Covered: Mazda MX-5 Miata Motor Trend Covers from 1989-Present

The fourth-generation 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata roadster is finally here, and we couldn't be more excited. After all, we've featured various Miatas on the cover ofMotor Trendprint magazines eight times over the last 25 years, and as recently as 2013, the outgoing drop-top won a comparison against the much newer Scion FR-S. While competitors from automakers including Mercury, Pontiac, and Saturn have come and gone, the Miata has survived and is approaching its third decade of international sales.

Potentially debuting as the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, the next-gen model will be lighter than the current car, and the automaker promises its physical footprint will be more in line with the original car. When that first-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata arrived, we were so impressed we featured it on the cover of our July 1989 issue, calling it "The Best Sports Car Buy in America." Will we be just as enthused by the next-gen MX-5 Miata? We'll see, but in the meantime, take a look at these Motor Trend covers from the last 25 years that featured the Miata.

More on the Mazda MX-5 Miata:

• 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata First Test
• 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata First Look
• 2014 Best Driver's Car Bonus: First-Gen Mazda MX-5 Miata, Porsche 918 Spyder

July 1989

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"WARNING! This Car May Be Addictive" That warning, printed on the cover of the July 1989 issue (our first all-color issue), is no less true for newer Miatas. "This is a serious for-real sports car that churns up all sorts of wonderful memories of late, great roadsters," we wrote in that issue. "The only difference is that this one is a far better, more capable car. And it even starts in the morning."

Read the 1989 Mazda MX-5 Miata First Test HERE.

July 1991

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Our 10-car comparison for "the lead-footed penny pincher" included fun-to-drive two-doors with a functional base price of $15,000 with no turbos or V-8s to lower the cost of insurance and gas. Aside from the Mazda Miata, others that showed up included the Chevrolet Beretta GTZ, Ford Escort GT, Honda CRX Si, Hyundai Scoupe, Nissan 240SX SE Coupe, Nissan NX 2000, Plymouth Laser RS, Saturn Coupe, and Toyota Paseo. The Miata did well in the mountain winding roads, but was found to be a bit buzzy on the highway. In the end, the Miata scored a third-place finish price-independent (behind the Nissan NX 2000 and Nissan 240SX SE Coupe), but a sixth-place finish when considering price.

May 1993

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A special convertible section in the May 1993 issue included everything from a Suzuki Samarai to the Dodge Viper RT/10. The cover featured a Ferrari Mondial t near the 1993 Miata, about which we said its 116-hp 1.6-liter I-4 engine was a "standout performer."

February 1994

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The goal was to find aftermarket-tuned cars that could beat in performance (and price) the Viper and Corvette ZR-1, and the Monster Miata was one of many that answered the call. Tuned by Monster Motorsports, this extraordinary Miata was powered by a supercharged, 400-hp 5.0-liter Ford V-8 and, well, there weren't any dynamic surprises: "...it's plenty obvious this is a machine for those who value brute force over finesse and live for the smell of burning rubber." Back then, the car cost $45,000 compete with modifications, turning in a 0-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds, tying a Bittle Mustang for best-in-test. Through the quarter mile, the Miata again performed well with 12.6 seconds at 111.6 mph just behind the Bittle Mustang's 12.2 seconds at 118.3 mph. The Miata may have easily overcome the stock ZR-1 and Viper in acceleration, but it was dead last in its road course lap time.

September 2005

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The third-generation roadster was new back in the mid-2000s, with a fresh look but the same spirit we'd come to love: "First impressions? The new MX-5 is just like that bubbly, blonde cheerleader you knew in high school 15 years ago. Only now she's grown up and has a college degree. She's also put on a few more pounds. But she still knows all the moves."

Read the full 2006 Mazda MX-5 First Drive HERE.

July 2012

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We revisited the large two-door fun car segment in July 2012, but more than 20 years later, the budget wasn't $15,000 but $28,000. Of course, the Miata was included in the comparison, which included feedback from multiple editors and Randy Pobst. The Miata finished in the top half, ahead of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec, Volkswagen GTI, and Ford Mustang V-6, but behind the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ in that order.

Read the full $28,000 High-Performance Two-Door comparison HERE.

July 2014

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Before Mazda revealed the 2016 MX-5 Miata, our Future Cars special featured a sleek rendering of what we predicted the roadster would look like. Both our rendering and the real 2016 Miata have slim headlights, but the designs start to really differ from the rear view. And, of course, the actual car sports real door handles instead of the Jaguar- and Aston-Martin-style flush handles of our rendering.

November 2014

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Not one but TWO Miatas appeared on the cover of the November 2014 issue. Sure, we previewed the new 2016 Miata, but the real star was the blue first-generation car higher up on the page. At the 2014 Best Driver's Car competition, Randy Pobst made time to get behind the wheel of a first-gen roadster and summed it up like this: "I do two extra laps, just because this classic scratches my deep-seated driving itch so well that I don't want to stop!"

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