2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata Review

In the decades since the original Mazda MX-5 Miata revived the notion of a pure, affordable two-seat sports car with a convertible roof, many automakers have tried to replicate its success. But they've all pretty much given up, and the Miata is still the go-to choice after four generations and more than 30 years of near continuous production.

For 2022, the Miata gets yet another engineering tweak to enhance its fun-to-drive nature in the form of Kinematic Posture Control (KPC). The way Mazda describes it, KPC is a brake-based technology that can reduce body roll, improve steering response, and enhance the effectiveness of the car's available limited-slip differential. Simply put, when taking corners at high speed, KPC applies light braking to the car's inner rear wheel to pull the car down on that corner. You can read more about what our test team thinks of it in our Expert Rating below.

There is another change for the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata: An automatic transmission is now available only with top trim, where it is an option. All other Miatas have a six-speed manual gearbox, which, if you ask us, is as it should be. The Miata is simply at its best when you get to row your own gears.

Few two-seat convertibles remain available, and the MX-5 Miata is the most affordable one you can buy. There's a case to be made for considering the redesigned Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 instead since they share many of the Miata's qualities but are more practical and livable. But, as always, we expect the Miata to weather the test of time and continue to provide unadulterated driving joy.

What's it like to live with?

Since Mazda last redesigned the sports car for the 2016 model year, we've twice put a fourth-generation Miata into our long-term testing fleet. You can see what we thought of living with the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata and how significant changes altered satisfaction with the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Now that Kinematic Posture Control is standard, we might need to add a 2022 edition to the rotation. You know, in the name of science. And fun.