[Deslock]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Good article! The Miata is shaping up to be a strong competitor to the Twins. Its weight is impressive, and its acceleration advantage until ~94 mph makes sense given its lighter weight (i.e. torque to weight advantage) and aero/horsepower disadvantage at higher speeds. It's also generating higher grip levels, although I suspect that's due to wearing MP summer tires.

Two let-downs with the Miata:

1) Body roll, even with factory suspension package - not sure why Mazda always includes body roll in every generation Miata. If it's rolling that much on MP summer tires, it may need suspension upgrades to run sticky EP summer tires at the track.

2) Less handling flexibility - Lago's comment that the body roll and lack of power means you have less mid-corner adjustability than in the BRZ. This is one of the things I love about tracking my FR-S.

Still seems like a lot of fun though. For me, the Miata's lack of a coupe option eliminates it unfortunately, as I don't want add a roll bar just to bring it to the track. I do hope the new Miata lights a fire under Toyota/Subaru's rears to keep improving the Twins though.

Lastly the comparison with the MK7 GTI was sad. As an owner of a MK6, I was hoping the new MK7 with PP would be a bit closer in terms of driving fun to cars like the Twins and Miata, but it doesn't sound like VW has closed the gap at all. MT probably would have been better off comparing a hot hatch like the FoST.

1. Body roll: That's a Mazda thing... my NB and RX8 had a lot of it too. Made the ride comfortable, and the cars were still formidable handlers (and a blast in the twisties). I personally prefer the BRZ's flatter behavior, and anyone who doesn't mind a stiffer ride can easily mod the Miata and make it handle even better.
2. Less handling flexibility: As far as body roll goes, see above. As far as lack of power goes, on paper the ND lacks top end (but it may be underrated like the NC2). At low-to-mid-range engine speeds, it'll be noticeably faster than the BRZ.

I laughed at the GTI comment too:

Then everybody who drove all three cars got out of this one asking what it was doing here. Pobst: "This is probably a very nice street car, but after coming out of two of the best track cars ever made, it's a bloody frustrating experience. The stability control can't be turned all the way off, and it constantly interferes all the way around the racetrack. Coming out of a Miata and a BRZ, it just feels so numb. The steering feels numb, the suspension feels numb, there's this numb understeer. It's quiet and smooth, but it's not a satisfying track car. In the Miata you feel like you're going 1,000 mph—in a good way—but in this car you feel like you're wrestling a hippo."

Damn that's cold. But frankly it's not surprising to those of us in the "if it's not lightweight and rear wheel drive, it's crap" camp