2023 Mazda MX-5 Miata Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The fourth-generation MX-5, known to the faithful as the ND, debuted in 2016. (Mazda Canada hasn’t used the term "Mazda MX-5 Miata" since this generation launched, but it’s still heard in conversation occasionally.) A back-to-basics engineering exercise, Mazda focused on minimalism, paring every possible gram of weight from the car to ensure performance, balance, efficiency, and joyful driving.

Eight years later, the 2023 MX-5 looks the same. There have been minor changes over the years, including revised wheels for the base GS trim and updated paint, interior, and top colours. Still, it is nearly impossible to tell the 2016 MX-5 apart from the 2023 MX-5. And there’s nothing wrong with that, because the design is perfection. Even the retractable hard top (RF, or retractable fastback) version that went on sale in 2017 and initially looked mighty strange has timelessly aged.

Choosing between the soft top convertible and the hardtop RF isn’t easy. The former looks terrific with the convertible top down, costs less money, and suffers less wind buffeting at speed. The latter looks fantastic with the top in place, is better to drive in foul weather, and protects better against theft. We recommend trying both before deciding which version to buy.

Trim levels in Canada include GS (convertible only), GS-P, and GT. The GS is basic, the GS-P improves handling, and the GT adds more features, including leather seats and shiny wheels. All three trim levels include a six-speed manual transmission. If you want an automatic, then you must get a GS-P or a GT.

Prices start at $33,900, plus an $1,895 destination charge and other fees. The most expensive RF carries a sticker price of $44,000, and with destination charges, it costs over 46 grand. But there is a good reason for it. The GS-P offers a package containing lightweight BBS forged aluminum alloy wheels, Brembo brake calipers, and Recaro sports seats. It is delightful to drive, and we reviewed this model last year.

Our 2023 MX-5 GT convertible test vehicle arrived in extra-cost Soul Red paint and had standard black leather and a black fabric roof. An accessory roadside assistance kit was the only upgrade, bringing the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) to $43,435, including the destination charge.

For 2023, Mazda introduced a new Zircon Sand paint colour that looks awful on this car. The decision to add it, especially following last year’s debut of the lighter but similar Platinum Quartz, while simultaneously canceling the gorgeous Polymetal Grey, is sketchy at best.

Oh well. It’s easy to find clean, low-mileage, lovingly cared-for MX-5s in the CarGurus pre-owned listings. Just know that any MX-5 from any year is a snug fit for larger people, and taller drivers might not fit at all.

If you get a fourth-generation MX-5, you’ll love the view of the peaked fenders and low, flat hood over a perfect set of analog gauges. The MX-5 is a simple car, with little more than large climate controls and air vents decorating the dashboard. But the standard Mazda Connect infotainment system’s centre console controls and the cupholders are awkward to use.

Nevertheless, the 2023 MX-5 looks good and feels terrific when driving it. This car is undeniably good for the soul.

One thing you need to remember about the Mazda MX-5 is that it weighs very little. Our test car tipped the scales at 1,069 kilograms (2,357 pounds) in a 52:48 front-to-rear distribution. That’s 67 kilograms (147 pounds) more than a 76-horsepower Mitsubishi Mirage and 156 kilograms (344 pounds) less than a 122-hp Nissan Kicks.

With that perspective, consider the MX-5’s sewing-machine-smooth Skyactiv-G 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, mounted behind the front axle for superior balance. It generates power specs of 181 horsepower at 7,000 rpm, 500 rpm before reaching the engine’s redline. In addition, it supplies 151 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, more than double the Mitsubishi’s figure and 37 lb-ft of torque more than the Nissan.

So, while the MX-5 isn’t powerful compared to other sports cars, the power-to-weight ratio guarantees a thrilling drive. Of course, the six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel-drive powertrain contribute to the fun. And while rowing your own gears magnifies the MX-5 driving experience, if you can’t operate a clutch pedal, the six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters isn’t terrible. It just isn’t preferable.

The Mazda likes 91-octane fuel, pumped into its 45-litre tank. Our test car’s official Natural Resources Canada fuel economy rating is 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving, and we improved on that at 7.8 L/100 km over 660 kilometres of driving. Based on our average, you can expect to travel at least 500 kilometres between stops for gas.

In the GS-P and GT models, the power flows to the rear wheels through a torque-sensing limited-slip differential. These versions of the MX-5 also get a sport-tuned double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension featuring Bilstein shocks and a front shock tower brace. All MX-5s have dual-pinion electrically assisted steering that requires 2.7 turns to spin from lock to lock. In addition, all versions of Mazda’s sports car have 11-inch front ventilated and 11-inch rear solid disc brakes.

