The FRS has a lower CoG and better P:W btw.

Image is an intangible asset and difficult to quantify. It's like it was on the verge of being great and then derp'ed right at the finish line.

As a friend of mine so eloquently stated: "Sometimes a car can be just for fun but still take itself seriously for like, serious fun, not just derpy fun."

I think the term "derpy fun" pretty much sums it up.


But goddamn if I haven't had the time of my life racing them in my own chick-mobile-fwd-derp-wagon so I've got the latitude to comment.

I think it sums You up.

There's no point arguing, you can't get passed whatever is in your head to allow you to appreciate this car, and that's ok. Don't keep trying to defend your position as if we'll agree with you.

To quickly point out why I don't have one, I'm not a fan of convertibles, if the 86 didn't exist and the RX8 didn't tickle my fancy I'd have one in the driveway with a hardtop bolted on right now.

Wait are you talking about driving a Miata? I already have, it's great (NC with some bolt ons and coilovers).

I was speaking about the SkyActiv engine, I have zero questions about the capability of the chassis or suspension.

i get that you dont like it but bringing up very singular things as evidence doesnt work well. the c4 vette has a lower cog and better power to weight than both the frs and miata. does that mean its a better car? no. that car is a piece of shit. i adored my crx almost on the level i love my current miata. i probably like them both more than my brz but the difference in time makes that difficult to say. the frs doesnt have a lower cog than the na miata btw and power to weight of the camry is higher than both of these sports car. we both know there is more than that. we have differing opinions but i dont care what a car looks like when it drives like the miata does. its great that we have choices.

The 04&05 MazdaSpeed Miatas did not sell well..though that is worthy of a thread in itself.

I want Mazda to have a screaming engine...sadly...they will more than likely put a dull SkyActive 2.0 in the ND...

Which comes back to the question, "Why not buy an existing Miata and make it how you like?"

Similar things could be said of the Twins.

Who here would actually buy a Factory Turbo'd Twin...for $35-40k?

Yeah...I can understand people not liking really any car.

I think people can respect a care without "liking" it or at the very least owning it.

I respect the heck out of the bang for the buck that a Mustang GT gives you or what the new Vette is.

I had a BRZ and loved it. Then I inherited my Grandfather's NA Miata that I had be lusting over since I was 11 years old.

Got rid of the BRZ because the Miata is so fun to drive.

I have had a lot of "elite" cars (STI, Nismo 350Z, Boxster S..etc etc etc).

The NA Miata is just a blast to drive. I know it isn't fast, but its certainly fun...just like how my BRZ was.

:strokes beard: I find this acceptable. I am the one, after all, that's typing these words. ;)

If the FRS didn't exist I'd have an S2000 with a hardtop in the garage.. or maybe an ITR.
:clap:
EXACTLY!

The goal of the company is to get those people that respect the car to also want to buy it. That's a big part of brand image. The Miata is such a well known car and a "brand" unto itself that I think if Mazda as a company wants to take their image in another direction, which they've proven they do with the new KODO design, then they will probably need to take their most well known sports car in that same direction as well.

Can we talk about the Mustang just for a moment?

Atropine, you may not be a Vette/Mustang target demographic but let's say you were. What if you were a pony car buyer and didn't have "brand loyalty" so you were open. If the Mustang or the Vette met ALL your price/performance/reliability criteria but you still chose something else don't you think Chevy or Ford would want to know why? I can expect that if the Camaro, Challenger, Charger ceased production tomorrow, that Mustang sales would increase because of a reduction in market options. However, in the event that the Mustang had no direct market competitor and sales didn't increase or dropped when the demand for that "type" of vehicle did not, don't you think Ford would probably be pursuing some type of correction to broaden appeal and meet demand?

I hypothesize that while the economic demand for affordable-nimble < affordable-muscle in the USA, it has essentially remained the same and thus the prevailing decline in Miata volume is not a function of competition but rather a function of image which has stayed true to it's design theme, but that design theme is quite possibly a significant sales limitation.

Like I said, I don't know how to quantify this, I know that someone does but I don't.


The Twins and this very forum do a lot to make my case on "image", mostly brand image. Many folks bought the BRZ because it's "upscale" or because it's a "Subaru" and several Scion owners have rebadged their cars at Toyotas. This is neither right or wrong but it quite acutely identifies the importance of image.

Recent "rendering" just for fun.

http://cdn.carthrottle.com/wp-conten..._n-680x381.jpg

http://cdn.carthrottle.com/wp-conten...er-680x381.jpg

Yeah, I bought an SRT8 Challenger about a year and a half ago (because I see a TON of Mustangs/Camaros and Vettes)...due to my '95 4Runner dying...I traded the Challenger in for a Trail Edition New 4Runner (and its a stupidly awesome SUV lol). Side note...the C7 Vette...Chevrolet really really wants my money...and they may get it in a year or two lol.

I totally understand "image" appeal.

I owned a 2011 STI Hatchback...The body styles before that generation (I think that generation started in 2008?)...they were incredibly ugly to me. I KNEW they handled well and were fast...but to me they were ugly.

I can understand people not liking the styling of the Miata. Sometimes you want to feel like the "Villain" when you get in your car or on your bike. (I have a Yamaha Road Warrior...black on black with a Red Racing Stripes...the Challenger was Black with Red Racing Stripes).

Aggressive...The Miata's styling has never really been that. It hearkened back to the old British and Italian Roadsters.

I also think Mazda is tired of the "I like everything the Miata stands for and it checks all the boxes...but its a chick's car."

I think that is why they refer to it as an MX-5 now (moreso than the Miata). I also think they are aiming to make the ND more aggressive looking.

The reality...EVERYONE here is/are Car Guys/Gals. Doesn't matter what we drive, if we ran into each other at a burger joint we would have friendly conversation and enjoy each other's company while talking about stuff that we think is cool (Cars!)
:respekt:

Those renders kinda remind me of the BMW Z4... not sure how I feel about that... I don't really think that looks better than an NA or NB. :/

Really too bad Mazda will never develop an MX-5 Coupé to higher potential, just as Porsche will never develop a Cayman to full potential.

very sad. Still a great car tho. Imo the Miata needs to take that next step to move on another 25 years. The British roadster spirit plus modern performance would be legendary. But according to the Miata community, any increase in performance will ruin the car smh.

Dear Miata: I want to be inside you.

The only thing "chick car" about the Miata is the number of chicks it attracts. I have only seen men driving them and usually with a female passenger.