“The interior is not super high end…” The interior is perfection. Chefs kiss all day every day 👌🏻 BMW could take their styling ques from Mazda, this car is impeccable. Great review!
Thanks! I stand by it, ha, but it's near perfect for what this car is and what it does. It's nicer than a GR86 by a mile, it's comfortable (as long as you're not huge), and it's driver-focused. I'll take it any day of the week.
The thing with ND Miatas is that they have a pretty wide range of alignment adjustment. They also don’t really come aligned from the factory, so getting a shop to set it up for how you like to drive will drastically change how it feels and acts.
The benefit to the rf that most reviewers don’t seem to realize is you can get the gt with grand sport package which gets you the brembos and bbs wheels still. You don’t get recaros but I went with the tan leathers which I proffered anyways. Can’t do this with the soft top.
Great no-nonsense review! I took delivery of my RF Club a couple weeks ago. It's my first Miata; the only car I've owned that was comparable was a Lotus Elise 15 years ago. The Aero Gray is growing on me. I think the gearing is a little too short. I especially wish 6th gear was taller for highway cruising. Every other car I've owned has been similar for what gear you want to be in for cruising at a particular speed, but with the Miata, it's usually one gear higher, and that's hard to get used to. I also wish the exhaust were a little louder - when I blip the throttle downshifting I can hardly hear it. BTW I'm 6' and have no problem fitting inside.
Thank you! Congrats on the car! I think the lower gears are perfect for a twisty road, but agree the upper gears could be a little longer for highway cruising. Man, I'm dying to drive an Elise. Definitely the same sort of lightweight, handly ethos. Though this must feel like a luxury car in comparison ha. You should have plenty of options out there for an aftermarket exhaust. Surprised you fit so well, but glad to hear it! I guess it depends a bit on if your height is more in your torso or your legs ha. Enjoy!
Congrats!!! I'm waiting for my Aero Gray RF Club as well - any day now :) Great point on the gearing but to me personally - I would have either a loud exhaust _or_ tall gearing. When you cruse at 3500 rpm but don't hear it that much - that's no problem. But if it's short geared _and_ loud - then it gets super annoying - I had that on my M2 Comp - gets on your nerves very quickly. Also, I noticed that most of the enthusiast cars with 6-spd manuals have about the same rpm rate around 75 mph - somewhere around 3000-3200 - no-one makes the tall 6th gear (I may be wrong here but that's what I noticed so far). The only way to get a tall highway gear is to get a 7 speed like in 911. BTW have you tried the GR86 before getting the Miata? Any thoughts on that?
@@PaulG106 No I didn't try the GR86. I did briefly consider a Suburu Imprezza variant, but I wasn't concerned in the least about practicality. I wanted the smallest, lightest weight car, with 3 pedals, and I love the looks of the RF. Yes, there will be times when we have to take a different car or truck with more cargo space, but for all of the times that I don't need to transport much stuff, I'd rather not be driving a lot of empty capacity around.
Makes sense! Do you have enough storage to place your phone and sunglasses? Looks like there is no glovebox or door pockets. Do you have any issues with that ?
@@PaulG106 My phone fits sideways ahead of the gearshift. I use clip-on sunglasses so they're not an issue, but I think you could fit sunglasses in a case in the compartment between the seats. I always keep a cap in the car. There's not really a good spot for it if I have a passenger - just on top of the dash when the top isn't down.
Excellent and comprehensive review. The red Brembos look great and likely will perform better under track conditions as you mentioned. However with its light weight and limited horsepower do you really need Brembo brakes?
Thank you! Yeah, that's the thing, I think the majority of people will be 100% fine with the standard brakes. Even with it being light, I imagine constant hard braking could affect them over time, so the Brembos are probably better for that, but I think 90% of people buying Miatas are unlikely to ever find that limit. It would be interesting to see some instrumented, head to head brake testing between the two.
Great review! I plan to buy the soft top but the noise level on highways that I’ve been reading make me reconsider it. Do you think that the noise levels on highways are too loud or unbereable? Thanks
Thank you! It's really going to be a personal tolerance thing and depend a bit on how often you're going to be cruising on the highway. I've had the soft top in the past and I wasn't burned out over the noise by the end of the week or anything like that. It's a trade-off I'd be willing to make for how fun it is on the back roads. But everyone's threshold is a bit different. If you haven't already, I'd find a soft top around and take it on a test drive on the highway and see how much it bothers you.
