To be honest, I’ve always liked the Mazda Miata but felt it teetered too close to feminine. Its small size and jaunty looks always draw remarks like “it’s so cute” or “it’s so tiny” – not remarks a guy wants to hear about his car, or frankly, about anything else. But the car is a kick to drive and handles like a go-cart. Many a man could look past the Miata’s cute-factor just to experience the exhilaration of the drive. Then last year, Mazda announced an all-new Miata named the MX-5 and promised it would be larger in size and have a more muscular appearance. Most men who liked the old Miata but were afraid to be seen in one raised an eyebrow out of curiosity – myself included.

One of the fears upon hearing Mazda would increase the size of the Miata was that it would lose its classic roadster feel and become like most other cars on the market. Get behind the wheel the new MX-5 and it still has that familiar feel – it’s still a blast to drive. With every shift the car lunges forward, pulling hard until you back off the throttle and engage the next gear. Steering is tight and the car corners with the precision of a race-prepped track car. I could see myself getting in a lot of trouble if I drove the MX-5 on a regular basis.

One of the things I liked best about the MX-5 is the ability to simply place the car in traffic wherever and whenever you want to. The 170-horsepower motor pulls in every gear. Pick a spot in traffic, downshift and presto, you’re in. The six-speed shifter is smooth and precise and if I had a complaint about the drivetrain, it would be that at freeway speed, the engine felt a little buzzy.

The new 2006 Mazda MX-5 is packaged in a new body that definitely gives it a more muscular appearance and masculine appeal. Gone is the “cuteness,” replaced with bulging fenders borrowed from the RX-8 and a wider stance front and back. Now, the MX-5 is a car with enough machismo that men won’t be afraid to drive it. It’s impressive that Mazda designers were able to create a fresh look without losing the recognizable shape and feel we had all come to admire.

The MX-5’s interior looks and feels as good as, if not better than, the original car. The interior panels exude quality and the knobs and buttons are easy to use and decipher. The best part of the new car is the easy-to-use top. The new top uses one central latch on the windshield header to release and with a simple push backward, the top falls into a cavity behind the seats. Simply turn to your right and press down on the top and it snaps into place. The beauty of this design is that it’s no longer necessary to install a tonneau cover for a sleek, finished, top-down look. Just press and go. And if you’re limber enough, the top can be raised and lowered from the driver’s seat in one swift motion.

The MX-5’s seats are firm with plenty of side bolstering (which you will need considering the cornering ability of the car) but they may be tight for larger drivers. The biggest downside I found is the placement of the center cupholders. With any size cup placed in the holder, it is almost certain you’ll eventually be wearing your beverage rather than drinking it because your forearm rests right where the cup placement is and there’s no reaching around to shift or pulling your arm closer to your side. Your best bet is to use the convenient door panel cupholder.

Overall, I found it hard to fault the new MX-5 Miata. Those I did find were nit-picky at best and some are the concessions of driving a small car. Would I drive the MX-5 as a daily driver? Maybe. But the best scenario is to buy an MX-5 as an extra car that you can take for a spin through the canyons or travel top-down along the coast with your significant other on weekends. – Ron Perry

Photos by Ron Perry