The Mazda MX-5 Miata is proof that you don’t need massive horsepower, a heavy chassis, or a sky-high price tag to have an incredible driving experience. As a BMW M2 owner, I’ve realized that modern performance cars are often too powerful, too big, and too expensive to truly enjoy on the road. That’s why I decided to take the Mazda MX-5 ND2 for a drive—to find out if this lightweight roadster is the ultimate driver’s car and the perfect antidote to modern performance excess.
In this in-depth review, I cover:
Why the Mazda MX-5 is a cult classic – What makes the Miata special, and why it has remained a favorite among petrolheads for over three decades.
Exterior walkaround & performance upgrades – Featuring its limited-slip differential (LSD), Brembo brakes, lightweight chassis, and near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution.
Interior & practicality – Is the MX-5 cabin driver-focused, well-built, and comfortable for daily use?
POV driving experience – A first-person driving impression that highlights how fun, engaging, and responsive the 2.0L naturally aspirated Skyactiv-G engine feels on the road.
How does it compare to the BMW M2? – Why this small, light, and affordable roadster delivers more real-world fun than a high-horsepower sports car.
The Mazda MX-5 is often called the answer to everything, and after spending time behind the wheel, I understand why. It’s a pure driver’s car—a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive sports car that delivers raw driving joy without the complications of big power, excessive weight, or electronic interference.
What do you think? Would you trade a high-performance coupe like the BMW M2, Toyota Supra, or Porsche Cayman for the simplicity and fun of an MX-5 Miata? Let me know in the comments!
Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more in-depth car reviews, driving impressions, and automotive discussions!
Phil's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trailbrake_/
00:00 Intro
01:32 What does MX5 mean?
03:10 Walkaround
04:42 Interior
06:50 Driving
08:59 Roof Down
In this in-depth review, I cover:
Why the Mazda MX-5 is a cult classic – What makes the Miata special, and why it has remained a favorite among petrolheads for over three decades.
Exterior walkaround & performance upgrades – Featuring its limited-slip differential (LSD), Brembo brakes, lightweight chassis, and near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution.
Interior & practicality – Is the MX-5 cabin driver-focused, well-built, and comfortable for daily use?
POV driving experience – A first-person driving impression that highlights how fun, engaging, and responsive the 2.0L naturally aspirated Skyactiv-G engine feels on the road.
How does it compare to the BMW M2? – Why this small, light, and affordable roadster delivers more real-world fun than a high-horsepower sports car.
The Mazda MX-5 is often called the answer to everything, and after spending time behind the wheel, I understand why. It’s a pure driver’s car—a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive sports car that delivers raw driving joy without the complications of big power, excessive weight, or electronic interference.
What do you think? Would you trade a high-performance coupe like the BMW M2, Toyota Supra, or Porsche Cayman for the simplicity and fun of an MX-5 Miata? Let me know in the comments!
Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more in-depth car reviews, driving impressions, and automotive discussions!
Phil's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trailbrake_/
00:00 Intro
01:32 What does MX5 mean?
03:10 Walkaround
04:42 Interior
06:50 Driving
08:59 Roof Down
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00So not too long ago, I spoke extensively about how that M2 is not the best car for the road.
00:07It's too fast, it's too powerful, it's too big, it doesn't have good steering feel.
00:11There's a number of issues.
00:14Well, I'm out in the Peak District today with my good friend Phil, Rinks,
00:20and he's brought an ND2 MX-5, which apart from the newest, newest ND3
00:25with the updated steering rack and whatever else, should be the ultimate MX-5.
00:29And we're going to take it out on a drive.
00:30We're going to go for a POV.
00:32We're going to take it on some of these beautiful roads.
00:34But before we do, I just think it's relevant to talk a little bit about what the MX-5 is,
00:40what it means.
00:42Have a little walk around the car and we'll take it out for a drive.
00:44This is a really tricky one because one of the big reasons I wanted to drive this car
00:48was because the M2 is going in the next month or so,
00:52and its replacement is highly likely to be an MX-5.
00:56We mentioned it in the other video.
00:58I'm looking at NC generation MX-5s.
01:01I'll flash up a photo.
01:02Because they have hydraulic steering,
01:04if I had to have one number one complaint with the M2, it's the steering, right?
01:07It's dead.
01:08It doesn't communicate.
01:08It doesn't talk.
01:09It doesn't do anything.
01:10I drove a Lotus Elise not that long ago.
01:12You can click the link up here and watch that video.
01:14And that car ruined me for all cars in future because it communicated with you.
01:20When you turned, it told you information and it just felt so good.
01:23And what I'm chasing is that feeling for a large guy like myself
01:29in a car that I can actually fit in.
01:31Hence MX-5s.
01:32What does the MX-5 mean to people?
01:34Well, MX-5s are fairly cheap.
