Video! Mazda Miata vs. Lotus Emira: Battle of the Track-Ready Sports Cars
Two track-ready sports cars, two different price brackets, which one offers the more engaging track experience?
0:00 / 0:00
As is, we’re programmed to love all things speed, power, and performance. We all enjoy geeking out over car specs, figures, and lap times. The one-upmanship of being able to say “my car is faster than yours” (or “something” more than yours) is as primal to us as it is alien to those who don’t get it, and we especially love being able to prove it, whether on the dragstrip or the racetrack. The reality of the situation, though, is that not many of us will ever be able to afford those top-tier, full-scale, scary-speed-achieving supercars that earn us all the bragging rights. The good news is that the stuff we can afford ain’t bad at all.
The sports car market is chock-full of fantastic handling and performing vehicles at more budget-friendly price points. Two such vehicles are the Mazda MX-5 Miata and the Lotus Emira, and at this year’s Performance Vehicle of the Year competition I drove them back-to-back to find out which one offers a more authentic and focused sports car driving experience on track.
I’ll acknowledge straight off the bat that this isn’t a conventional MotorTrend comparison test, nor is it particularly fair. With 400 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, the Lotus makes more than twice as much power as the Miata (181 hp, 151 lb-ft); however, at $41,395 the Miata RF Club costs less than half as much as this Lotus Emira V6 First Edition ($107,750), which sort of injects some fairness back into the fight, no? Half the car, half the price?
The Contenders
First up, the Emira. In this brave new world for Lotus, under Chinese ownership and diversifying its model range with electric hypercars, SUVs, and super sedans, the Emira represents Lotus’ most accessible new car. Those familiar with Lotus will note that although it shares a lot of visual DNA with the brand’s elusive, expensive, electric Evija hypercar, in reality it shares a lot of its proportions with the outgoing Evora, Elise, and Exige sports cars. Indeed, the Emira sounds quite a lot like an Evora—probably because it shares its supercharged 3.5-liter Toyota V-6 engine with that predecessor. However, the similarities to the Evora quickly evora-porate when you drive the Emira. Where Lotuses of old were uncompromising and raw, stripped-out, track-ready, and lightweight sports cars, the Emira tries for a more finished, refined, and luxurious experience.
Do those added luxurious qualities dampen the Lotus’ track attack spirit?
Challenging it is the almighty Mazda Miata. Still in its fourth generation (ND, to fans), the Miata continues to impress. This RF Club example boasts some enthusiast-friendly upgrades, including forged BBS wheels, Brembo brakes, and Recaro seats. A power-stowing targa roof panel that retracts into the trunk (after some impressive-looking mechanical acrobatics involving the rest of the roof) lets you to take in the great outdoors when you like, while ensconcing you in more solid coupelike environs the rest of the time.
The Mazda is as simple and unfussy as the original that made its debut some three decades ago, though that isn’t to say it hasn’t been updated over the years. With 181 hp, 50/50 weight distribution, and weighing just 2,454 pounds, the Miata is a fantastically predictable, performance-oriented compact sports car, and one that will make you fall in love with driving all over again.
Therefore, the stakes of this not-really-a-comparison test comparison test are high. The Miata is a critics' darling, loved in equal measure by those who enjoy hours of supercar seat time a year and by those who have perhaps just started driving and are seeking their first foray in the world of performance. It is a compelling equalizer in the sports car world, and as such we might be quick to overlook the things it has and does exceptionally well, by lamenting those things it has not. Let it be stated for the record that the Miata is spectacular.
Meanwhile, the Lotus has an altogether trickier task. Its predecessor was fantastic but flawed. The Emira is undoubtedly a better product, but is it a better performance car? Anyone who has had the pleasure of driving a Lotus built this side of the new millennium will attest to the fact that it is about as pure a driving experience as one can get. The question will be asked—has Lotus thrown the baby out with the bathwater?
To find out how these two did on the track, and also how they performed at our Performance Vehicle of the Year awards, watch the video above, and check out the articles on motortrend.com.