Kinematic Posture Control (KPC) is also standard. Mazda added this brake-based technology in 2022, and it helps to tame the MX-5’s rear end when entering, rounding, and powering out of corners and curves. It works transparently but has a tangible impact on how smooth and stable the sports car feels compared to 2021 and earlier ND MX-5s.

When people ask us why we love the MX-5 so much, the answer is simple: it’s the closest thing to a street-legal go-kart you can buy. We’re talking K1 Speed karts, not the boring putt-putt-putt ones next to the mini-golf in whatever lake or ocean-side town you vacation in. If you’ve ever driven a kart at speed with the ever-present threat of sliding, spinning, or crashing, you understand the thrill level we’re referencing.

Driving an MX-5 makes you feel alive. It is a visceral experience for nearly every one of your senses, accompanied by heightened awareness and an increased sense of self-preservation. After all, you are exposed in this tiny little sports car, so you need to pay close attention to every detail of your surroundings while proactively planning for the inevitable idiocy of your fellow motorists.

With the top dropped, you see a panoramic view of the world whizzing past. You feel the subtle temperature changes, the sun on your skin as it breaks free of the clouds, and the wind whipping in your hair. You hear nature at lower speeds or when stopped: birds chirping, streams running, and thunder rumbling low and in the distance. And you can smell the great outdoors, wet foliage and earth after a storm, pine in a forest, and the salty air on a coast.

This car is purpose-built for fun. While a tweaked and tuned MX-5 is brilliant on a racetrack, you can explore a factory stock version’s limits on public roads without getting too far out over your skis. Engine changes in 2019 made it possible to drive every great mountain road using second and third gear. The addition of KPC in 2022 tames the car’s tail. The small size makes it possible to make the best of tight, narrow roads, using more of the lane to conserve velocity than you can in larger, more powerful machines.

You need not muscle the steering in curves and corners. The effort level is a touch light, and the steering wheel is a bit thin, yet it thrums with feedback and allows for fine-tuned adjustments in direction. Similarly, the MX-5 feels more compliant than expected, so it won’t beat you up as the klicks roll by. And MX-5 ownership encourages you to take long drives to far-flung places.

However, a Mazda MX-5 is best bought as a second or third car. You can use one as a daily commuter, and it is a brilliant tool for threading through traffic, zipping around cities, and effortlessly fitting into parking spaces. Slap a set of winter tires on it, and we’re sure it’s great fun in the snow.

But in a world where so many other vehicles weigh twice as much as an MX-5, drivers are constantly distracted by their devices, and there are so many reckless people on the road who apparently can’t tell the difference between reality and a video game, it gets tiring to run what seems like a gauntlet every day.

Oh, and when the top is down, you never want to pull up to the right of a full-size pickup truck equipped with a diesel engine, especially an older Ford Super Duty belching putrid fumes. Avoid this scenario at all costs.

A Mazda MX-5 is a tool for driving fun. Comfort and practicality are not the car’s strong suits. It holds two people, has a 130-litre trunk that can carry a rollaboard suitcase and a couple of backpacks, and provides limited in-cabin storage. So, pack light.

With GS and GS-P trim, the MX-5 has cloth seats. The GT features standard black leather in a stiff grade of quality that you won’t mind getting wet. Depending on the exterior paint colour, you can upgrade to a lovely Terracotta premium Nappa leather for a few hundred bucks. You’ll want to put the top up to protect the softer hides from the elements.

The GS-P and GT have heated seats, extending the top-down driving season, and the GT includes an unnecessary automatic climate control system. All MX-5s have a manual driver’s side cushion angle adjuster so that you can add more leg support.

Will you fit into an MX-5? Your author is six feet even and tips the scales at about 260 pounds, and the car is a snug fit. Anyone larger or taller may find driving an MX-5 challenging. Plus, it isn’t the easiest car to enter and exit, so the more joint pain you suffer, the harder it will be.

With the top down, wind buffeting isn’t bad. The convertible has a small wind blocker between the head restraints, and the air flows cleanly past the cabin at speed. When it gets chilly, or you’re driving through a mist or light rain, you can power the windows up, turn on the heater, and continue without raising the top.

In the MX-5 RF, with its fixed rear roof pillars, the wind blasts the side of your head, pushing your hair up and over, Flock of Seagulls style (kids can Google that one). Raising the RF’s side windows solves that but also detracts from the sense of oneness with your surroundings.

For this reason, we prefer driving the MX-5 soft top, though we can appreciate the RF’s buttoned-up coupe feeling in cold or lousy weather and its added protection against theft. Fabric tops are easy to cut through. Ask us how we know.