01:36That resolves the whole running cost issue.
01:39They have cheap consumables.
01:40They have fairly small tires.
01:42They have inexpensive brakes.
01:44This bloody thing, you'll see this in the POV,
01:46but this bloody thing is getting 40 mpg.
01:49I'm not getting 40 mpg in that thing.
01:52And that's with Phil's exuberant driving style.
01:56I think when I drove the car, I went from 40 to like 41 and a half
02:00because I drive like Miss Daisy, apparently.
02:03Okay, so that's the financial aspect sorted, right?
02:05Great.
02:05What's the other thing?
02:06Well, this is, and this is the most important aspect
02:09that I want you guys to understand about MX-5.
02:11We have to respect the fuck out of these people here.
02:14Mazda.
02:15Because they made a baby sports car
02:18and they gave you, between the rear wheels,
02:21a limited slip differential.
02:23You can buy powerful rear wheel drive cars in today's world
02:26and not get a limited slip diff.
02:29Why is a limited slip diff important?
02:32It lets you go sideways.
02:33Who wants to go sideways?
02:35Enthusiasts, people that enjoy driving.
02:38We want to have a bit of fun.
02:39We want the car to have the capability to hurt us.
02:43We want to know that if we turn the traction off
02:45and we are clumsy with our inputs,
02:48the car will swap ends and kill us.
02:50And it's that driving dynamic between you and the car
02:54just dancing on the edge
02:56and knowing that it could kill you
02:58but you're making sure it doesn't.
03:00That is driving enjoyment.
03:01That is where it comes from.
03:03And you need a limited slip diff for that.
03:05So we have to respect Mazda for giving us one
03:08because other manufacturers don't.
03:10I guess we're getting into the walk around on the car now
03:12but you've got Brembo brakes on this model.
03:15Now this is because an Omura edition MX-5
03:18which is why you've got this lovely paint
03:20with the contrasting interior, which we will talk about.
03:23You've also got the BBS wheels, which are lovely
03:26and you've got Brembo brakes.
03:28Just to break the fourth wall here,
03:29I'm actually recording this at the end
03:31of the driving segment.
03:32So I know for a fact that those brakes feel great.
03:36The rear end of this car is lovely as well.
03:38I learned today, and I've always wondered
03:40why these taillights are quite so set in.
03:43It makes the car look a bit, I don't know, puckered.
03:47Well, I was told and informed.
03:50But if you look at it from this angle
03:52it's got a haunch to the rear arch
03:54which looks really cool and muscular
03:56and you can see it in the rear view mirror.
03:58It looks great.
03:58Well, if those rear lights were moved further out
04:01it would be a square rear end.
04:02You wouldn't have this lovely haunch right here
04:06which is the reason that these lights are here
04:08rather than here.
04:09I thought that was a cool little design cue.
04:12It's a good looking car.
04:14Twin exhaust because it's the two liter.
04:16Actually the 1.5.
04:17So this is the beauty of Mazda, right?
04:19And I have so much love for this brand.
04:21Mazda originally wanted this to have a 1.5
04:24that rev to almost 8,000 RPM
04:27and had literally no power
04:29because it would be even more fun to drive.
04:30You can still buy those cars.
04:31They're brilliant.
04:32I kind of want one.
04:33But Americans and Europeans said,
04:35ah, 1.5, nobody's going to buy them.
04:37We need the two liter.
04:38Then they made the ND2 with the updated two liter.
04:41Whole story.
04:42Let's have a look at the interior.
04:43This Amora edition is absolutely lovely.
04:47These seats are really, really nice.
04:49I put a dent in it because I'm a fat boy
04:51but the interior is really nice.
04:53It's just a nice thing.
04:54And you can look down into it
04:56because it doesn't have a roof.
04:57Let's have a sit.
04:58I have to give props to Mazda as well
05:00because when you close the door
05:02it actually makes a good noise
05:04which is not normal in like convertible,
05:06small, lightweight cars like this.
05:08That sounds solid.
05:10It's impressive.
05:11But it's a nice place to sit
05:12and it doesn't have a roof.
05:15So when you're driving,
05:16you get the wind in just the tips of your hair.
05:19You can see around.
05:20If you're in the woods, you can see the woods.
05:21If you're by a lake, you can see the lake.
05:23It gives an extra dimension to the car.
05:26Also, I love this.
05:27Look at this.
05:27There's a little cut.
05:28They do this on the NC as well.
05:30There's a little cutout for where the sun visors go.
05:36Not a lot of other manufacturers do that.
05:37If you notice in almost any other car
05:39and almost any other convertible,
05:41the sun visors just sit on top of the roof thing.
05:44I always thought that's a nice little attention to detail thing.
05:47How easy is it to put up the roof?
05:49This is the second time I'm doing this.
