2007 MX-5 vs 1993
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Donas64 said:
I was actually killing time the other night looking up different Miata reviews and comparisons and whatnot.
I must have read 8 or 10 all told, and it was so amusing that each and every one of them started by saying something about how excited they were by the Miata's new look, but were scared that it wouldn't keep the same great things that made a Miata...a Miata (obviously, these were mostly 06 model reviews). Needles to say, all of them ended something like
"We shouldn't have worried". So they've all been big Miata fans from the start, and enjoy the NC even more.
As far as the Solstice goes, it's pretty much a toss-up performance-wise, many reviewers saying the NC is a touch quicker. The Solstice has like 7 more HP, but is like 350 lbs heavier, so that negates any performance gain. It basically comes down to looks, fit and finish and usability. The Miata wins the last two handily, and while I think the Solstice is a sharp looking car for the money, I just prefer the NCs more understated, more lithe apperance.
phinz said:
that does not look good at all. I think thats far too much body roll for something claiming to have a sports suspension. I'd hate to see the body roll for the stock setup. Thats what I saw in the video I watched also. The MX-5 sorta rolled from corner to corner while the Solstice seemed much more controlled and planted.
I think that most car makers think that Americans prefer these butter soft suspensions and dial it back some so as to get better remarks from the automotive press.
I'd gladly trade of some ride comfort for staying level in the corners in a car with such potentian as the miata.
At the same time, a lot of body roll doesn't necessarily translate to slower times. In fact, it can assist in weight transfer. Some of the reviewers have said that the softer suspension in the new car helped in motoring around the track smoothly.
I don't like it. It looks like my car is getting ready to hike its leg, and lifting a tire in a RWD vehicle is not cool. Once I can afford it, springs, shocks and sways will be the order of the day.
I don't like it. It looks like my car is getting ready to hike its leg, and lifting a tire in a RWD vehicle is not cool. Once I can afford it, springs, shocks and sways will be the order of the day.
I would contend that Autox isn't necessarily indicative of much of anything, nor is it a "track" per se. It's easy enough for a manufacturer to offer a ringer for Autox. All it takes is a tick box for a race-oriented suspension, such as the ringer Solstice suspension.
Car and Driver's comments after their trip to VIR said it quite wonderfully. Though the car placed down low (and maybe even last. I don't quite remember) for cars under $30k, they said, "Perhaps the sweetest car to drive was the Mazda MX-5." For an everyday car, with performance when you need it, and fun every moment, the NC is a great choice. Whining about track times, autox times, et cetera, is ridiculous in the real world.
Car and Driver's comments after their trip to VIR said it quite wonderfully. Though the car placed down low (and maybe even last. I don't quite remember) for cars under $30k, they said, "Perhaps the sweetest car to drive was the Mazda MX-5." For an everyday car, with performance when you need it, and fun every moment, the NC is a great choice. Whining about track times, autox times, et cetera, is ridiculous in the real world.
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Found it.
"Perhaps the sweetest car to drive was the Mazda MX-5. The light, small roadster had sharp and responsive steering, a nicely balanced chassis, and brakes with good bite and decent fade resistance. It also had a great driving position, if we can forget the cup holder in the door that fouled a driver’s left leg. Unfortunately, it had the weakest straight-line performance at VIR and that translated into the slowest lap time — 3:29.3."
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11755/the-lightning-lap-ll1-under-30000-page4.html
"Perhaps the sweetest car to drive was the Mazda MX-5. The light, small roadster had sharp and responsive steering, a nicely balanced chassis, and brakes with good bite and decent fade resistance. It also had a great driving position, if we can forget the cup holder in the door that fouled a driver’s left leg. Unfortunately, it had the weakest straight-line performance at VIR and that translated into the slowest lap time — 3:29.3."
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11755/the-lightning-lap-ll1-under-30000-page4.html
Taken on raw numbers, in the rarified air of a track, where the vast majority of cars never go and where the vast majority of drivers never venture, you might be able to discount the NC based on its stock numbers. But if you want to talk about real qualities of a car, then the street is the place to visit, and at that level you won't have a leg to stand on. There's a reason the motoring press have raved about the car. Lap times are mere mental masturbation and bear no weight whatsoever in the real world. My NA is a better Miata. My NC is a better car.
Pitlab77 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSkOl3wa0Yw
NB time: 1.19.532
NC time: 1.18.399
and they say a lot of the issue might be the tires. I don't like the stock tires on my car much at all, but they're what I have for now.
phinz said:
Or as Edmunds put it in there Solstice v Miata comparison; "Cars simply don't come any more fun to drive than the (2006) Mazda Miata".
And yes, the Car and Driver article did indeed rank the MX-5 lowest in track times (against some pretty nice competition I might add...a Corvette, Porsche, and Mustang GT for starters, solstice wasn't invited), but ended by saying it was perhaps the most pleasurable car to drive of the lot. That's pretty high praise, considering it was arguably the slowest.
"What?!?! I don't have numbers to tell me I'm having fun and enjoying the car??? It can't be! Someone break out a bar graph and a stop watch and show me I'm having fun! Quick!"
-.-
Donas64 said:
I think there's room for multiple roadsters in this range, and for consumers, competition is never a bad thing. So having GM and Mazda constantly trying to outdo each other should (hopefully) only provide better products for drivers down the line. Hopefully, it will even get us a Mazdaspeed NC too!(first)
Pretty much as it stands now, it's a virtual toss-up. Yes, I'm sure people will link to a few sites/people that preferred the Solstice or said it had better features/times, but someone could also just as easily point to several other very reputable publications that feel and report otherwise.
I had the oppurtunity to test drive the Solstice before buying the Miata. In fact, I had originally intended on getting one. It's a fine car.
Should be fun times ahead and Roadster lovers
GordonJ said:I think there's room for multiple roadsters in this range, and for consumers, competition is never a bad thing. So having GM and Mazda constantly trying to outdo each other should (hopefully) only provide better products for drivers down the line. Hopefully, it will even get us a Mazdaspeed NC too!(first)
Pretty much as it stands now, it's a virtual toss-up. Yes, I'm sure people will link to a few sites/people that preferred the Solstice or said it had better features/times, but someone could also just as easily point to several other very reputable publications that feel and report otherwise.
I had the oppurtunity to test drive the Solstice before buying the Miata. In fact, I had originally intended on getting one. It's a fine car.
Should be fun times ahead and Roadster lovers
I dotn think the point was Miata Vs. Sky/Sol but that the new miata has to much body roll from the factory VS. the older cars. Around the track it has more tq and power and that to an extent does help it. THere are many more factors than just power I know, but it never hurts.
On the track the sol is proving to befaster and better set up from the factory. Having a tire wider than the new mx5 does not hurt either
part one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRARVVmpzTw
part two
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_d5-K109DQ
I don't disagree on the suspension. The "sport" suspension I got shafted on so that I could get an LSD is crap for spirited driving, but it's *awesome* around town. If I want a suspension to beat the crap out of me, I drive the NA. I *will* say that, even with all of its oscillation and roll, the NC flat *booked* through Deal's Gap. Once I get it sorted out I'll turn the DSC off and try again. It's going to be a handful with the right suspension, because it has plenty of torque and horsepower on tap for that road.
They need to offer the MS suspension as a tick box. That will stop the naysayers, apparently, and make them very competitive in a lot of venues when it comes to competition against their "peers."
They need to offer the MS suspension as a tick box. That will stop the naysayers, apparently, and make them very competitive in a lot of venues when it comes to competition against their "peers."
