2013 Mazda MX-5 Miata Expert Review

Vehicle Overview

Just about the most fun you can have on four wheels, the Mazda MX-5 Miata returns for 2013 with a shakeup to its trim levels and a minor face-lift. The two-door roadster comes with a quick-folding manually-operated soft top, or a power-operated metal hardtop. The rear-drive Miata is available with a five-speed manual, a six-speed manual, and a six-speed automatic, and is powered by a 2.0-liter I-4 that makes between 158 and 167 hp (manual cars get more power) and 140 lb-ft of torque. The Miata is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in as fast as 6.1 seconds, and returning 22/28 mpg city/highway with the five-speed, and 21/28 mpg with either six-speed tranny.

To say the Miata is simply fun-to-drive would be an understatement. In our $28,000 high-performance two-door comparo, the Miata finished third, right behind the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S, where we said it was "possibly the most directly-connected car on the road." In our more recent comparison

where we put the new 2013 MX-5 Miata Club against the FR-S, the Miata finished first because it was simply the more fun car to drive. "Ultimately, the FR-S is the better driver's tool, while the Miata is the better driver's toy," we wrote. "For someone who's looking for nothing but fun, with practicality a non-issue, the Miata would be tough to beat. It's the toy-like Miata that takes the win on this one though by a nose, thanks to its singular focus on fun."

For 2013, Mazda updated the MX-5's front fascia, and has mixed the Miata's trim levels around a bit and replaced the Touring with the Club trim. A few new colors join the Miata's palette this year as well.

New for 2013

The Miata gets a subtle face-lift for the 2013 model year. The face-lift includes a reworked nose, black exterior trim, and black gunmetal wheels. Other changes include the removal of the Touring trim level, and replacing it with the Sport-oriented Club trim, which includes Bilstein shocks, a sport-tuned suspension, a mechanical limited-slip differential, a shock tower brace, and sticky summer rubber.