Mazda Miata Special Edition

2011 Mazda Miata Special Edition-This 2011 Mazda MX-5 is the first convertible I've been in this summer, and the weather was perfect. Visually, the hardtop gives the Mazda Miata a buttoned-up look, but I was a little surprised that it didn't muffle out the wind noise better. The car feels nimble, and the combination of the six-speed manual transmission and high-revving, 2.0-liter four-cylinder make this car flat-out fun. There's decent jump off the line, and the quick steering response made this car perfect for dodging Michigan potholes and maneuvering through traffic.



Everything on this car is so well tuned from the steering response and feedback, suspension, clutch-pedal take up and slick-shifting manual gearbox. It's hard not to drive the MX-5 hard because the car seemingly demands you to. It does add 82 pounds over the soft top, but the car still behaves like a Mazda Miata should even with that weight up high.



Simply put, driving a Mazda Miata is a pleasure--top-down on a sunny afternoon cruise or terrorizing a local autocross course. Throughout the years, Mazda hasn't diluted the formula for the Mazda Miata too much. With just 2,600 pounds on its bones, the Mazda Miata, even in hardtop form, is still lithe and lean. The acceleration is strong, giving this car plenty of gusto.



The sparkling black metallic paint glittered in the sunlight, giving this particular Mazda Miata more dimension. Operating the hardtop was a cinch. Time spent driving this car made up some of the most fun I had throughout my weekend. EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I'll never turn down a blast in a Mazda Miata, even an over equipped, too-expensive one. Could it be one of the world's best-handling cars? Prices start at $23,110 for the soft-top. I felt as if I was crammed into the Miata Mazda Miata a. It was designed to be a small, lightweight roadster meant for those who loved minimal mechanical complexity and longed for a fun little car.

The Mazda Miata fits this mold perfectly. The car remained composed the whole way through.



The defining characteristic of the MX-5 Miata – beyond its nearly iconic shape – has been its handling, which is in line with the high expectations for such a low, light car. The same applies to the MX-5 Miata's engine. The tested MX-5 Miata comes with a six-speed manual transmission and a stubby, short-throw shifter. The clutch isn't difficult to use – it's friendlier than in some mainstream cars – but this Mazda has little tolerance for sloppiness in gear changes. EPA estimates are awful for a small car – 21 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway – but the tested MX-5 returned a far more reasonable 30.7 mpg.



That mileage is still not stellar, however, for a car wit the MX-5 Miata's specifications – especially considering that it demands premium fuel. The seats on the tested Special Edition model are trimmed in white leather.



In a nod to American tastes, Mazda squeezed four upholders into the Mazda Miata interior, though all are small. The tiny doors also house stretches of mesh that could conceivably serve as pouches for small items; a small glove box and lockable cubby behind the seats round out the car's cabin storage.



The tested Mazda Miata has a hardtop that splits into two pieces to automatically disappear between the seats and trunk. The tested MX-5 Miata, a limited-run “Special Edition” model, seems to eschew the original car's emphasis on attainable driving fun. At $31,720, it's certainly affordable compared to any similar car – a Porsche Boxster, the car most similar to this Mazda's size, shape and handling focus, runs $48,000 and up.



A six-speed automatic transmission – for drivers who want to enjoy the MX-5 Miata's handling and open-top motoring, if not its power train – costs about $1,000 extra, available on all models.



The car was a hot seller 20 years ago; today's car offers the same virtues to the driving enthusiast but much less of the originality that turned heads then.



To help celebrate that occasion, it unveiled the 2011 Mazda Miata Special Edition in Chicago. Only 750 of these commemorative variants will be built, all based on the top-line Grand Touring version of the Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) model.



The 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata is a two-seat roadster that is offered in three trim levels: base Sport, well equipped Touring and premium Grand Touring. In Sport trim, standard features include 16 inch cast aluminum wheels, a black vinyl convertible top with a glass rear window, air-conditioning, cloth seats, a six speaker sound system with a CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio jack, a height-adjustable driver seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and power windows and mirrors.



Touring and Grand Touring models can enhance the Miata’s already nimble handling with the Suspension package (only available with a manual transmission), which includes a sport tuned suspension with Brillstein shocks and a limited slip differential. It’s essentially a Grand Touring PRHT with the Premium package and, if it’s a manual transmission, the Suspension package.

The Mazda Miata Special Edition also includes unique exterior and interior colors.

Sport models come standard with a five-speed manual transmission, while touring and Grand Touring models come with a six-speed manual transmission. The six-speed manual and automatic sacrifice only 1 mpg in city mileage.