@@GearboxCarReviews great, thanks for your response! Think I’ll be do a test drive. Also, which car would you recommend me more? between a Miata nd3 and a Mazda 3 as a only and daily driver? (I’m 25, single haha)
@SimplyTenis there are a ton of factors to consider: financial situation, commute, roads around you, insurance, how often you need to move people or stuff, parking situation, but if all of that makes sense in your situation, the Miata is the way I'd go. When I was 25 I bought a Mazda3 when I didn't really need a sedan and if I could play it over again, I'd get a fun car, possibly a Miata, before I had a family and needed something practical. If it's a daily, I'd honestly take a hard look at an ND2 and save a bunch of money, but you can always drive both and see what works for you.
@@GearboxCarReviews Ditto💯 IMO soft/rag top screams chick car. It’s already a unisex mobile because it’s small & cute. Wouldn’t mind seeing a subtle widebody kit on it. Just to make it more of a man’s car.
I can’t believe how inexpensive this car is in the US. I paid about $53000 for my red 2024 RF Touring here in Poland and I still think it’s a great deal for a terrific sports car.
Oh wow, that's quite a big difference! I wonder why it's such a big difference there, but I'm not particularly familiar with the economy in Poland. Is that typically true of Japanese cars, or just some of them?
@@GearboxCarReviews I’m not sure why but the prices quoted in Poland always include the sales tax. The tax is pretty high so perhaps that’s the reason.
Run audio through a different type of overdrive pedal. Noted. I swapped cameras for the exterior shots and for some reason that kind of jacked the audio a bit. Working out the kinks on the audio.
Better in terms of what? Ride quality? It might ride a little better on 15s, but I think you'll have a tough time finding 15s that fit, if there are any.
A little sus coming from someone with Porsche in their name 😆 I love these things though. 5.7 seems about right. That's not exactly quick for a sports car.
@@GearboxCarReviews It's 6.3 seconds for the 2.0 engine. I know you guys like rolling starts on your 0-60 times which may account for the 'faster' time stated? Discuss ......
@@GearboxCarReviews Understood. Could your source material be wrong? My 30th Anniversary ND2 feels more like 6.5 to me (very similar to my MK7.5 & MK8 FiSTs). My first search came up with 6.3 to 8.0 seconds (2.0 to 1.5 engines)
Oh and am I the only one who actually likes that colour on the ND3? Subjective I know but it is surprising how few people (who comment) say they like it.
Great comprehensive review! There is a trunk release near the rear license plate area
Thanks! Ah, I swear I checked and couldn't find it ha. I appreciate, glad to know there's a button
“The interior is not super high end…”
The interior is perfection. Chefs kiss all day every day 👌🏻 BMW could take their styling ques from Mazda, this car is impeccable.
Great review!
Thanks! I stand by it, ha, but it's near perfect for what this car is and what it does. It's nicer than a GR86 by a mile, it's comfortable (as long as you're not huge), and it's driver-focused. I'll take it any day of the week.
The best new Miata review I’ve ever seen. Thank you. I’m picking up a new red RF Touring with beige leather in three weeks. Can’t wait!
Wow, thank you! Congrats on the new car! Enjoy!
@@GearboxCarReviews Thank you, I will. As you said in your video, it’s pretty much impossible not to : )
this is the best knowledgeable mazda mx5 rf video thank you!! helped me a lot and i’ve watched almost every video of it
Wow, that's awesome! Really appreciate the comment and really glad I could help!
I just got mine today in the sport soft top .I freaking love it! It's definitely a head turner .either people give me a snotty look or they smile 😃
Congrats! Yeah, it's funny how some people look down on them (or any sports car). They'd understand if they drove one ha. Enjoy!
This Zircon Sand color is growing on me. There's a surprising amount of green to it and I love green cars.
In certain pictures it has a bit of a greenish to it, but most of the time it just looks like a weird tan to me. I do love a green car though.
There is a button in the rear for the trunk. It's above the license plate on the right.
Yeah, I totally missed that somehow. I pinned another comment that mentions it. Appreciate it!
The thing with ND Miatas is that they have a pretty wide range of alignment adjustment. They also don’t really come aligned from the factory, so getting a shop to set it up for how you like to drive will drastically change how it feels and acts.
100%. I'm only speaking stock for stock here, but there's huge aftermarket support.
@@GearboxCarReviews no doubt. Keep up the good work on your videos 👍
Thank you! 🙌
The benefit to the rf that most reviewers don’t seem to realize is you can get the gt with grand sport package which gets you the brembos and bbs wheels still. You don’t get recaros but I went with the tan leathers which I proffered anyways. Can’t do this with the soft top.
