Topic: Comparison Test: 2016 Mazda MX-5 vs 2015 Scion FR-S vs 2015 Ford Mustang

[Autos_Editor]

We decided the Mustang needed a fair rematch on even price footing with the spectacular Scion FR-S, but then along came a spider'
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[JohnnyMac]

Wait...the new Miata has a sound enhancing device...for shame!  I guess now it isn't always the answer to "which car should I get" questions.  I guess we'll have to replace it with the FR-S and BRZ twins.

All kidding aside, that new MX-5 is amazing to look at and apparently to drive also.  The interior looks best to my eyes as well.

[JacobBlack]

The NC had it too.

[jamesautos]

re: mustang ecoboost - they should have detune the 4 cylinder and made it the entry model and leave the V6 in the middle
re: FRS - besides these two, it just look cheap and fisherprice-like
re: MX-5 - waiting til the removable hardtop comes out so i can daily it all year around then I will sell whatever I have to get one

[.l..]

re: mustang ecoboost - they should have detune the 4 cylinder and made it the entry model and leave the V6 in the middle

Or leave it as is, and bump the V6 to 350 or so and put the Track Pack option back on it...or whatever it was called when it was available on the V6.  Kind of a shame they relegated the 6 to also ran status.  Too bad there isn't a Ford guy on here like that Hyundai rep (Patrick D1) who actually gives a shi# about what we non-buying (if only my lotto ticket would come in...if only I'd buy them...I could then buy all those cool cars I've always wanted, and some I didn't know I wanted) car enthusiasts like to see (like that white car that was in that other thread, who knew a Hyundai could be so sexy...and it was he who made it so...or helped whatever the case may be).  Oh well...there's always the V8. 

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Wait...the new Miata has a sound enhancing device...for shame!

A resonance box is IMO a perfectly acceptable way to boost engine sound.  My Civic SI had one when it hit VTEC and it sounded glorious.  I'm okay with it.

it’s hard to imagine how the answer would be anything but Miata.

Thank you for that little tidbit.  That was awesome.

[johngenx]

Colin Chapman is alive and well at Mazda.  And he's made the new Miata wonderful.  Almost every day from April to November I drive a 1000kg car - it's a great experience.  And the ND combines the trim size and weight of the NA Miata (the NA and ND are nearly identical in size!) with modern driving dynamics.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

instead earning a few wins in aspects like cargo capacity, ride comfort and rear seat space and access

And this is why the Mustang will beat the other two like a red headed step-child in the sales race.

Also commenting on performance without actual data is pointless. "it feels quicker". But is it quicker? Well no.

[Noto]

Pricing: 2016 Ford Mustang Ecoboost Base Price: $27,999 Options: Ecoboost performance package (255/40 R19 rear tires, limited slip diff, 19 inch wheels) – $3,000, security package – $700, floor mates – $150, reverse park assist – $150, Recaro cloth seats – $1,500 A/C Tax: $100 Freight & PDI: $1,600 Price as tested: $35,399

Dude, the floor mats are Aussie as well?!?!  Nice.

As for the FR-S's power drop:

yup.  It's well-known.  It was apparently designed for some sort of drive-ability reason that I cannot comprehend...

As for the Miata's styling, the front is kinda:


And the rear:


...but its interior is by far the nicest of the bunch.

And this picture would be awesome...

EXCEPT that there's no driver in any of the vehicles...and no dust being kicked up.  Dorriiiffftuuu?  I think no.  Grand parking job?  Yessireee!

Nice comparo, gents!

[whaddaiknow]

Nice review, sure. But totally useless to me as it was detached from reality.
That's why I never miss Wing's day-to-day reviews because they show what each car is like to live with day in and day out.

Sure, for a fit under-30 flogging-other-peoples-cars-fun-seeking auto journalist, the choice is clear. And it's the right choice when you consider the contenders as pure "toys-for-boys"

If you start factoring in the multitude of other real-life conditions (driver size, ride quality, driving conditions, budget, etc...), the choice isn't as clear anymore.

The excessive noise of the Toyobaru and painful ingress-egress makes it an automatic no-go regardless of its other virtues. And so on...

I like the MX-5 on its own merit but for me it's not THE absolute answer.

[ronniefung]

Nice review, sure. But totally useless to me as it was detached from reality.
That's why I never miss Wing's day-to-day reviews because they show what each car is like to live with day in and day out.

Sure, for a fit under-30 flogging-other-peoples-cars-fun-seeking auto journalist, the choice is clear. And it's the right choice when you consider the contenders as pure "toys-for-boys"

If you start factoring in the multitude of other real-life conditions (driver size, ride quality, driving conditions, budget, etc...), the choice isn't as clear anymore.

The excessive noise of the Toyobaru and painful ingress-egress makes it an automatic no-go regardless of its other virtues. And so on...

I like the MX-5 on its own merit but for me it's not THE absolute answer.

