As part of our push for more volunteer and guest driven content, Jeff Glucker of NADAguides.com will be providing us with several of his reviews as a guest contributor. Thanks Jeff, and we look forward to more of these in the near future! – Zerin
The 2009 Mazda MX-5… Home of the Happiest Grill on Earth
I stand 75.6 inches tall. I get physically ill at the thought of the middle row in coach. I am always more than tall enough for any carnival ride. However I was excited at the prospect of getting behind the wheel of the 2009 Mazda MX-5. I have never driven a Miata but I have heard that they are representative of pure motoring joy. Keys in hand and chiropractor on speed dial I sat down in the MX-5 and moved the seat all the way back and all the way down… which wasn’t very much of a move – this could be a long week.
Looks lean and mean from the side - don't peak around the front or the illusion is destroyed.
I said “keys in hand” but I should have said key fob in pocket because this is the top of the line 2009 Mazda MX-5 Grand Touring PRHT (Power Retractable Hardtop) and it features a remote keyless entry system. Instead of a traditional lock and key on the column, you twist a plastic knob to start the car. I would have preferred a nice big red START button, but this knob works just fine and won’t scare away those afraid to move to modern technology.
Once I settled into something resembling a driving position, I found the interior to be just the right mix of simple and necessary. Basically, everything I want and nothing I don’t need – all within easy reach and laid out in a way that makes sense. The radio controls were within easy reach in the center stack but I could also control it from the steering wheel. The heated leather seats were supportive and comfortable, which is a necessary combination in a modern sports car.
The interior of the MX-5 has the perfect blend of driver-focused tools and modern amenities that make it a great daily-drivable and capable sports car.
One thing that was disappointing when driving the MX-5 was the amount of wind noise coming in from the open window when the top was up. Thankfully I could turn the sound system up and it would stay crisp but at any stop light I would have to turn it back down unless I wanted looks of disapproval from the soccer mom in the Navigator to my left and the smug guy in the Prius on my right. Though I guess they could have easily given those looks to each other. Either way, as soon as the light turned green I was first away from the light with a smile on my face and the newest Kanye West/Jay-z collaboration being turned back up to cover the noise of the rushing wind.
Top-down motoring is a blast in this MX-5, and the Power Retractable Hardtop opens and closes quickly and easily at the push (and hold) of a button.
I didn’t always listen to the radio though because I listening to that little 2.0L DOHC 16-valve inline four-cylinder engine growl (ok, maybe it’s more of a loud grunt but it sounds great) at each shift was just as much fun as the actual driving of the car. 167 hp on tap doesn’t sound like a lot but with a curb weight around 2,593lbs the MX-5 is ready for fun. This particular MX-5 came loaded with 17-in wheels, front and rear stabilizer bars as well as a set of Bilstein shocks and a limited slip diff which are part of the optional Suspension package. Adding all these up in terms of “how much do they add to the driving” and the experience goes from a 7 to a 9.5 really quick. Adding all these up in terms of “how much do they add to the cost of the car” and it is even better since the Suspension package is just $500. Add that $500 to the base price of $28,190, then throw in the Premium package for another $1,650 (Xenon HID headlights, keyless entry, Bluetooth, Sirius satellite radio, and Dynamic Stability Control) and the final tally for this 2009 Mazda MX-5 Grand Touring with Power Retractable Hardtop comes to $31,010.
“Excuse me while I whip this out…”
I was not surprised by how much fun I had in the MX-5 during my week with the car. I was also not surprised that my back and neck hurt by the end of that week… this car is simply not made for someone 6’3″. However, this is not the Mazda’s fault and I hold no ill-will towards the leather seats which were actually quite comfortable on parts of my body that were not being bent into a Cirque Du Soleil level of flexibility. The 2009 Mazda MX-5 is a true sports car with great amenities for daily driver use. If I were a shorter man I would love to have an MX-5 in my driveway.
