of
horsepower and put down the slowest lap time around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
But still, we couldn’t stop smiling. It’s a big reason why the Miata earned a
third-place finish just behind two quicker (and much more expensive) Germans
while beating the Cadillac ATS-V, Mercedes-AMG C63 S, and more. “The 2016 MX-5
remains faithful to the Miata formula,” we noted. “No gimmicks. No gadgets. No
glitz. This is as pure and honest a sports car as you can buy from a mainstream
automaker.”
Reference: Http://www.motortrend.com
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