We don't have that option in the US, unfortunately.
I miss the Snake LED Fang Daytime running lights , they should have put white reflectors in front, instead of black panel plugs 😊
Yes or at least functional air curtains.
Foreign sportscars were always loud, but the only reason there was less wind buffeting was due to the "Vent Window" on each door.
Great no-nonsense review! I took delivery of my RF Club a couple weeks ago. It's my first Miata; the only car I've owned that was comparable was a Lotus Elise 15 years ago. The Aero Gray is growing on me. I think the gearing is a little too short. I especially wish 6th gear was taller for highway cruising. Every other car I've owned has been similar for what gear you want to be in for cruising at a particular speed, but with the Miata, it's usually one gear higher, and that's hard to get used to. I also wish the exhaust were a little louder - when I blip the throttle downshifting I can hardly hear it. BTW I'm 6' and have no problem fitting inside.
Thank you! Congrats on the car! I think the lower gears are perfect for a twisty road, but agree the upper gears could be a little longer for highway cruising. Man, I'm dying to drive an Elise. Definitely the same sort of lightweight, handly ethos. Though this must feel like a luxury car in comparison ha. You should have plenty of options out there for an aftermarket exhaust. Surprised you fit so well, but glad to hear it! I guess it depends a bit on if your height is more in your torso or your legs ha. Enjoy!
Congrats!!! I'm waiting for my Aero Gray RF Club as well - any day now :) Great point on the gearing but to me personally - I would have either a loud exhaust _or_ tall gearing. When you cruse at 3500 rpm but don't hear it that much - that's no problem. But if it's short geared _and_ loud - then it gets super annoying - I had that on my M2 Comp - gets on your nerves very quickly. Also, I noticed that most of the enthusiast cars with 6-spd manuals have about the same rpm rate around 75 mph - somewhere around 3000-3200 - no-one makes the tall 6th gear (I may be wrong here but that's what I noticed so far). The only way to get a tall highway gear is to get a 7 speed like in 911. BTW have you tried the GR86 before getting the Miata? Any thoughts on that?
@@PaulG106 No I didn't try the GR86. I did briefly consider a Suburu Imprezza variant, but I wasn't concerned in the least about practicality. I wanted the smallest, lightest weight car, with 3 pedals, and I love the looks of the RF. Yes, there will be times when we have to take a different car or truck with more cargo space, but for all of the times that I don't need to transport much stuff, I'd rather not be driving a lot of empty capacity around.
Makes sense! Do you have enough storage to place your phone and sunglasses? Looks like there is no glovebox or door pockets. Do you have any issues with that ?
@@PaulG106 My phone fits sideways ahead of the gearshift. I use clip-on sunglasses so they're not an issue, but I think you could fit sunglasses in a case in the compartment between the seats. I always keep a cap in the car. There's not really a good spot for it if I have a passenger - just on top of the dash when the top isn't down.
Excellent and comprehensive review. The red Brembos look great and likely will perform better under track conditions as you mentioned. However with its light weight and limited horsepower do you really need Brembo brakes?
Thank you! Yeah, that's the thing, I think the majority of people will be 100% fine with the standard brakes. Even with it being light, I imagine constant hard braking could affect them over time, so the Brembos are probably better for that, but I think 90% of people buying Miatas are unlikely to ever find that limit. It would be interesting to see some instrumented, head to head brake testing between the two.
You can pop the trunk using a little button just above the licence plate.
Owned an ND1 for 2.5 years and only just learned it
Yeah, I totally missed that somehow. Glad I'm not the only one 😅 Appreciate the comment! Enjoy the ND!
Same in the Fiat 124
No adaptive cruise with manual is a USA configuration - my RF GT with manual has adaptive cruise in Canada.
That seems like such an odd decision from Mazda. Appreciate that insight. So strange.
Great review! I plan to buy the soft top but the noise level on highways that I’ve been reading make me reconsider it. Do you think that the noise levels on highways are too loud or unbereable? Thanks
Thank you! It's really going to be a personal tolerance thing and depend a bit on how often you're going to be cruising on the highway. I've had the soft top in the past and I wasn't burned out over the noise by the end of the week or anything like that. It's a trade-off I'd be willing to make for how fun it is on the back roads. But everyone's threshold is a bit different. If you haven't already, I'd find a soft top around and take it on a test drive on the highway and see how much it bothers you.
