4th gen ND Mazda MX-5 Miata

[funwheeldrive]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

The fit and finish and overall quality is fine. Especially for the market segment. The dash though, fugly.

The new forester has a much nicer, higher quality feel when compared back to back.... which is saying something about Subaru who is not known for their interiors, lol.

Bringing it back to an MX5, that floating tablet is THE only thing you see when you look at the interior. Hooolllyyyy faaaccckkkk is that bad.


I'd take an NA miata interior over that any day. Bring it back to quality, Mazda.

Unfortunately thats the majority of modern cars. I don't think we'll ever go back to a time when massive screens aren't front and center.

[ScoobsMcGee]

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

The dash though, fugly.

Bringing it back to an MX5, that floating tablet is THE only thing you see when you look at the interior. Hooolllyyyy faaaccckkkk is that bad.


I'd take an NA miata interior over that any day. Bring it back to quality, Mazda.

They could do what Ferrari did here and put it lower, but then it isn't as practical or safe, nor does it feel as good looking down rather than across. Like funwheeldrive said, tablet style GPS/NAV/MMIs are here to stay. Even VWs and Audis, with their Virtual Cockpits, have secondary tablets.

[soundman98]

i don't like the whole 'wraskelly wrabbit' look of the newest miata. the interior is good, but the exterior is just not something i'd like to wake up to in the morning.

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by soundman98

i don't like the whole 'wraskelly wrabbit' look of the newest miata. the interior is good, but the exterior is just not something i'd like to wake up to in the morning.

I think I agree.

After a few years I'm starting to think the last of the NCs actually looked better than the ND. The clubsport in particular wows me every time I see one on the road.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

I think I agree.

After a few years I'm starting to think the last of the NCs actually looked better than the ND. The clubsport in particular wows me every time I see one on the road.

I like the lower hoodline of the ND, the more aggressive fenders, the sleeker (less bubbly) design and the longer/lower nose, which gives the car a more RWD dominant look versus the symmetrical look of the NC.

[Summerwolf]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

They could do what Ferrari did here and put it lower, but then it isn't as practical or safe, nor does it feel as good looking down rather than across. Like funwheeldrive said, tablet style GPS/NAV/MMIs are here to stay. Even VWs and Audis, with their Virtual Cockpits, have secondary tablets.

The tablet style itself isnt the issue, it's the floating style. That Ferrari interior looks perfectly usable.

That audis interior looks janky as hell. Wtf needs a vent that spans the ENTIRE dash. Throw the radio display down there and get rid of the dash vent, lol. That's deplorable.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

The tablet style itself isnt the issue, it's the floating style. That Ferrari interior looks perfectly usable.

That audis interior looks janky as hell. Wtf needs a vent that spans the ENTIRE dash. Throw the radio display down there and get rid of the dash vent, lol. That's deplorable.

I think it is less of a need than an ideal to vent a stream of soft, comfortable air on the faces of the owners of these luxury cars, who may find fewer vents inadequate, or who may find the violent air (of less vented vehicles), when vented at full blast, too loud and extreme for their fragile sensibilities.

[Yoshoobaroo]

I very much like the implementation of the dash in the TT. Only 1 screen and it's in front of you. Minimalistic but functional (cough Tesla).

Could even get away with just 1 heads up display as that technology is getting quite good.

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

Wtf needs a vent that spans the ENTIRE dash.

Audi had a shit ton of vents back in the early to mid 90's as well. They are just being retro.

I think VAG designs peaked by the early to mid 2000's, then just a steady decline from there. I wouldn't be surprised if they hired Bimmer designers to do their ugly interiors these days. All those shinny surfaces ain't very Bauhaus.

Derek Jenkins the exterior designer that did the ND Miata got its start at Audi. I guess the ND design was just a one off from him as he is no longer with Mazda.

[86MLR]

I like the ND, the rear is not like "elan" but it is far from hideous.

The interior is OK, just like the twins.

I'm curious if the people who are knocking the ND have had a close look at the twins interior, it ain't nothing special.

Nothing is ever perfect, but IMO the ND is as close to perfect as the twins are, the twins just have more storage, the ND is lighter.

Opinions and attitudes may vary.

I also think the ND is much better than the NC in every way, I believe the NC was the fattest and ugliest MX5 of all.

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by 86MLR

Nothing is ever perfect, but IMO the ND is as close to perfect as the twins are, the twins just have more storage, the ND is lighter

If the ND was a bit longer and had 4 seats my choice would have been infinitely harder.

The BRZ also is the first small sports car that I can comfortably use to drive long distances. S2000, NA/B/C/D, BMW Z3 I all passed on because there wasn't enough room. Even my old E85 Z4 got cramped on long drives.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by 86MLR

I like the ND, the rear is not like "elan" but it is far from hideous.

The interior is OK, just like the twins.

I'm curious if the people who are knocking the ND have had a close look at the twins interior, it ain't nothing special

I've sat in both the fiat, and miata versions. My biggest complaint is lack of space, but that's sort of a given for a 2 seater coupe. My second complaint is THE STUPID SCREEN WART. Otherwise, the seating and controls are where I'd expect them.

All of these are some of the nicest interiors I've ever had seat time in, which probably speaks more to what I've owned before instead of the overall quality perception--i also don't like leather, or large padded dashes, and i still generally haven't figured out what people are going on about BMW or Mercedes interiors, i think most of those look like garbage.

But the miata lost the most points for me in interior space and the non-replaceable screen wart. I have a policy that any car added to my fleet must have an aftermarket, non-touchscreen radio.

It might seem like a minor quibble but the lack of settings adjustment and voodoo they work into oem radios always ends up irritating me. The brz only had the oem deck for a week, and that was me genuinely trying to like it. It flipped between 'tin can audio' and 'hd audio' like a politician caught in a lie.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by soundman98

I've sat in both the fiat, and miata versions. My biggest complaint is lack of space, but that's sort of a given for a 2 seater coupe. My second complaint is THE STUPID SCREEN WART. Otherwise, the seating and controls are where I'd expect them.

All of these are some of the nicest interiors I've ever had seat time in, which probably speaks more to what I've owned before instead of the overall quality perception--i also don't like leather, or large padded dashes, and i still generally haven't figured out what people are going on about BMW or Mercedes interiors, i think most of those look like garbage.


It might seem like a minor quibble but the lack of settings adjustment and voodoo they work into oem radios always ends up irritating me. The brz only had the oem deck for a week, and that was me genuinely trying to like it. It flipped between 'tin can audio' and 'hd audio' like a politician caught in a lie.

Besides the convertible aspect, which is a dealbreaker for me, the shoulder to shoulder size of the Miata just doesn't work for me. I think the 86 is ideal. The 86 could be a tad shorter in the rear, without the rear seats and I would be fine, if the proportions could be figured out of course.


I don't know if it is design or the materials and build quality. I lot of people don't care for BMW's designs at all; just look in the MKV Supra thread. The big thing you get with luxury cars and precision feeling instruments that feel solid and well engineered, and the materials aren't just nice at a distance; they feel solid and are actually nice materials. Thick vinyl wood overlays can look the same as real ones from a distance, as do fake aluminum, etc. The real thing feels better, and they don't jingle and creak like the cheap stuff.


This is what I hate most about the FM radio. I just turned the HD radio off, so it doesn't search, flipping back and forth.