The 1990 Mazda Miata was nothing less than the rebirth of the affordable two-seat sports car. Mazda fused the personality of the British sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s with near-faultless Japanese quality and reliability. From the first one out the door, the Miata delivered what the long-gone but still lamented English sports cars of an earlier generation had never quite managed: a delightful, fun, supremely capable, well-engineered car that started every time and ran forever. There are more Miatas on racetracks every weekend around the country than any other car.It's been thoroughly updated twice, including a full remake in 2006. Quality, solidity and safety gear were upgraded in the 2006 re-do, but its lighthearted spirit was kept intact. This is a car to love.
Mazda is now downplaying the Miata name in favor of the alpha-numeric MX-5 moniker; apparently, this is intended to make emphasize the Mazda brand name.
For 2007, there are a few small changes and one major addition to the lineup that broadens both the MX-5's appeal and usefulness. The eye-opener is a new model featuring what Mazda calls the Power Retractable Hard Top, or PRHT, which features a solid roof that lowers in seconds at the touch of a button, just like those found on pricey two-seaters from Mercedes and Cadillac. It provides the advantages of a hardtop overhead, with reduced wind and road noise and a sense of increased security and solidity, yet folds down completely out of sight for stylish cruising. What's more, not a whit of the standard MX-5's delicious driving experience has been sacrificed by the addition of hardtop practicality.