2019 Mazda MX-5 RF Grand Touring quick take: Same Miata fun which includes a hardtop

2019 Mazda MX-5 RF Grand Touring quick take: Same Miata fun which includes a hardtop

What could it be: A hardtop/targa/fastback type of the amusing MX-5 for many who aren’t to a dedicated soft-top convertible. The MX-5 RF replaces the former Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) Miata using a less open but sportier-looking alternative to the fourth-generation car.

Key Competitors: Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86, Fiat 124 Spider

Base Price: $33,455 As-Tested Price: $33,885

Highlights: The Mazda MX-5 RF’s retractable hardtop produces an increasingly sensible Miata without losing some of the convertible's sharp reflexes and pure driving experience.

  

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Car Reviews

Gallery: 2019 Mazda MX-5 RF first drive interior

Our Opinion: The Miata is everything you could want from an oldtime British sports car, but without any of the problems of owning said British tin. Even though you might not get as much thumbs-ups or hear plenty of war stories in the Miata since you would inside a Lotus Elan, you at the very least know you’re not going to need to call your manager because it’s raining along with your car won’t start. 

Of course, that’s been the charm with the Miata considering that the car’s inception inside the late 1980s. What’s good with the newest iteration of Mazda’s roadster is a retractable targa top. Unlike the last generation of retractable hardtop Miatas, this doesn’t look anything including the stick-on hardtop that you’ll see using a roadster, however the structure doesn't fold completely, either — either you have a closed coupe or even a targa fastback appears similar to an Alfa Romeo 4C.

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The hardtop is noticeably a lot better than the roadster is noise and feels more refined versus soft top roadster. Wind noise is virtually nonexistent with the windows up — a trait that can’t be echoed together with the roadster. Operating the very best is likewise easier still versus section of canvas in the regular MX-5, only because the top disappears when using the touch of the button.

Aside on the top, the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF is perfectly Miata. Porsche might take note of methods the short-throw shifter happily clicks into place — delivering every one of the feedback you’d ever want coming from a gear change. The steering is light, too, but not annoying — you continue to get input back in the steering wheel on the front rubber. The suspension is soft enough to get around pothole-riddled streets without wincing the night away.

Compared on the permanently fixed-top Toyota 86, the retractable Miata hits a handful of the same notes, with less power, less interior room plus more open-air fun. A common reason to walk at night Miata RF is always to climb in to a regular roadster.

  • Mazda MX-5 Miata RF

  • MSRP

    $31,555

    Club

    MPG

    N/A

    City / HWY

  • Research Mazda MX-5 Miata RF >

On Sale: Now

Base Price: $33,455

As Tested Price: $33,885

Powertrain: 2.0-liter DOHC I4, RWD, six-speed manual

Output: 155 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 148 lb-ft @ 4,600 rpm

Curb Weight: 2,445 lb

Fuel Economy: 26/33/29(EPA City/Hwy/Combined)

Options: Gray paint ($300); Keyless entry system ($130)

Pros: All the a Miata to learn weather protection

Cons: Nasty blind spots; feels even smaller than an everyday Miata

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