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Used 2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata Consumer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
26 reviews

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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 MX-5 Miata, so we've included reviews for other years of the MX-5 Miata since its last redesign.

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Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

Most fun of any car ive ever been in.

Mark hoyle, 05/18/2021
2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Ive had a 2000 vette, two mini coopers (which I loved), multiple Chevy ford Lexus Nissan Mitsubishi land rover Honda Toyota cars and trucks (I'm old!) and this is the most fun of any car ive ever had. Its my daily driver. The handling is phenomenal. Its sweet spot is 90-100mph but even at slower speeds its a blast. The cornering is fantastic. Its like driving a comfortable go cart daily! Could it use a smoother ride and more storage ...yes but it would add weight and size and its perfect size now for anyone 6'2" and under (I'm 5'10"). 32 mpg and I drive it like I stole it! Had it 6 mos now. I suspect I will trade it in for every new major update until I die or until the other companies make something similar. Havent had a "stick" since my 20's but stick is the way to go here. Very easy to shift. Mark hoyle Dallas Texas.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

an enjoyable ride

Chris N., 02/17/2019
updated 08/28/2023
2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
17 of 18 people found this review helpful

This is the first car that I look forward to driving every day. The small size makes it very agile and the car feels like an extension of the driver, and it's easy to ignore the compromises made. With the top down, visibility is great and the wind creates of a feeling of speed, even when driving moderately fast. With the top up the car feels cozy, but rear and side visibility are very limited and the noise from the soft top is excessive at highway speeds. The addition of aftermarket wide-angle side mirrors, noise cancellation earbuds and a clear wind deflector (why not include it upfront?) helped. Acceleration is good with room for improvement. Fuel economy averages about 29 mpg although savings are negated by the requirement for premium gas. The ride on my Sport trim is sporty but not hard, so I am glad I didn't go for the stiffer suspension of the club. Body roll is acceptable when the electronic control is activated. The cloth seats were quite comfortable but retained moisture so I had them upholstered with marine leather - a must in a convertible. Mazda apparently also decided to punish buyers of the Sport by saving a couple of dollars on a padded armrest, but that wasn't enough for me to upgrade to the Club. I did pay $450 to get an Android Auto but ultimately found that I didn't really use it. Gear shifting is good. The entertainment system is sub-par and the speakers failed after 3 years, the first car that I have that happen. On removal, they were $5 paper speakers, so shame on Mazda for installing garbage in a $30K car. My AC had a leak that took 3 years and many trips to different dealerships to get diagnosed and fixed, and even without the leak it is pretty useless, making driving in the summer in Florida an ordeal. Overall, I am happy with the car and it remains by far my favorite vehicle but wish Mazda wasn't pennywise and cared a bit more about their drivers.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
3 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

2006 MX-5 updated to 2020

Charles, 10/21/2020
updated 04/28/2025
2020 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
16 of 17 people found this review helpful

What an update! Hated to trade my 2006 after 14 years but glad I did. My new 2020 GT is fantastic. Love all the tech , the increased HP, the exhaust SOUND, the ride, the look, and the drive. One feature that I was not aware of is the picture of the latest speed limit sign displayed on instrument panel. Can’t believe the MPG of 37+ combined with jackrabbit starts (0 to 60 5 seconds) and 70 to 80mph with the top down! Only draw back is my 81 year old legs need seat all the way back to get out. Little different ride from my Genesis G-80 and GMC Sierra.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Best Miata Yet!

Dr. Roger Tilton, 05/17/2021
2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
28 of 31 people found this review helpful

