2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Review: Take A Risk, Before It's Too Late

Believe the cynics and the days of classic driving fun are in the rearview mirror. Electrification is eclipsing the one-two punch of a manual gearbox and a sweet gas engine, they complain; even when there's still ICE onboard, more often than not, it's wrapped in an SUV. Sometimes, you want to grab people by the shoulders and give them a shake to remind them that fun-packed alternatives are still hiding in plain sight.

Maybe the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF is too small to stand out in a sea of crossovers, but what it lacks in stature, it makes up for in heritage. The Miata is the epitome of the enthusiast car, maintaining focus for three and a half decades while rival playthings launch, linger, and leave.

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Worse than contempt, though, familiarity can sometimes breed apathy. The Miata has been a mainstay of the auto world for so long, and Mazda is so reluctant to mess significantly with a working formula (or, to be cynical again, to commit the budget to make bigger changes to a decided niche model) that it's easy to overlook just how unusual it is. That's even more the case when you consider the MX-5 Miata RF, with its trick folding metal roof.

Soft top Miata ownership starts at $28,985 (plus $1,165 destination) for the Sport grade, but Mazda skips that base-spec trim for the Miata RF. Instead, the cheapest version of the hard-top convertible is the 2024 MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring, from $37,010 (plus destination). Opt for the Club trim, meanwhile, and the Miata RF starts at $40,210 (plus destination).

Regardless of trim or roof, all Miata get the same 2.0-liter inline-four gas engine, with 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. Only the Grand Touring can be had with an automatic transmission, though, a no-cost option instead of the 6-speed manual standard on all other trims.

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Miata enthusiasts get very angry if you dare suggest you might skip the stick. While I'm usually all for individual choice, it's hard not to feel the same way after living with Mazda's six-speed as it's a beguilingly pleasant gearbox, the throw is short, and its weight is near-perfect. Combined with a light but readily modulated clutch pedal, you have a manual that's not a chore in everyday urban driving but still marvelous fun when you find even a vaguely entertaining road.

The MX-5's ethos of "use every scrap of horsepower you paid for" is instrumental to that. 181 hp isn't, in the grand scheme of things, all that much. Getting the most fun out of the Mazda is a game of strategy, then, rather than relying on an overpowered engine as is the way for so many modern sports cars.

Downshifts are rewarded, not with the blip of computer-driven rev-matching like on some rivals, but simply by keeping the inline-four close to its peak power band (that 181 hp arrives at a heady 7,000 rpm, just 500 rpm shy of the redline, while peak torque lands at 4,000 rpm). The suspension is on the softer side, the ensuing body roll something to be embraced rather than kept at arm's length by uncomfortably firm springs. With a mere 2,452-pound curb weight for the RF Club, just 111 pounds more than its soft-top sibling, tilting in the corners feels enjoyably silly rather than risky.

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Few cars encourage planting the accelerator to the mat with such frequency as the Miata does. A driving style that would have you cruising at illegal speeds in other cars — and still feel fairly dreary, too — usually provides both license safety and whimsy in the MX-5. Even relatively mundane roads feel more like a motocross, and though the rear end can be readily provoked into some shimmy, it's also easy to bring the little convertible back into line. Kinematic Posture Control, along with 2024's addition of an asymmetric limited-slip differential as standard on manual Miata RF trims, helps there.

Though you pay a premium for the hard top convertible, its contribution to making the Miata an even more successful daily driver makes me feel like it's worth the extra. Mazda's manual soft hood drops down easily, but it's not a great noise insulator: highway trips gain a headache-provoking drone to go with the not-so-mild anxiety of driving a car that's lower than some semi truck tires. The RF's trick roof takes about 13 seconds to open or close, combining the promise of open-air motoring with the comfort of extra noise isolation.

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I also think it looks better, like a miniature Jaguar F-Type (before Jaguar arguably spoiled things with its front design refresh). Mazda's Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint is far from a new finish at this point, yet it still looks better than 99% of other colors on the road. Paired with the BBS 17-inch dark-finish wheels, restrained black rear spoiler, and matching side sill extensions, you have a car that still turns heads and encourages admiring glances.

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Inside, Mazda's budget bumps up against the constraints of physics. At 5' 8", I feel like I'm the near-perfect height for the MX-5; I know people 6+ foot who, by virtue of long legs or long torsos, simply don't fit. The Recaro seats are snugly supportive (and heated), while the dashboard eschews fancy trim in favor of straightforward switchgear and design.

It manages to avoid feeling cheap, and things like the simple, chunky dials for the Club's air conditioning system are welcome when you're trying to keep your eyes on the road (or, for that matter, outsized fellow road users). The 8.8-inch infotainment display is navigated by a scroll-wheel-cum-joystick in the center console (it's a touchscreen, but only when you're parked); there's wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto support with two USB-C ports. You'll probably have to stow your tethered Android phone in one of the Miata's removable (and comically flimsy) cupholders.

There's no glovebox, but a small lockable cubby between the seats does leave a place for smaller items. Blind spot warnings, lane departure warnings, and rear cross-traffic alerts are all standard. You'll be left turning your headlamps on manually, though, and the same goes for the windshield wipers. At least the RF gets a heated glass rear window (which drops down when the roof is opened).

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As for fuel economy, the EPA says the Miata could deliver 26 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined. My own mixed driving — which hardly skewed toward sensible — saw it clock in at 31 mpg.

Familiarity may have dulled our appreciation for just how rare and special the Miata is — and how lucky we are that Mazda continues to build it. Certainly, it's difficult to imagine a new lightweight, relatively barebones, and affordable sports car project being approved in today's market, particularly one that refuses to play the "more is better" horsepower game. We shouldn't take the MX-5 for granted.

That doesn't exempt it from criticism, of course. The 4.5 cu-ft of trunk space is laughable (the soft top Miata adds an extra tenth of a cubic foot), the infotainment system feels dated, and the cabin is decidedly cramped with two people in there. If you don't mind a fixed roof coupe, the Toyota GR 86 starts at around $30k: Mazda's decision to load up the Miata RF Club with niceties like the Recaro seats, BBS wheels, and Brembo brakes (all of which are optional on the soft top Club trim), in contrast, helps propel this particular example to $41,970 all-in. 

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As an 181-horsepower weekend plaything, that might seem excessive (and send you scurrying for the used car ads). Yet, with a splash of bravery, the RF's added creature comforts and slight uptick in refinement could make it a daily driver for the right person. The rest of us can just watch them go grinning past, simmering with Soul Red envy, and hope Mazda doesn't decide the Miata's charms have outstayed their welcome.