2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Club Review

Source: 2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Club Review

Slip into the 2017 Mazda Miata Club and you’ll immediately realize that this car is something special.

The low seat hugs your sides and lets you know the excitement is just around the corner. When you look out through the oh wait, it’s that close windshield, the sweeping hood reinforces the fact that you’re about to have fun.

Step on the clutch, push to start and the engine bursts into life. Before engaging the manual transmission, it’s time to take the top off. Now the experience is complete and you can start driving.

There’s clearly something special about the 2017 Mazda Miata Club, and it can be yours for around $30,000 – which is a lot less than you’d expect after driving it.

2017 Mazda Miata Club review summary

The 2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Club is as good as it gets. It’s just enough to be fun and fast enough to be exciting: but not so much that it combines the potential of prison time with this exhilarating ride.

what we love

• Beautiful design inside and out
• Quick-release manual top
• Fascinating driving experience
• Incredible balance

What work takes

• Limited storage space
• A reversing camera would be great

Mazda hasn’t announced the MSRP of the 2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Club, but the 2016 model starts at $28,600 and we’re expecting a similar price tag for this model. Our 2017 Miata included the Brembo/BBS package, which adds $3,400 to the cost of a 2016 model.

2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Driving & Performance

You’ll look out for winding roads and take the longer route more often.

The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club drives like a much more expensive car. After a major refresh in 2016, the Miata is back and ready to play. Mazda has drastically reduced weight throughout the vehicle, allowing the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 155 horsepower and 148 pounds of torque to propel you fast on the road and through corners.

Experienced drivers can put the six-speed manual transmission through its paces to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under six seconds. You can buy a more powerful car in this price range, but just looking at the engine specs fails to capture what the 2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Club delivers.

Although you can buy the Miata in automatic, this car shines in manual. Every shift is short and clean with a confidence-inspiring click as you shift through the gears.

The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club is a blast to drive.

Put your foot down and you’ll feel the 2017 Mazda Miata cranking up your drive with decent low-end torque. Once you’ve engaged third and fourth gear, you’ll really appreciate what Mazda can achieve with the SkyActiv engine. You can coax plenty of power and speed from the Miata in third and fourth at over 3,000 rpm to fly through winding roads like you’re living in a commercial.

If you want to swing the rear end of the car out in a corner you can, but the balance of power and weight means you don’t end up accidentally spinning.

Unlike hyper-powered cars that tempt local police to pull you over before you’re out of third gear, the Mazda Miata offers fun at all speeds without the same potential for a huge ticket.

Go with the manual when buying a Miata.

Some drivers may lament the move to power-assisted steering, but they should stop complaining and give the new system a try. Every turn of the steering wheel rewards you with a quick response that inspires confidence and is fun on the straights and corners. You’ll start finding a way to fit a winding road into every drive you take, even if it adds 20 minutes to your drive to get groceries.

We spent the week checking out the Miata Club, which adds a limited-slip differential, shock strut and Bilstein dampers. With the optional Brembo brake upgrade, you get upgraded front brakes and 17-inch black alloy wheels that increase stopping power.

Put simply, the The 2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Club drives like a much more expensive car.

Add in the option to quickly open the manual top when you come to a traffic light, along with a nice design, and it’s a clear winner at a great price.

2017 Mazda MX5 Miata Design & Interior

In addition to an unearthly driving experience, the car also impresses visually.

These three photos sum up the sheer appeal of the 2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Club. Above you can see the wide but not obscene grille that matches the squinted headlights.

From here, small bumps curve over the front wheels before flexing back along the side until they rise slightly at the rear, where the curves return to small circular taillights. The Miata Club looks great with both the top down and open and cuts a fine figure anywhere.

From the side you really get a feel for the low-slung style and how all the pieces come together to deliver a look you wouldn’t expect for under $30,000. The soul red paintwork, matching Brembo brake pads and dark alloy wheels complete the deal.

Inside, prepare for a small cabin. The driver has more space than the passenger and even if you are a little over 1.80m tall, you have plenty of room to drive. The Soul Red paintwork carries over to the inside of the doors and pairs well with the leather, red stitching and faux carbon fiber.

The steering wheel provides access to many infotainment controls, but they don’t get in the way while driving. The shifter is perfectly placed, but the button that controls the infotainment system is not. When shifting gears at a spirited ride, it’s easy to tap the large dial and change stations.

The seats don’t really recline in the Miata, which my wife didn’t like. Opening the top makes the car feel bigger, and it’s a simple process. You can open the top with one hand in a few seconds.

Even on clear October weather, we couldn’t help but open the top when exiting the freeway and entering traffic. It’s a perfect way to say good morning to children on their way to school while enjoying an unseasonably warm day. Even with the top down, you can have a conversation at 55 mph without shouting.

There’s a lockable glove box near your elbow, a place to tuck your sunglasses under your arm and a small storage compartment in the main dashboard area. You can add a cup holder on the passenger side or on your elbows. You’ll learn to live with the one on the passenger side because placing one near your elbow isn’t consistent with the driver’s manual.

The trunk in the 2017 Miata is larger than I expected, but ultimately limiting. I could pack a week’s worth of groceries in the trunk – including a small air filter that I had to pick up for my in-laws. I had to put my own air filter on the front of the car. You can get groceries or two duffel bags, but you won’t bring much else.

2017 Mazda MX 5 Miata Engineering & Safety

Though fairly spartan for weight reasons, the interior includes a traditional infotainment system. Mazda doesn’t offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but you do have access to GPS, Bluetooth and Line-In functionality. There’s a button next to the driver to control this, but it’s also touchscreen so you’re not dependent on using a button.

With a screen on the dash, the lack of a rear camera is confusing. This is a small car so we didn’t need the reversing camera for parallel parking, but when exiting a gap in a car park it would be very nice to have it.

Blind spot monitors on both mirrors make it easy to see if you can get into the freeway’s fast lane and are particularly useful when the top is up.

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