I just recently bought a new Miata grand touring manual shift. I should mention that I have driven only Miatas since they first came out in 1989, and this will be my sixth. My first very pleasant surprise was the appearance. I wanted the Soul Red Crystal but based on the pictures on the dealer's website it didn't look too good with the gray top which is all that any of the dealers had in the grand touring. I went to test drive one, and when I saw the red with the gray top in person I almost fainted. The color combination looked just fantastic in person and nothing like the picture. My car until then was a 2016 soul red special edition with the tan interior which looked great, but this looked even better. The red is deeper and more beautiful than before which I didn't think was possible. In fact I think this is the most beautiful red I have ever seen in a car including Ferraris and Corvettes, and other people tell me that when they see my car. (I got the first compliment on the color on the test drive from another driver at a stoplight who said he loved the color.) I tell people it looks like a $100,000 car, but I honestly can't think of a $100,000 car that looks this beautiful. With the gray top it adds a sense of elegance. I had been a little concerned, because this car has a sports suspension which now comes with the grand touring manual, since I have always had the regular suspension desiring a smoother ride. However with the sports suspension it is just fine and in fact better overall. It felt a little bit rougher on a not so smooth road during my test drive, but then I decided I had better check the tire pressure. Mazda recommends 29 psi which is inside the driver's side door. Sure enough the dealer had 50 psi in all four tires which I then corrected. I have had the car for a week now and have driven 500 miles. All I can say is that as much as I loved my 2016 Miata this one is better in every way. The added horsepower added in 2019 is very noticeable and just puts the driving experience on a higher level. And on a decent road the ride quality is better than ever. It is even smoother than my 2016, and there's something about the overall feel of the car on the road that is just sensational. You feel this on the freeway at high speeds but even at just about any speed unless it's a really rough road. It's 0-60 time of 5.7 and it's quarter mile time of 14.4 is comparable to the former Honda S2000 and to the 2013 Porsche Boxster which were formidable cars. I used to love the Boxster, but I test drove one a couple of years ago and in the manual shift I was really disappointed. You almost couldn't drive it normally in the city, because you would be going 70 mph in second gear. I like the Miata better which is more like the Boxster use to be. When I say everything is better with this Miata than my 2016 that includes the clutch which is even easier than before and something, about the integration of the manual shifter and the clutch which seems even more seamless. With all of my Miatas I always thought they couldn't be improved upon, but each one is noticeably better than the one before. However this ND2 is really something else. The subjective enjoyment factor in driving this car is really off the charts. If you watch some of the current YouTube reviews with young guys who say they had never driven a Miata and had some negative preconceived ideas about it, they are noticeably blown away when they are test driving it. It's also nice to have the Apple Car Play which can be connected wirelessly on the grand touring, and the black leather with white stitching looks really nice. This Miata is the best ever and is truly a remarkable car. Given the looks, performance, and overall driving enjoyment there really is no car I would rather have.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Best bang for the buck!

Wes, 05/22/2021
2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful

I’ve owned several high end exotic sports cars and this car is more fun to drive than any of them. It’s unpretentious and a great value for top down sporty motoring and one of the few cars you can still buy with a fully manual transmission. Impeccable quality, fit, and finish - better than our BMW or Lexus and reminds me of the surgical precise feel of my Porsche C4S.

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Sports Car Most Eligible to be an EV

Thom Moore, 09/09/2019
2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
11 of 12 people found this review helpful

The new styling makes me think "Mazdarati", with hood sloping down to a low air intake and those curvaceous fenders, sloped for a more muscular look than the "Fiata" 124 version. The accommodations are marginal but adequate for those under 74 inches tall. The rocker boxes are small enough for reasonable entry and exit effort, so there is actually room for a center console, unlike other small mid- and rear-engine cars. The available package of BBS wheels, Brembo brakes, Bilstein shocks, Recaro seats, and an aero kit makes for a diminutive, lightweight car that means business. IMO, the MX-5 strikes just the right balance between driving excitement and creature comforts, and the quickdraw soft top is just more icing on that cake. It's perfect as a daily driver or as a weekend fun car. Mazda somehow managed to capture the essence of the classic roadster in a car that is also robust enough to handle modern roads full of aggressive SUV and pickup truck drivers.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

2019 Miata the best

Sally Herman, 05/05/2019
2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
10 of 11 people found this review helpful

This 2019 is my 4th manual Miata sport. The new improved engine power, infosystem,new rear camera, side indication, lane indication and driving experience is awesome. The new 2019 model is faster, easy to manuver and safer. I have owned other much more expensive top brands but keep coming back to the reliable Mazda Miata. Anyone who has not driven a miata could never describe the excitement , speed and ground hugging fun. I find only 2 downsides but both are to be expected. The trunkspace is minimal but owners know how to fill it certain ways to accommidate much. The passenger side is smaller in the 2019 model with less leg room because of the larger engine. Price, driving experience and reliability is above all.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Special Feeling

