BRZ vs Miata (Popular Mechanics May 2012)

[homero]

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Just got my PM issue for May

[EJ20]

Awesome report

too bad no BRZ for me at least for 2 years

[Bristecom]

This generation Miata was disappointing to me. But watch out for the next gen which will have a SkyActiv engine!

[Lytheum]

yet another 0-60 time everyone will ignore in favor for inside lines!

[kwood9000]

Good article, thanks!

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

This generation Miata was disappointing to me. But watch out for the next gen which will have a SkyActiv engine!

SkyActiv is a technology designed to get better economy, not performance. Any benefit it brings to the Miata platform will be in the ability to put a smaller and lighter engine in the car. Don't bank too much on the tech.

Mazda's greatest strength with the Miata will be its lightness. If they shave the type of weight their predicting, it will retake it place as one of the best focused driving machines again.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

SkyActiv is a technology designed to get better economy, not performance. Any benefit it brings to the Miata platform will be in the ability to put a smaller and lighter engine in the car. Don't bank too much on the tech.

Mazda's greatest strength with the Miata will be its lightness. If they shave the type of weight their predicting, it will retake it place as one of the best focused driving machines again.

damn beat me to it. while i am looking forward to the nd or whatever it ends up being, i dont see why anybody thinks that the current miata is a dissapointment unless they are just repeating what they hear on the internet

[nibor33]

Didn't they get the units wrong on "power to weight?" I'm reading hp/lb and it should be lbs/hp.

Surprising from Popular Mechanics - am I having a brain fart, or is it them?

On topic, out of my previous cars, the PRHT MX-5 was the one I miss the most. I thought I was moving "up" to a Cayman. Even though the Cayman is a wonderful place to be, it never felt like I could toss it around as much as the Miata (especially at sane speeds). I guess at Porsche prices, I didn't feel as comfortable driving it hard, either. I'd get a Miata again, but I have a kid to stow on rare occasions, now, so I can't go back to a 2 seater.

So, these comparos for BRZ to Miata are perfect for me! They're giving me confidence I'm doing the right thing, even though I'm buying without having driven the car yet (and only seen one in person for 10 minutes).

[Starscream15]

This subject makes me sad. Im on my 5th miata since 92. 2 Na and 3 Nb. The Nc is an abomination. When I look at it I see a convertible Audi TT! It. O longer resembles the euro coupes it was originally modeled after. I may be flamed for it but luckily I don't give a... It's very personal to me.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by Starscream15

This subject makes me sad. Im on my 5th miata since 92. 2 Na and 3 Nb. The Nc is an abomination. When I look at it I see a convertible Audi TT! It. O longer resembles the euro coupes it was originally modeled after. I may be flamed for it but luckily I don't give a... It's very personal to me.

what dont you like about it? its lighter and has more power than the msm and its only a $100 set of rx8 sways from being right there in the handling dept. couple that witht the fact that i fit and its pretty cool. sure its probably not as cool as the na or nb but abomination?

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by fatoni

damn beat me to it. while i am looking forward to the nd or whatever it ends up being, i dont see why anybody thinks that the current miata is a dissapointment unless they are just repeating what they hear on the internet

I think the current Miatas are a bit of a disappointment compared to the earlier ones. They've become heavier as Mazda has tried to make them more widely accepted. Personally, I think weight is the biggest enemy of the Miata. It has lost some of its focus over the years.

To a point, it's understandable. A large portion of the MX-5's customer base are mid- and late-life buyers who prefer a more comfortable ride over performance. Mazda won't want to turn those buyers off.

It might be time for two distinct trim lines of the MX-5, rather than the shades-of-grey they have now. Say, a MX-5R?

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

I think the current Miatas are a bit of a disappointment compared to the earlier ones. They've become heavier as Mazda has tried to make them more widely accepted. Personally, I think weight is the biggest enemy of the Miata. It has lost some of its focus over the years.

To a point, it's understandable. A large portion of the MX-5's customer base are mid- and late-life buyers who prefer a more comfortable ride over performance. Mazda won't want to turn those buyers off.

It might be time for two distinct trim lines of the MX-5, rather than the shades-of-grey they have now. Say, a MX-5R?

i can see that but the problem is that (and im not thinking about anyone in particular here, just typical trends) people are always talking about how the mazdaspeed is awesome and the nc sucks hard, while in reality, the nc is lighter and has practically the same power. sure they made it a little softer. the way i see it, the people who keep the miata stock will like it more and the enthusiasts are going to change all the suspension bits anyway. sounds smart to me but if you really want the out of the box performance there was the msr. basically the car is a set of sways from pulling 1 lateral g.

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by fatoni

damn beat me to it. while i am looking forward to the nd or whatever it ends up being, i dont see why anybody thinks that the current miata is a dissapointment unless they are just repeating what they hear on the internet

I also notice since the BRZ/FRS came out a lot of critics have started to say negative things about the MX5 and it has been out since 06. Where was the negative comments back then?

[homero]

Originally Posted by nibor33

Didn't they get the units wrong on "power to weight?" I'm reading hp/lb and it should be lbs/hp.

Yeah ur right, nice catch, car magazines usually get this wrong bcaz its sounds weird saying weight to power ratio but that's how it should be