2026 Mazda Miata Is Still the Answer
5/20/202641 min
On this episode we share our impressions of the 2026 Mazda Miata and take a joyride through Miata history. We explain why the 2026 model remains one of the purest sports cars you can buy, and weigh its sublime manual transmission, lightweight feel, reliability, and real-world compromises. Plus, we answer an audience question about Tesla Full Self-Driving—and whether human-driven Miatas are really at risk of disappearing.
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SHOW NOTES
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00:00 Intro
00:15 2026 Mazda Miata: Why We're Revisiting It
02:54 History of the Miata
05:29 Why "Miata Is Always the Answer"
08:57 What Makes the Miata So Fun to Drive
17:01 Miata Reliability, Ownership, and Common Issues
19:56 Miata Stays Lightweight
24:49 The Downsides
31:30 Our Favorite Miata Generations
34:38 Audience Question: Self-Driving Cars vs. Human Drivers
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Test Results: Mazda Miata
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/mazda/mx-5-miata/2026/overview/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL\_YT
Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars?
Mazda MX-5 Miata Generations
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/mazda/mx-5-miata/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL\_YT
Find the Best Sports Cars & Convertible
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/sports-cars/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL\_YT
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMike Quincy· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hi, and welcome back. I'm Mike Quincy.
John Williams· Host0:13
I'm John Williams.
Jake Fisher· Host0:14
And I'm Jake Fisher.
Mike Quincy· Host0:14
So today, we have the distinct pleasure to spend our time talking about the 2026 Mazda Miata. Somehow, we convinced super producer Dave Abrams to let us fill an entire podcast talking about- [laughs] ... a car that we love. That's no mean feat. And it's a little bit different because this isn't actually one of our test cars. And Jake, can you describe or tell the audience how, why we borrow cars from the manufacturers?
Jake Fisher· Host0:43
Well, I kinda felt that I wanted to drive a Miata this weekend. No. [laughs] [laughs] No. Uh- If only. If only. [laughs] [laughs] I mean, first of all, can, can I just say that, like, you know, when, when you were in, like, middle school, did you ever think you'd have a job where, like, you're actually getting paid to, like, shoot the crap with, like- [laughs] ... friends about the Miata? Anyway, um, sorry, but- No, but here we are. Here we are. No, so, so there's actually, actually a reason, there's a business reason for this. So, um, the truth is, is that not every car gets redesigned every year.
Mike Quincy· Host1:14
Mm-hmm.
Jake Fisher· Host1:14
And we have information on every car every year. And what that means is, like, a car gets redesigned, and we go test that vehicle, and then we basically take a look and see if it has subsequently changed each model year. I know you guys do a whole lot of work in here in terms of our year-end updates.