05:51I'm not skilled at this.
05:52You pull this thing,
05:54you drag this thing forward
05:58and then you just put the windows up.
06:00It actually becomes like a cocooned quiet vehicle.
06:06It's like a decent car now.
06:08Very cool.
06:08There's also something to be said about the gauges.
06:11So Mazda do this correctly.
06:13I don't know who was the first to do this.
06:15It was probably some racing car,
06:17but you see it often on Porsches.
06:18The tachometer is front and center.
06:21What that tells you is that the revs are more important
06:24than what speed you're going, which is beautiful.
06:27Everyone's chasing more power, faster, go, go, go.
06:31Mazda have offset the bloody speedometer
06:35because it's not important.
06:36I don't actually care if I'm going 100 miles an hour.
06:40What I care about is feeling like I'm going 100 miles an hour
06:44and that can happen at 40 to 60.
06:47Right then, enough talking about the car.
06:49How about we go out and drive it?
06:51Do you know what's really nice for this type of town driving?
06:53It's very small.
06:54One of the big complaints that I had with my M2,
06:56it's just so big.
06:57You can't fit it through gaps.
06:59You can't, you know, this stuff is stressful.
07:02You've got the haunch there and the haunch there
07:04really let you place the car really well.
07:07Like you know exactly where you are.
07:08Like I'm pretty sure that's bang on the line.
07:10It is. I know I'm going to fit.
07:12So look, I just fit.
07:14I did that on purpose to fit between the white line
07:16and the cars and you just can because it's small.
07:19So nice.
07:20My M2 takes up so much road.
07:23Right then, let's have a little bit of a drive then.
07:26ND2 MX-5.
07:30Oh, do you know what?
07:31This, when you start leaning on it a little bit more,
07:34the steering does wake up.
07:36It's electronic steering here.
07:38And like I talked about in the introduction,
07:42the real reason I wanted to drive this car is
07:44because I'm looking at either a Mark 3 NC MX-5
07:50or an Abarth 124.
07:52And the big difference between those two cars
07:55is the steering.
07:56NC has hydraulic steering.
07:58The Abarth is basically the same car as this
08:01and has electronic steering.
08:02But this is not bad.
08:03You know what?
08:04There's a little bit of weight to it when you load it up.
08:06My M2 does not load up whatsoever.
08:09It's dead.
08:10It doesn't care.
08:11You could go around these corners at 70, 80 miles an hour
08:14and it still wouldn't care.
08:15Like it's not slow.
08:20And I'm sure as you get towards the top of the rev band,
08:22you get even more of that.
08:23It's even more fun.
08:24I came up this exact road in my M2 maybe half an hour ago
08:28and it just felt like driving to work.
08:31It wasn't fun.
08:33It didn't...
08:34There's so many things that combine into it.
08:36The fact that the car is so small
08:38means you can kind of pick your way through your lane
08:41like a racetrack.
08:42You can start at the outside
08:44and you can move into the inside.
08:45Like you've got all of this is space.
08:49You've got so much room on the road
08:52to pick your way through the corner
08:55and it means you have more to do.
08:57It's more enjoyable.
08:59Now this is the coolest part of the MX-5.
09:08This is so...
09:11You hear the engine more.
09:17She's not slow.
09:23It drives really well.
09:24It's so fun.
09:27The fact that it's small,
09:28I think really makes a massive difference
09:30to how fun it is to drive.
09:33The fact that you pick your way through the corner.
09:35In the M2, you just follow the lane.
09:37In this, I move out to the outside.
09:39I cut across to the inside
09:41and I just feel like I'm driving more.
09:44Look at this.
09:44It's just gorgeous.
09:47Cars that make you happy are good cars.
09:50More people should own this stuff
09:52and more people should not be idiots like me
09:54and just think that power is cool
09:58or you think that you need the most powerful car to have fun.
10:01You don't.
10:02I've got just under 200 horsepower in here
10:04and I turn the corner and the car leans to the outside
10:08but it's interactive.
10:11It's doing stuff.
10:12It's talking to me.
10:14I actually really like this car.
10:16It's good.
10:17And don't ever get it twisted
10:19that it's an MX-5
10:20and it's a whatever derogatory term you want to call it.
10:25This is a sports car.
10:26This is a good sports car.
10:29I really like the softness.
10:31Do you know what it is?
10:32It's a road car.
10:34Whereas an M2 is not.
10:37Whereas a lot of cars these days
10:39that call themselves sports cars are not.
10:42They're not made for the road.
10:43They're not designed for the road.
10:44They don't want to be on the road.
10:46They want to be on the autobahn
10:48and they want to be on tracks.
10:51MX-5 wants to be right here.
10:58So fun.
11:01So fun.
11:03My name's Mick.
11:04I drive cars.
11:06Peace.