@@GearboxCarReviews great, thanks for your response! Think I’ll be do a test drive. Also, which car would you recommend me more? between a Miata nd3 and a Mazda 3 as a only and daily driver? (I’m 25, single haha)
@SimplyTenis there are a ton of factors to consider: financial situation, commute, roads around you, insurance, how often you need to move people or stuff, parking situation, but if all of that makes sense in your situation, the Miata is the way I'd go. When I was 25 I bought a Mazda3 when I didn't really need a sedan and if I could play it over again, I'd get a fun car, possibly a Miata, before I had a family and needed something practical. If it's a daily, I'd honestly take a hard look at an ND2 and save a bunch of money, but you can always drive both and see what works for you.
Looks like you have space behind your seat. Can you recline the seat for more room?
There's a little bit more room, yeah. You're still going to run out of headroom pretty fast if you're tall, but there's a bit of space.
Just picked one up
Congrats!
Finally, a review of a 2024 Mazda MX-5 (Miata) Club RF, not the soft top. Thank you!!
No problem! I was super excited this one was available. RF Club is how I'd spec mine!
@@GearboxCarReviews Ditto💯
IMO soft/rag top screams chick car.
It’s already a unisex mobile because it’s small & cute.
Wouldn’t mind seeing a subtle widebody kit on it.
Just to make it more of a man’s car.
You can pop the trunk. There’s a button by the license plate
Yep, a couple people have mentioned. I totally missed it somehow. Appreciate it!
I can’t believe how inexpensive this car is in the US. I paid about $53000 for my red 2024 RF Touring here in Poland and I still think it’s a great deal for a terrific sports car.
It’s about that in Canada too.
Oh wow, that's quite a big difference! I wonder why it's such a big difference there, but I'm not particularly familiar with the economy in Poland. Is that typically true of Japanese cars, or just some of them?
@@GearboxCarReviews I’m not sure why but the prices quoted in Poland always include the sales tax. The tax is pretty high so perhaps that’s the reason.
Probably shipping cost.
Ma Slovensku rf homura 47 000E. Brz 42000E
You shouldn't run your audio through a guitar overdrive pedal.
Run audio through a different type of overdrive pedal. Noted.
I swapped cameras for the exterior shots and for some reason that kind of jacked the audio a bit. Working out the kinks on the audio.
@@GearboxCarReviews Still a great review! Some peaks in the audio don't detract from just how comprehensive of a review this is. Thanks for your work!
@@renloris460 thank you! I really appreciate it!
Would it be better if these ride on 15s instead of 17s?
Better in terms of what? Ride quality? It might ride a little better on 15s, but I think you'll have a tough time finding 15s that fit, if there are any.
@@GearboxCarReviews
Fitment Industries recommended 15x7 +35 on these cars.
It seems most go for a larger wheel setup.
@@GearboxCarReviews
Fitment Industries recommended 15x7 +35 on these cars.
It seems most go for a larger wheel setup.
Do those fit over the brembos or is that for the standard brakes?
Its ok to just say, i didnt have my mirrors set up properly
And I would if I believed that they weren't setup correctly
Probably the best sports car on sale today. I want one. But 0-60 in 5.7 is a lie
A little sus coming from someone with Porsche in their name 😆 I love these things though. 5.7 seems about right. That's not exactly quick for a sports car.
@@GearboxCarReviews It's 6.3 seconds for the 2.0 engine. I know you guys like rolling starts on your 0-60 times which may account for the 'faster' time stated? Discuss ......
@karllelliott681 Car & Driver, MotorTrend, and most other sites I can find on it report 5.7 and 5.8 from a dig, so that's what I went with.
@@GearboxCarReviews Understood. Could your source material be wrong? My 30th Anniversary ND2 feels more like 6.5 to me (very similar to my MK7.5 & MK8 FiSTs). My first search came up with 6.3 to 8.0 seconds (2.0 to 1.5 engines)
Oh and am I the only one who actually likes that colour on the ND3? Subjective I know but it is surprising how few people (who comment) say they like it.
lol, my cheap make NISSIAN Juke has 50% more road noise , than the MX5 , 😂
Cars are just to high 40k lol not happening we need a real currency that ant junk a sovereign one
Translate pls somebody what he said
@@timsgtacar too expensive. Dollar bad.
Great car, hideous color.
100% agree
all these mx5 reviews keep saying the same thing over and over . it’s been said ! snore me !
Sorry man, I don't really watch other reviews, so I don't know what they're saying.
Because they are reviewing the same thing. Should they start making things up?