For the more "entrenched in reality" reviews, check out our actual reviews. We tell you what it's like to live with the cars on a day-to-day basis. These are flogging comparisons that take place over one day of spirited driving.

For our reviews, we drive the cars for a week and everything you'd want to know is written about, for the most part!

[ronniefung]

re: mustang ecoboost - they should have detune the 4 cylinder and made it the entry model and leave the V6 in the middle
re: FRS - besides these two, it just look cheap and fisherprice-like
re: MX-5 - waiting til the removable hardtop comes out so i can daily it all year around then I will sell whatever I have to get one

RE: Mustang - They should most certainly NOT detune it. The turbo model is far more fun to drive than the V6 and I had the chance to drive a modded Ecoboost with exhaust and it was awesome. Considerably more power and it finally sounded awesome.

RE: FR-S - I guess that's subjective as I find it doesn't look cheap at all. I find the finish in the interior to be pretty good for the segment. The Mustang feels far cheaper to me.

RE: MX-5 - The hardtop would add so much weight. Way too much weight. It literally takes 1.5 seconds to lower the top right now. Why ruin it?

[ronniefung]

instead earning a few wins in aspects like cargo capacity, ride comfort and rear seat space and access

And this is why the Mustang will beat the other two like a red headed step-child in the sales race.

Also commenting on performance without actual data is pointless. "it feels quicker". But is it quicker? Well no.

Commenting on performance without referring to data is pointless? What are you, a robot?

It's not always about outright performance... it's often about the sensation and the experience.

A fully loaded V6 Accord or a new Maxima SR is a hell of a lot quicker than a Miata or an FR-S, but I sure as hell feel like I'm going a lot quicker with the top down and in a thing that weighs half of one of those things.
I

[whaddaiknow]

These are flogging comparisons that take place over one day of spirited driving.

So the purpose of this compare is to tell me, the reader, that if I wake up one week-end morning, look outside and see these 3 parked in my driveway, the MX-5 is the car I want to drive, except if I live in the prairies as it only really shines in the twisties.
Got it! 

[ronniefung]

Colin Chapman is alive and well at Mazda.  And he's made the new Miata wonderful.  Almost every day from April to November I drive a 1000kg car - it's a great experience.  And the ND combines the trim size and weight of the NA Miata (the NA and ND are nearly identical in size!) with modern driving dynamics.

Yup! I also mentioned the exact same thing in my MX-5 comments. Feels as small and light as the NA but as stable and modern as the NC.

[Noto]

I thought the purpose of this review (and the one prior for RWD manual coupes) was clear: Sports Car priority, liveability second.  In that respect, it may be more limited in terms of its intended audience, but it is by no means useless.  It was fun (likely more for the reviewers ) and goes to show that strengths lie in different places.  If this article highlights one thing only, it's that the Mustang is not as athletic as its name suggests.  It's kinda more of a Porky Pony:



1,100lbs heavier than the Miata? 

[whaddaiknow]

I thought the purpose of this review (and the one prior for RWD manual coupes) was clear: Sports Car priority, liveability second.  In that respect, it may be more limited in terms of its intended audience, but it is by no means useless.  It was fun (likely more for the reviewers ) and goes to show that strengths lie in different places.  If this article highlights one thing only, it's that the Mustang is not as athletic as its name suggests.  It's kinda more of a Porky Pony:

In that sense, there was no need for a review. It was pretty clear the Miata was going to win. The article didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, or any other enthusiast for that matter who read any recent reviews of the new MX-5. I would hope the authors put a spin on it to make it interesting and entertaining?

[ronniefung]

I thought the purpose of this review (and the one prior for RWD manual coupes) was clear: Sports Car priority, liveability second.  In that respect, it may be more limited in terms of its intended audience, but it is by no means useless.  It was fun (likely more for the reviewers ) and goes to show that strengths lie in different places.  If this article highlights one thing only, it's that the Mustang is not as athletic as its name suggests.  It's kinda more of a Porky Pony:

In that sense, there was no need for a review. It was pretty clear the Miata was going to win. The article didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, or any other enthusiast for that matter who read any recent reviews of the new MX-5. I would hope the authors put a spin on it to make it interesting and entertaining?

Well then... Sorry to have disappointed you! We tried but when they unleash me to go all-out in the entertainment department, I have people in the forum complaining that they want it more straight-laced and humourless.

Which is it?!!?!

[ronniefung]

I thought the purpose of this review (and the one prior for RWD manual coupes) was clear: Sports Car priority, liveability second.  In that respect, it may be more limited in terms of its intended audience, but it is by no means useless.  It was fun (likely more for the reviewers ) and goes to show that strengths lie in different places.  If this article highlights one thing only, it's that the Mustang is not as athletic as its name suggests.  It's kinda more of a Porky Pony:



1,100lbs heavier than the Miata? 

It's sad but you nailed it. The Mustang looks awesome on paper and on its own, I love flogging it around the track.. but man, oh man, does it ever suck when you compare it back-to-back with cars like this.

[ArticSteve]

Who put gas in the Mustang?