There is nothing quite like the Miata to put a smile on your face. The car feels right, sounds good and handles better than anything found off a race track.
    2001 Mazda Miata. Click image to enlarge |
Our test vehicle was equipped with the optional sports package that improves on an already excellent base car with a six-speed manual transmission, torque-sensing limited slip differential, 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, 205/45R16 tires, strut tower brace, Bilstein shocks, fog lights and a variety of interior and exterior appearance items that dress up the car.
Standard features include engine-speed sensitive power steering, leather-wrapped steering wheel, power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes, power windows, mirrors and locks, manually operated convertible top with glass rear window and defogger, remote trunk and fuel door releases, engine immobilizer, and a two-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system.
Dual air bags are standard and a passenger-side cut-off switch is provided in case your passenger is younger or smaller than recommended for a front seat airbag.
An upscale leather package is also available at extra cost. This option includes tan leather interior and tan cloth top, four-wheel ABS brakes, cruise control, windblocker, Nardi leather shift knob, keyless entry, and four-speaker Bose audio.
Regardless of options, the Miata’s power comes from a 1.8-litre 16-valve 4-cylinder engine with multi-port fuel injection. Horsepower has been increased slightly to 142 @ 7000 rpm from 140 and torque is up 6 lb-ft to 125 @ 5500 rpm thanks to sequential valve timing introduced for the 2001 model year.
The Miata feels quick, although the close-to-the-ground driving position probably accentuates the feeling of speed. The six-speed transmission is as crisp as the five-speed, but you’ll find yourself shifting more frequently and sixth is rarely used except when highway cruising. This transmission takes a bit of getting used to. I occasionally missed shifts on the fourth to fifth up-change, but improved with practice.
The Miata’s double-wishbone suspension, strong frame, low centre of gravity, and near perfect 50/50 front to rear weight distribution makes for a great-handling car. It’s hard to imagine improving on this, but the additional rubber and stiffer Bilstein shocks that the sport package includes make the Miata even stronger in the turns. You can push this car hard through corners, to the point where you feel that if it wasn’t for a seat belt, you and the car might go in opposite directions.
Both cars and drivers have limits beyond which they should not venture. With the Miata, my limit was reached well before the car’s.
Of course, open air driving is what a Miata is all about – those Miata owners you see driving with the top down in March are not crazy, just enthusiastic – and dropping the top is as easy as unfastening two latches and a one-hand flip over the head. If I owned one, I’d have the top down all the time too, but I’d have to wear a wooly sock to keep my left foot warm on a cool March day.
Another advantage to drop-top driving – head room. With the top in place, the Miata is a wee bit tight for basketball players or six-foot-three car reviewers. With the top down there is only you, the sky and the road.
Sigh. Life isn’t fair. Short people shouldn’t have all the fun.
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Pricing: 2001 Mazda Miata
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