The drop-top on the 2018 Mazda MX-5 can be lowered by hand at a stop light. QUICK LOOK
Model: Mazda MX-5 Miata ClubColor: Machine GrayEngine: 2.0-liter, four-cylinderFuel consumption: 33 mpg highway, 26 mpg cityDealership: Tim Short Mazda
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The Mazda MX-5 Miata is America's sweetheart. It's cute, has tons of personality and loves sunny days at the beach.
For the first time, you can now order your MX-5 Miata with a cherry on top. New for 2018, is a Dark Cherry soft top option to supplement the standard black.
It's hard to believe it has been almost 30 years since Mazda introduced the two-seat, rear-wheel-drive roadster modeled after British sports cars such as the Triumph Spitfire and the Austin-Healy 100.
This week's tester is a MX-5 Club soft-top, the mid-trim option in the Miata line-up. Earlier this year, we tested the excellent Mazda Miata RF retractable-roof fastback, with its ingenious fold-away targa top. Miata purists will no-doubt prefer the soft top, which - as always - can be flung back and buttoned down with one hand while you're at a stoplight.
The MX-5 comes in three trim levels, Sport (starting at $26,645 with automatic transmission), the Club (starting at $29,755 similarly equipped) and the Grand Touring (starting at $31,270).
Mazdas are available locally at Tim Short Mazda on International Drive. The dealership had six Mazda Miata RFs in digital inventory last week.
JUST THE BASICS. The Miata MX-5 Club is a two-seat roadster equipped with Mazda's light-weight, normally aspirated, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine which makes 155 horsepower. Power is delivered through the back wheels in true sports-car fashion. While engine power is modest, the high-revving motor and balanced chassis make for great driving dynamics. There's a nominal trunk, but the Miata is a day-trip kind of vehicle.
Three decades of evolution (the Miata debuted in 1989) have seen the Mazda transform from a bare-bones roadster into a thoroughly-modern motor car packed with active safety features and creature comforts.
WORTHWHILE OPTIONS. Our tester came equipped with the gorgeous new Dark Cherry fabric top coupled with Machine Gray body paint, a $300 option. We also fell in love with the 17-inch BBS forged alloy wheels, part of a $4,470 option package that also includes stop-on-a-dime Brembo brakes up front.
IT'S GOOD FOR CHATTANOOGA BECAUSE. The Tennessee Valley is a Miata day-trip paradise with winding roads and beautiful vistas in all directions. If you are on the fence about buying one, think of it as a pleasure boat for dry land.
HOW MUCH? Our tester, provided by the manufacturer, was a Club version with manual transmission and about $5,000 in upgrades. Its MSRP is $35,240 including $890 in delivery charges.
COOL STUFF. The Miata holds up like a champ. Many of the '90s-era Miatas are still on the road, so expect to enjoy your little roadster for decades.
WE WISH FOR. Cream-colored exterior paint with the Dark Cherry soft top would make the Miata look good enough to eat.
WHILE YOU ARE LOOKING. Also check out the Audi TT roadster and BMW Z4.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645.