Mark Wiedder, 06/21/2019
2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Athletic and sporty,This is a drivers car.Does everything you ask it to do, from quick starts to quick stops,not recommended for the tall burly type as seats,getting in and out are tight

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Test drove both this and the Fiat 124

Brian, 03/19/2018
2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
8 of 9 people found this review helpful

I test drove both the Fiat and the Miata. The Miata delivers its power in a more linear fashion. The Fiat needs to get up in the Revs before it really goes. So, it feels slower off the line. A little more like a Honda S2000. So it is really down to which one appeals to you more. I would rate the Fiat at a 4 and the Mazda at a 4.5 from an everyday driving standpoint. However, I am considering this purchase for weekend pleasure drives and I find the Fiat is more exciting to me. I like the bit of quirkiness that it has over the Miata. To me this gives the Fiat a bit more excitement. If you are deciding between the Mazda and the Fiat you really need to spend some drive time in both. The interior is similar in most ways. It's really about do you fit and are you comfortable enough to enjoy the car. Also, I would mention that the edmunds review of the Fiat is a 3 and the Mazda a 4.5. This seems to me to be because of different editors approach to the car and because the Fiat review, I believe, is for the automatic which I agree is not very good with this engine. If you want an auto the Mazda is the better choice. I took a brief drive of each car with the auto but for me the manual is the way to go. I would recommend reading each edmunds review with the mindset that it applies to both cars outside of the engine. I am disappointed that Edmunds editors seem to have written these reviews in a vacuum ignoring the relation of the cars to each other.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Provides maximum driving engagement

Johntechwriter, 03/28/2020
2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
9 of 11 people found this review helpful

The Miata has two very different buyer types: hard-bitten sports car junkies like me, or people who want their car's cuteness to reflect back on them. I'm in the first group, and so my base Sport model has no fancy options like automatic wipers or a folding steel roof. No, my Sport, the base model with 6-speed manual transmission and bargain priced at under $25,000 in 2019, provides me with the most intense engagement between man and machine that modern driving can deliver. It's a given that any Miata is a blast to drive on the back roads. What it lacks in horsepower it makes up for in feather-lightness and brilliant handling thanks to an all-alloy independent suspension. But what sold me on my Sport was the involvement it requires of me in day-to-day driving. Most people probably won't relate, but even a trip to the local grocery store is immensely rewarding in this car. I think the kindred spirits of sports car guys are pilots -- they are just so intimate with their flying machines, from biplane to 747. First, you get into it -- I'm 5'10" and 168 lb. and it fits me like a glove. I get settled in the cockpit and yes, it feels much like an airplane cockpit. The Start button brings the highly tuned 2.0 L engine to life with a burst of revs. A few moments to get the oil circulating and then I ease the gorgeously tactile stick shift into first and feather the clutch to get me out of the parking garage. While cold I nurse the engine, easing into the slow lane of a nearby freeway. One exit down and I'm on a feeder road, the close-ratio 6-speed always providing me with the perfect gear., This car is so light (2340 lb.), I can lug along at idle in first gear at a walking pace in stop-and-go traffic. I get to the store and park away from the door-dingers in their SUVs. Fifteen minutes later I'm back, and that surprisingly deep trunk accommodates a week's worth of groceries for two. The weather is warming under a California sun so on a whim as I exit the supermarket I put down the top, an one-handed, two-second operation. Ah, yes, to be in a roadster with the sky as your ceiling. I can hear the cadenzas of its sporty exhaust as they rise and fall through the gears., Pulling back onto the freeway, engine fully warmed, I wind it out to 7,000 rpm in third and fourth gears, with another two upshifts and 500 rpm in reserve. The twin-cam, 16-valve engine is naturally aspirated, so there is no turbo lag or supercharged sudden rush of power. All is smoothness and light. I get home, nurse it into its underground parking spot, put up the top, and retrieve my groceries, The car has been programmed by me to lock itself once I'm away from it. At the garage door, as always, I can't resist a backward glance at what is not only the best traditional sports car on the planet, but also the most beautiful.

Safety
2 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
2 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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