In my opinion,  the new Mazda MX-5 SkyActiv (or “Miata”) is the best pound-for-pound, buck-for-buck sports car in the market today. It’s not a tradition- and heritage-loaded sports car associated with big bucks and an exotic or fancy nameplate. But as the current best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao, has proven on many occasions, you don’t have to be big to be great.

The Mazda MX-5 outshines more expensive sports cars. If one were to list today’s sports cars according to a ratio, where driving enjoyment is the numerator and price the denominator, the Mazda would have the highest coefficient, hands down. The new Miata is definitely the one for the sports car purist.

I cannot believe that, at my tender age, I had never driven a Mazda Miata until now. When I mention this seemingly startling fact to other car guys, I am invariably given this look that says, “Where have you been your whole life?”

As far back as I can recall, people have been coming up to me to tell me what a fine, fun car the Miata is. There are those who drive Miatas to work and the occasional weekend spin. There are also those who race Miatas on the track. Both categories of Mazda drivers are wont to wax ecstatic over their cars. What got me finally interested and determined to get my hands on one was all the rave reviews from motoring journalists from all over the world after the latest-generation MX-5 was launched late last year. There was nary a negative review I saw, which is rather rare. To top things off, it had just been voted Car of the Year 2015-Japan.

The first Mazda Miata made its world debut in 1989 and production commenced shortly after in Hiroshima, Japan, where all Mazdas have been built since. Evolved from the likes of the Triumph Spitfire, Datsun 2000, and the Lotus Elan, the Mazda Miata’s design philosophy was to be lightweight with minimal mechanical complexity limited only by legal and safety requirements while being technologically modern and reliable. The first-generation Miata sold 400,000 units until it was phased out in 1997.

The second-generation Miata, launched in 1998, replaced the pop-up with fixed headlights and sported a glass rear window. In 2004, its last production year, the second-gen MX-5 also saw the first official turbocharged Miata in the form of the Mazdaspeed MX-5.

In 2005, Mazda launched its third-generation Miata, this time with a full 2.0-litre engine. It enjoyed the longest production run—10 years—of any Miata generation. By 2014, the Mazda MX-5 had become the best-selling two-seater convertible sports car in automobile history, with more than 940,000 units sold over 15 years.

Late last year, Mazda launched its fourth-generation (and current) Mazda MX-5 SkyActiv. In keeping consistent with the original design philosophy, the new Miata’s body is of conventional monocoque construction, but light with a curb weight of only 1,000 kgs. It is 100 kgs lighter than its third-gen predecessor and weighs not much more than the 1989 first-gen Miata. It is also shorter than its predecessor by 4.1 inches. Mazda has managed to keep the Miata as light and compact as that first-gen Miata and did not succumb to the seemingly conventional wisdom where car models tend to bloat in size and weight from one generation to the next.

The new-gen Miata is fitted out with either a 1.6-litre or a 2.0-litre, 16-valve, direct fuel injection, normally-aspirated inline 4-cylinder engine. The 2.0-litre engine generates 118bhp at 6,000rpm and 200Nm of torque at 4,600rpm. It will accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in 5.9 seconds, hitting its top speed at 198 kph. The gearbox is either a dual-clutch automatic or a 6-speed manual. The manual is the way to go to fully exploit the capabilities of this car. The new Miata is extremely uncomplicated mechanically. The only driver aid it comes with is Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) to control sideslip; there are no alternative electronically-managed engine modes or menu of suspension settings to select from. It is the driver who drives the Miata, not some computer that works to keep you out of trouble. The Miata’s weight distribution is perfect at 50-50, front to rear, thanks to the front mid-engine placement. Neutral handling is the result and the new Miata is easy to control and over steer.

I am told that the ergonomics of the latest MX-5 are much improved over those of its predecessor. I wouldn’t really know, having never driven any Miatas before. I can say, however, that while the car is narrow (I could reach the passenger seat window from the driver’s seat without overly stretching), it is quite comfortable for two. Legroom is more than adequate, with a footrest provided for the driver. The seats are quite comfortable but will keep you in place, whatever the gyrations you make the car go through. In front of the driver is his instrument panel, dominated by a large tachometer in the centre, a clear sign that this car is meant for driving enthusiasts. Centred on the dashboard is a display to manage entertainment, navigation, communication, applications, and settings—all accessible via switches on the console or the touchscreen monitor. The air-conditioning system is efficient and simple to manage; however, it is better to put the canvas top down—which is a breeze (no pun intended) to operate. The driver can, in fact, lower or raise the top from the driver’s seat, using only one arm.

Driving Impressions

In a nutshell, the Mazda MX-5 is a joy to drive! Firstly, the car fits the driver like a glove. The MX-5 has no extraneous sheet metal, no acres of hood or a long boot, no unnecessary overhangs. With excellent visibility from the cockpit, the driver sees and knows at all times where the car’s boundaries are. The car is also very light, so “flingable,” and instantly responsive to every driver input. The lightness of the Miata makes its relatively small engine more than adequate for its task of responding instantly to throttle inputs as well as propelling the car to its top speed (Note: I can’t recall the last time I gushed over a 118bhp engine). The Miata is perfectly balanced, so manoeuvrable, so easy to turn, so responsive to steering inputs. This car does what you want it to, instantly.

There are only a handful of cars I have had the privilege to drive that gave me the feeling of being one with the car, where the car can almost read your mind, doing what you want it to do almost before you’ve thought it. There’s also the oneness you feel driving in the Miata with the top down, the sun beating down on you, the wind in your face, and the only noise in your cocoon the wind, the drumming of the tires, and the hum of the engine.