Aside from its small 7-inch screen and dated graphics, the MX-5’s Mazda Connect infotainment system is preferable in some ways to what the automaker installs in its other models. This is a first-generation version of Mazda Connect, dating to the days when the screen was a touchscreen as long as the car wasn’t moving. In other modern Mazdas, it’s never touch-sensing, though newer models like the CX-50 and CX-90 SUVs have begun offering touch operation for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

In the 2023 MX-5, Mazda Connect includes Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, HD Radio, integrated access to specific internet radio platforms, text-messaging support, and an E911 emergency notification system. With GS-P and GT trim, wireless Apple CarPlay is standard. Android Auto always requires a USB cable connection.

Both GS-P and GT trims include a nine-speaker Bose Audiopilot audio system. GT models also have SiriusXM (SXM) satellite radio with a complimentary three-month subscription, a native navigation system and a five-year trial subscription to SXM Traffic and Travel Link services.

Due to ambient noise and the system’s basic functionality, using voice controls is almost always pointless. So, you’ll interact with Mazda Connect using the screen (when the car isn’t moving) or the physical controls on the centre console. The controls are reasonably intuitive, but awkward placement forces you to slide your right elbow back along the top of the console to use them. Train yourself to adjust stereo volume and radio tuning using the steering wheel controls, and you’ll be happier.

We paired an iPhone 13 Pro to Mazda Connect without much effort aside from delays in the process. But, after making the Bluetooth link and choosing to use Apple CarPlay, the smartphone mirroring platform loaded each time we fired up the engine. It takes a while to load, but after that, the tech presented no issues except when we’d driven out of range of cell service. And that often happens when you’re exploring the kinds of roads for which Mazda makes this car.

Your author owns a 2004 Mazdaspeed MX-5, bought new and garage kept. When people find out, they ask if the 15-year-old in the household will drive it to school. Hell to the no! That car isn’t safe. And while a 2023 Mazda MX-5 is a safer vehicle, the laws of physics and the sorry state of modern driving skills would dictate that she wouldn’t drive a new one, either. She needs a clean, used 2017 Mazda CX-5, which got a Top Safety Pick+ rating when it was new.

Mazda equips new MX-5s with a basic version of its i-ActiveSense safety features and driving assistance systems. They include Smart City Brake Support, which operates at speeds from 3 km/h to 30 km/h and includes forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking. You also get a blind-spot monitoring system with a rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high-beam headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and a lane-departure warning system.

GT trim adds a traffic sign recognition system for speed limit, stop, and Do Not Enter signs. This top trim level also has an adaptive front lighting system to help the driver see around curves and corners, and heated side mirrors (the latter are also equipped on GS-P trim).

Blind-spot monitoring is helpful when the top is up and the weather is rainy, as it was one evening as we headed on the highway. The same goes for the rear cross-traffic alert because reversing with the top raised is challenging, especially when larger vehicles are in adjacent spaces.

The lane-departure warning system is not as effective. It issues a rumbling noise through the stereo speakers, but you might not notice it when the top is down, and the stereo is on. A visual warning appears within the gauges, but it’s hard to see when the sun is out. The lane-departure warning system works at speeds of 70 km/h or higher, and a button on the dashboard turns it off when you’d prefer not to use it.

The traffic-sign recognition system is nonsense. If you need technology like this in an MX-5, maybe you should be shopping for a different vehicle.

You’re not going to find crash-test ratings for the MX-5. So, you’ll need to make a logical decision regarding this sports car’s safety. It has a curb weight of 1,069 kilograms (2,357 pounds). People love SUVs and pickup trucks. The laws of physics apply. So, yeah, there is real risk in driving this car.

But we’ll let the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety explain why people primarily concerned about safety shouldn’t choose an MX-5. You can find more information at the IIHS website.

We can’t think of a more cost-effective way to obtain the driving joy an MX-5 provides. With the base GT trim priced at $33,900 before fees, which you’ll spend on a decently equipped Honda Civic, a Mazda MX-5 represents a cheap thrill in the best possible meanings of both words.

The closest alternative to an MX-5 convertible is a BMW Z4, which stickers at $67,000 Canadian before adding a single upgrade. The MX-5 RF faces other two-seaters like the Nissan Z (roughly 50 grand to start) and Toyota Supra (over $60,000).

However, the MX-5 does have a couple of similarly priced rivals in the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86, each of which cost less than $35,000 in the base specification. But, as coupes, they don’t have tops that drop, do they?

Note: Images show a US model.