2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata Review: The Best Gets Better (ND3)

The 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata is in its new era: the ND3. Let’s test drive and review it!

For the 35th anniversary since the Miata debuted, Mazda flew us out to San Francisco, California to drive the new Miata and attend the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance. There, we got to see a huge display of Miatas throughout the years: the original Chicago Auto Show cars from 1989, special editions like the M-Speedster and M-Coupe, the 30th Anniversary Edition, and more.

But back to the 2024 car! Let’s start with the specs. It’s got 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque from a 2.0-liter Skyactiv engine, and our car had a six-speed manual transmission. (An automatic is available.) The car is rear-wheel drive.

The Miata has been around since 1989. Since then, it’s had four generations: the NA, NB, NC, and ND (the current car). My family has owned all four generations, and I currently own two NB Mazdaspeed Miatas — the only turbocharged Miatas ever made from the factory!

One of the first cars I ever drove was a manual Miata, and I’ll probably always have ownership of one. The price is great, the maintenance is straightforward, and we don’t really have reliability problems. It’s a long-term car for us.

The Miata roadster is in the ND3 generation, which is the third version of the ND. It’s a facelift that includes upgrades to the steering, differential, infotainment system, and more, and it’s really just a refined version of the already refined Miata.

The 2024 Miata’s base model starts at $29,000, and it has a few trim levels.

We drove a $40,000 Club RF. “Club” means it’s the boy racer Miata (as opposed to the more laid back Grand Touring model), and “RF” stands for “retractable fastback.” That means it’s a hardtop convertible that goes down with the push of a button.

If you’re wondering “Which MX-5 should I buy?” just remind yourself: Club is boy racer, Grand Touring is posh aunt.

In this video, we’ll talk about the Miata’s performance, Recaro sport seats, sound, tech, feel, and more. I’ve done many comparisons between specific Miatas, and I’ll mention some of those in here, too.

Thanks for watching my YouTube channel. Enjoy the drive!

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