2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata First Drive: Tiny Car, Tiny Improvements, How Much Better?

Looking at the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata, your first question might be: “Well, what has changed?” Even Mazda enthusiasts will have trouble pinning down the visual differences, but those with sharper eyes might spot the new LED daytime running lights, as well as the LED taillights’ more complex innards. Inside, the slightly larger 8.8-inch display—up from 7.0 inches last year—is the only change, though it’s somewhat more noticeable than the exterior tweaks.

Under the skin, however, there are a number of important updates that help make the Miata an even better driver’s car. The first is a new electronic steering rack delivering improved weighting and more precise steering feel; the second update is a Mazda-designed limited-slip differential, which offers stronger stability under engine braking while entering corners.

We spent a few hours driving the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata on canyon roads surrounding the Los Angeles area and noted big differences with its driving manners despite the small changes it’s actually received.

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Forget About the Numbers

As with all Mazda MX-5 Miatas, the 2024 version isn’t a “numbers car.” Its 0–60-mph times won’t knock you back in your seat, its horsepower figure won’t make a Dodge blush, and don’t forget—the entire car is tiny.

The 2024 Miata is again powered by a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine that makes 181 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. That meager power is routed to the rear wheels and is more than enough given the car’s light weight. Unsurprisingly, the Miata delivers a fun experience behind the wheel. We drove the RF Grand Touring with a six-speed manual transmission (as you should when driving a Miata); a six-speed automatic is also available.

With its new electric power-assisted steering rack, the 2024 Miata hangs on to that fun nature but adds refinement. The Miata is more comfortable to drive on the highway, providing good on-center feel and feedback about the what’s happening without resorting to a heavier weighting. On twisty roads, there seems to be sharper control from the new steering. Earlier ND-generation Miatas suffered from extensive body roll with the slightest steering inputs, and Mazda has tamped down on that somewhat over the years.

The new limited-slip differential delivers more stability through corners and gives the driver more confidence. We’ll have to wait until we take it to the track to see how it behaves under stronger acceleration and tighter corners, and how it performs on our figure-eight track, but initial impressions are positive.

Despite being a bit heavier than the soft top, the Miata RF Club (RFs get the power-folding targa roof) drives identically to the traditional roadster variants. Our test car added the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package, which brings 17-inch dark gunmetal wheels, Brembo brakes with red-painted calipers in the front and rear, and heated Recaro seats. The targa-like roof is handsome and sporty—thanks to those sail panels that add the appearance of a faster roofline—plus you can retract the center section of the roof with the push of a button; soft-top models’ roofs are manual-folding affairs.

The Brembo brakes provide good, progressive bite before entering the corners, and the brake pedal is easy to get used to. We’ll need to wait until we do our instrumented testing to measure their real performance under hard braking.

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A Larger but Not Better Screen

The new 8.8-inch screen is, curiously, only touch-capable when Apple CarPlay is connected and displayed on the screen. If CarPlay isn’t connected, the screen can only be controlled via a knob on the center console. This is confusing to get used to, and we wish we could use touch inputs on the well-placed screen all the time, even while driving, if not for the snafus we encountered. We experienced touch blackouts, in which the display didn’t respond to finger stabs even with CarPlay activated, requiring us to push hard on the screen for a response. So, although we prefer to use the Miata’s screen as a touch display, we ultimately spent more time controlling it with the knob in the center console, even when it was supposed to be touch-operable.

We do appreciate the larger display, however, even if it’s only 1.8 inches bigger than before. The rest of the interior is unchanged. Given the Mazda’s small size, everything feels cramped and cozy; there’s only one cupholder and almost no space to place your belongings. Yes, we know this is a driver’s car, not a practical vehicle. Although we wished things like this would be handled differently, we know Mazda spent all its resources on making this car fun on the road, not practical.

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Still Fun, Still Affordable

Starting at $30,150, the 2024 Mazda Miata Sport is a great roadster for anyone looking for a fun vehicle to drive (and who doesn’t need much cargo or people-carrying space). Prices climb up to $39,145 for the RF Grand Touring with the six-speed automatic, but there are a variety of choices in between. The Miata is sort of in its own segment, as there are no other roadsters at this price point in the market today; the larger Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ are perhaps its closest competitors, and both offer a back seat but no convertible option.

And while the changes to the 2024 Miata aren’t extensive, they do make a difference in the way it drives on the road. It feels better, it’s more agile and settled, but it continues to deliver the same kind of fun despite not getting any performance increases. More than anything, we’re happy there’s still a Miata at all, delivering smiles to people’s faces at an affordable price. The next-generation Miata is supposed to have some sort of electrification, and although we don’t think it will be a full EV, adding any sort of battery and electric motor will almost assuredly make the roadster heavier. We just hope that doesn’t change its fantastic driving dynamics.