You learn a lot about cars on the first corner of Lime Rock Park. It’s called the Big Bend, a sweeping third-gear right-hander that has become the preserve of the nobility who drive—both men and their cars—with smoke billowing and sideways. In the new Mazda Miata, you can brake hard as you enter the Big Bend, the rear of the roadster following obediently as you accelerate to the apex of the corner.
Right here, right in the middle of Big Bend, the Miata feels perfect.
If you can believe it, the fourth-generation Mazda Miata (called the “ND”) is almost 10 years old, which is when most models get redesigned every four to six years. So, the ND Miata just got its second facelift to keep its looks fresh. The consensus is that it’s called the ND3.
There are some expected changes—a new infotainment system, a redesigned front bumper, new lights, new wheels, and new paint and trim options. But by far the most important changes for Miata owners are the revised steering system and the new limited-slip differential. The differential has different locking factors, when the throttle is on and off, which helps stabilize the car under braking and corner entry and reduces understeer on corner exit.
Mazda’s sterling commitment to weight reduction—the car tips the scales at 2,341 pounds—has paid off in this country. It has the classic sports-car function of following the road, working with the surface beneath it rather than trying to conquer it. It’s remarkably stiff for an open-top, and while it’s more bumpy than the BRZ or GR86, it delivers a better ride.
Mazda North America’s head of vehicle dynamics, Dave Coleman, is always fond of pointing out that the best roads to drive are the ones least traveled, and therefore, least maintained. Here, a stiffer suspension makes for a less enjoyable ride, and worse, tires that lose contact with the road.
And while the drivetrain remains unchanged for the ND3, it’s still worth mentioning. The four-cylinder delivers instant throttle response and a very smooth power delivery all the way to its 7,500 rpm redline. In a world of mediocre four-cylinders, this engine shines. It feels like, and is, a true sports car engine, meant to be in the upper half of the tachometer. It sounds sweet, too.
The transmission is superb. There’s no need to worry about feeding the gear lever directly into the gearbox, and the shifts are surprisingly heavy and notchy. Carefully calibrated engine response and a light, short-travel clutch ensure quick, smooth shifts, and the well-spaced pedals and light flywheel make this the easiest car to drive heel-and-toe. The bottom line is that you only need to shift gears all the time.
At Lime Rock’s six right-handers and one left-hander, the changes made to the ND3 become more apparent. Coleman says that as you get closer to the grip limit, about half of what you notice is due to the steering, the other half is due to the differential.
The new LSD makes the ND more precise, though without sacrificing its nimble nature. The short wheelbase and pronounced body roll mean that the weight transfer in the Miata feels a little more exaggerated than in other cars, and you need to drive with that in mind. But more than ever, you can pull along, knowing the rear end will stay behind you. And when you get back on the throttle and start to build power, the differential loosens up and gives you more options for how you go through the corners. The Miata is still eager to turn, though, and aggressive lifting in fast corners will induce a skid.
The car can still be steered with your right foot and a steering wheel. However, Mazda hasn’t made a GR86 convertible here. Staff Writer and BRZ owner Chris Rosales wants less body movement. “You turn, the car turns, you correct, the car responds, you go back, and the cycle starts again until you hit the gas,” he says.
Editor-in-Chief Travis Okulski, who owns an ND2 Miata, says he prefers the steering on the ND3. In fact, everyone who’s driven it agrees. The steering on the old car was never a hindrance to speed, but the updated rack actually makes things more enjoyable, enhancing the dialogue between driver and car.
“Very good knowledge of where the tires are pointing, lots of talk that makes the steering move quickly, slide and jump on the pavement,” Rosales said.
Ideally for the track, we’d test the Miata Club with the optional Brembo brake package, but the Grand Touring always stopped well, and we still had plenty of brake life left after our testing. Another benefit of its light weight—these little brakes have a fraction of the stopping power of almost any other brake on the market.
Mazda has also added a new track mode for stability control, a useful feature. It still allows for plenty of yaw angle, but ultimately, it intervenes in a subtle way. The only time it’s unwelcome on Lime Rock is on the Uphill, where you can feel it nipping at the front brakes a bit, trying to pull the rear car down as it crests the hill. However, it’s not so bad that you’d want to turn it off completely.
There’s something truly fascinating about this car. The changes here are small, but they have an impact. Mazda is a small company, relatively speaking, and the Miata may be its halo, but it’s still a small part of its business. So in updating the Miata, the engineers had to do a lot with a little. And they did it, without fundamentally changing what was already so great about this car.
On our track test day, we also had a new BMW M3 CS and a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS with Manthey Racing handling equipment. Both are impressive track rigs, priced at nearly $100,000 each and more than $200,000 more than this $36,220 roadster. The Miata still shines.
From the beginning, I used the ND Miata as my benchmark. It’s basically the ND Miata we love, a perfect example of all the virtues of lightweighting, with a perfect handling balance, a strong naturally aspirated engine, and the best manual transmission of any car on sale today, if not ever.
There are faster cars out there, but in terms of pure fun, the rewards are diminishing. This is the benchmark, made better.
