[Deslock]

Originally Posted by thill

Motor Trend has some explaining to do:

It's just really poorly written. The Mazda is the better car yet two of the three editors would buy the BRZ over the Miata? Why? Because it is more practical? Because they prefer the driving dynamics more?

Very odd. It almost feels like they were told to pick the Mazda as the winner no matter what.

Maybe they just liked how the BRZ felt. Or its better top end. Or its seating position. Its controls layout. Steering ratio. Flatter ride. Drift-friendly setup. Longer wheelbase. Cargo space. 2+2 (small, but good in a pinch or for kids). Fixed roof (security, sound insulation). Aftermarket (more than the ND, not the Miata in general).

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

The real problem with this test for me is that it's subversively biased by the selected trim levels of the test cars. Essentially MT's used its' two Miata owners to compare a heavily performance modded Miata vs. a cosmetic modded BRZ.

{ship}

Sorry but for a flat out performance test, give me a $26,500 base BRZ/FR-S and $6450 in mods and you'd essentially get my car. Which if driven by Randy Pobst would utterly annihilate a base or Club Miata in every performance metric stated in the article and on any track. (0-60, 1/4 mile, skidpad, figure 8, and probably even braking). And yes, my car is still fun and playful, but with a hell of a lot more torque and grip.

I partly agree with you, but they were comparing available (and soon to be available) production versions of the cars. If you're going to go aftermarket, it's only fair to do that with both cars (the ND would likely improve with stiffer suspension).

Anyway, which one was slightly faster is pretty irrelevant in this context. The point of the comparison was simply that the ND can hang with the BRZ on the track, and it's fun. The GTI beat both of them in lap times, braking test, and figure 8. Yet, they wrote this about the GTI:

Originally Posted by motortrend MX5 vs BRZ vs GTI

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."