#6 - Manual ND2 Miata Review - THE NEXT LEVEL UP
Great time spinning this manual, low-mileage 2021 Mazda ND2 Miata. Now I can make some comparisons between this ND2 and the 2016 automatic ND1 rented multiple times from the same host. My first Miata drives were in the ND1 and about 500 miles of seat-time have been added on my part. They are mostly the same, but who would blame Mazda for only tweaking this formula. It's more planted at higher speeds and that's the biggest difference from the 2016. While it feels more planted, anytime you're in a lightweight, topless, rear-wheel drive, angry four-cylinder caution should be used.
The host sold their 2014 Ford Fiesta ST which was my first manual rental car. They swapped it with this unbelievably low-mile Miata. One of the reasons it's unbelievable is because the car is not that clean overall. It's not unreasonably dirty, but looking over it you would not guess such low miles (see photos). Until perhaps you lift the hood to reveal the squeaky clean engine bay. Cars do come out of the factory with shoddy paint, but this one had enough paint scratch, no ceramic coat, and a layer of dust with frass (bee poop) for good measure. It makes me that much more interested in the history of the car.
Looks like it was sold from DTLA Volkswagen. The mileage is listed at 3,500. It’s averaged 1,000 miles per year, 83 miles per month, or 20 miles per week. I wonder how long it's spent sitting at a dealership. A weekend car that was never put to full use is what it sounds like. Now it's being appreciated by enthusiast looking for a fun and reliable rental.
LSD is standard with the ND manuals. Perhaps some of the more planted feel is from gained experience driving Miatas, but most of it comes from the five year difference in development. With the LSD it had a similar feel in turns. This great balance of fun and scares. This was a busy rental period with no time for a canyon run. The 110 to Pasadena was a fair substitute and fun driving each way. Shooting down the 110 to Long Beach for the Acura Grand Prix was another opportunity to experience the cars confidence at higher speeds with the top down. The fuel efficiency to go with it is satisfying.
Even staying in your own lane, its fun to wiggle back and forth. It feels like butter back there on the rear-wheels. Of course there are modifications for more stability but the stock characteristics are admirable. A controlled setting to test the grip limits would be fun. With traction control off, the trade for tire feel wasn't enough to justify keeping it off. It seemed to move great with it on and I didn't need to prove anything by keeping it off.
The shifter feel is great. I still need to get my hands on an older, more rugged type in general, but it's nice the feeling doesn't seem compromised for most modern manuals. I'm glad to say this was the car I officially became comfortable driving manual in. The technique I was missing with the Fiesta ST was smoothly working the brakes and moving between N, first, or reverse gear at low speeds. The Miata’s extra ground clearance helped too. The next challenge will be going back to a slammed car like the Fiesta ST.
There's more exciting plans with this ND2 Miata just around the corner, stay tuned!