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as someone who is also 6'3", i'd counter that it IS the mazda's fault – that it isn't designed for someone who, at least in America (F yeah), would be considered "normal height."
there's a bevy of fun cars that i simply couldn't own simply because i'm too tall: Honda S2000, Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky, Mazda MX-5, etc.
further, there are a ton more that while i could fit in the front seat OK, it would render whatever back seat was offered completely useless. this list would include… well, pretty much everything short of mid- and full-size sport sedans, but excluding cars like the Corvette and Viper, which actually ARE comfortable for folks our height.
i understand that the platforms of cars like the MX-5 only have so much room to offer… but in an era where companies employ packaging experts that can allow you to fit the contents of your entire house in a Honda Fit, i'd think they could find an extra couple inches of legroom somewhere.
If they ditched the hardtop I am sure a soft top (which is available) allows for more room… plus I don't really care about trunk space if I own a Miata.
I'll ditto Carl, I'm 6'4" and would love a miata, but every time I sit in one, I end up staring straight at the top of the windshield. Porsche builds plenty of sports cars (Boxster, Cayman, 911, 944…) that I can fit into, why not Mazda?
6'3" is considerably above the US average of 5'9" for males over age 20 (source: CDC). Cars are typically designed to fit up to the 95th percentile for height and weight.
if you're 5'9", you may as well be Richard Hammond. or a little girl.
i just think it's foolish to exclude an arguably large segment of the population.
"Arguably large segment of the population"
Yeah, we covered that, you're 6'3".
hahaha… zing.
Also, I would say that most people I meet are shorter than I – from this I deduce that most of the population is in fact shorter than myself.
huh. i guess i feel like i know plenty of people who are within 1-2" of my height. granted, i don't know too many folks that are TALLER than me, but i feel like there are plenty who are as tall as me.
That's kind of the point of using the 95th percentile (which just happens to be 6'3" right now). It doesn't exclude very many.
I keep finding myself splitting windy mountain road drives between my Jeep and WRX.
When I'm in the Jeep, I wish I had the handling/speed of the WRX. When I'm in the WRX I wish I had the openness of the Jeep.
Sporting convertible solves that problem. Can it ford a 24" deep stream, though?
I'm also 6'3" and just bought an '08 soft top. That extra inch of room makes all the difference, and for a commuter and urban runabout, the car can't be beat. However, it only really works as a toy/extra car. Longer trips mean switching to a 96 Impala SS or 03 Suburban.
2600 pounds. Amazing. A 986 Boxster scales at 2875.
Strike up another tally marker under "Loving That Curb Weight."
I'd also like to note that I myself would prefer either traditional lock and key or plastic twist knob to pushing a start/stop button. I'm old school – I like there to be a (presumably) mechanical link between what I do in the cockpit and what the car does.
The last review I read about the Mazda Miata (I believe it was Grassroots Motorsports) was about a, then year old, Miata with Mazda supported set of shock/spring combo and anti-roll bar. In that review I believe that they documented some disappointment in the flabbiness in the NC Miata. Is that still the case?
I have never driven an older Miata but I was quite pleased with the way this car basically drove like a $31K go-kart….
I have not driven the previous MX-5s but this one felt flat and smooth through the turns…
It is a $31K go-kart and lots of fun to drive…
Hi Paul,
Mazda revised the new Miata about a year after its introduction to address some of the concerns. Keep in mind that the car was really fine, it just wasn't a great autocrosser in C Stock class, which is important to some people.
The 2009 Miata is further buttoned-down.
I think the majority of Miata customers are women, so Mazda builds the car to fit 90% of their clientel and are willing to loose the 10% (or less) who are 6 feet plus.
I am a 5'7" male (a short-ass, I guess), and yet I know people that are between 5'2" to 6'2" who drive MX5's that can easily find a comfortable driving position? Maybe it's just that 'extra inch' – as the actress said to the bishop? The point is: if you design a car for 5 footer's, the car will probably be driven by Noddy or Rchard Hammond. If, on the other hand, the car is designed with a 7 footer in mind (or a burger-eating bouncer), then perhaps Postman Pat's vehicle may be more appropriate?
Morale of the story: 'does my bum look big in this vehicle' – or, 'do I look ridiculous in this automobile'?
You decide. Geoff – UK (Yes, a 'little 'Limey')