In my music critic days, I covered a “farewell concert” or two. Until now, though, I’ve not had occasion to review a car’s farewell tour. 

As you read this, Mazda is preparing the world for the arrival of the all-new, fourth-generation 2016 MX-5 Miata. Before Gen III goes away, though, Mazda sent us a 2015 tester for one last look. 

Full disclosure: For years, I’ve told anyone who’d listen that the Miata is “all the sports car anyone needs.” Like most people who do this job, I love to drive and reserve a big, squishy soft spot for cars that reward my enthusiasm with responsive handling, sufficient power and first-rate steering and braking.

Of course, I can practically hear the eyebrows arching at the mention of “sufficient power.” In a world that produces a 707-horsepower muscle car (see <em>Dodge Hellcat</em>, the doubters ask, how can the Miata’s 170 hp be sufficient?

In a word, it’s all about <em>balance</em>. The Miata was designed as a lightweight, two-passenger, rear-wheel-drive sports car. Its rigid platform, short wheelbase, sport-tuned suspension and 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution are at home on twisty autocross and road courses, not the drag strip.

Its transmissions — they include five- and six-speed manuals and a six-speed automatic — are calibrated to take advantage of the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine’s power curve. On manual-transmission models, clutch take-up is light and direct and shifts gates are clearly defined. 

The Miata manages the 0-60 mph sprint in the mid-6-second range, well off the pace set by conventional performance cars. The fun starts when a corner looms. Unlike more powerful peers, the Miata is not so powerful one needs the reflexes or the skill set of a professional driver to probe its limits.

More to the point, the Miata needn’t be driven hard to be rewarding. A retired auto engineer once told me that driving satisfaction derives from the feedback provided a driver by the car — through the hands, the eyes and the ears and the seat of the pants. 

Some of the most powerful performance cars don’t begin providing useful feedback until they’ve achieved speeds and cornering forces well beyond what’s legal — or reasonable — on public roads. The Miata makes a drive to the grocery store fun.

And then there’s this: The base price of a 2015 Miata is $24,970, including destination. It’s an affordable classic.

There are many things the Miata is not. Its trunk is tiny and incidental cabin storage isn’t much better. Low-slung seats present ingress/egress challenges for anyone bothered by bad knees and/or hips. Cabin electronics lag woefully behind the curve. The ride is sports-car bouncy.

Summer is Miata season, of course, but our tester’s folding hardtop (optional) buttoned up the cabin nice and tight. Blizzak winter tires had enough bite, without extra weight in the trunk, to climb the unpaved road home, the traction-control light winking like a Christmas ornament the whole time.
Having bid a fond adieu to a personal favorite, all that’s left now is to looking forward to the launch of its replacement. Long live Miata.

2015 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring PRHT
Vehicle base price: $23,970
Trim level base price: $29,450
As tested: $32,935
Options included sport-tuned suspension; Bilstein shocks; limited-slip differential; anti-theft alarm; keyless entry and ignition; Bluetooth phone connectivity; xenon headlights, satellite radio.
EPA ratings: 28 combined/26 city/33 highway
Premium unleaded fuel required

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