Meet the Mazda MX-5 RF

Ed Higginbotham wrote: Video added of the RF doing its thing at the debut last night: https://www.youtube.com/embed/EBtaGLN70AQ

That was a really weak response from the crowd. Kind of disappointing, i would have been the loudest one there i suppose, thats probably why i don't get to go to these things.

Someone said auto only in select markets, i hope we are not one! Who in their right mind buys an automatic miata? Id be happy if they built as many auto 1.6 na's as auto nd's. Seriously people, sports cars have 3 pedals.

The crowd was journalists. They're probably squeezing the Mazda reveal in between Rolls Royce and the new Lamborghini Adventisditadoration. Jaaaaaaaded.

The card at the auto show apparently gives the spec as being an automatic, but it also seems to indicate that's the spec of the car on display. I would be very, very, very surprised if it was AT only. Mazda knows this is a sports car.

Specs have not yet been released as far as I know. If you ever want solid info, just look at the Mazda press releases (one click from the front page of mazdausa.com). Anything else on the internet is of questionable provenance and accuracy.

LuxInterior wrote: Keith, I see the similarity to the 308 -- especially with the black window section of the 'fast back'. But the proportions of the Ferrari, with its huge overhangs -- it's very different than the ND. I don't think most people will see it. For most people, targa roof, short overhangs = Del Sol.

It's not about "it totally looks like", I'm talking about cars that fly their buttresses. The Ferrari 308 (and its even sexier 288 GTO cousin) is a gorgeous example. Sure, the Miata is a little more close-coupled, but it's a lot sleeker than the Honda. That little fake rear window in the Miata is also found on the Ferraris.

I think it's a question of age. The Del Sol is a more recent car, so if you're about 10 years younger than I it might have been a relevant vehicle to you. Personally, I've always found them highly unremarkable in just about every way.

The first car that came to mind when I saw the Miata was the Jaguar XJ-S. Probably because a family member owned one in the same color as the Miata.

Fly them buttresses!

The elephant in the room...

I said Fiero right after the reveal!
Also:

Feedyurhed wrote: At a third or quarter of the price!

And a third of the horsepower. :)

I don't care, still damn sexy

The room totally erupted right after the shot ended. It was epic. I threw a chair.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Well, I'm 13 year younger than you and a clean Del Sol is my perfect DD. Modern cars would be a toss up between a non-hybrid CR-Z(if it existed) and the RF. I could go over to RWD in the snow for that.

Back the the comparison between a Del Sol and the RF, they are both hardtop targas. The lines and design language are completely different to me.

Sooooooooo..............did I miss in the thread how much heavier this is than the standard car?

^ According to MT, the additional weight will be more than 170lbs, less than 200lbs. http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-mazda-mx-5-rf-debuts-new-york-power-targa-roof/

In reply to Snrub:

so it's like having one wife or two girlfriends riding with you permanently...

I am so glad my wife doesn't read this board.

Front...yes thank you

Rear....no

Side....FR-S did it better.

Take one over an frs any day of the week though

Snrub wrote: ^ According to MT, the additional weight will be more than 170lbs, less than 200lbs. http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-mazda-mx-5-rf-debuts-new-york-power-targa-roof/

The way I read it was it weighs more than the 170 lbs of the previous hard top but less than 200. Since the previous one added 40ish lbs after the soft top weight was removed, this could add 40 to 70lbs relative to the base car. Not bad at all if I'm interpreting this correct.

I don't get too excited about new cars since I'm cheap, but this has me pretty tight in the pants.

Snrub wrote: ^ According to MT, the additional weight will be more than 170lbs, less than 200lbs. http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-mazda-mx-5-rf-debuts-new-york-power-targa-roof/

And cnet says 110, which I find a much more plausible number. The PRHT added 80 lbs to the NC.

As always, we'll have to wait for info from credible sources.

Flight Service wrote: In reply to Snrub: so it's like having one wife or two girlfriends riding with you permanently...

Your girlfriends are either really skinny, or you're into midgets, and I'm not talking about the MGBs here.

NickD wrote:

Feedyurhed wrote: A post on the Miata forum states that in the press package it indicates it will be automatic only in some markets. Please tell me that's not true in the States! It will be a deal breaker for me after getting my hopes up!

Ugh, that'd be awful. Who in their right mind would even buy an automatic Miata anyways?

A) This is the kind of beancounter-driven option-packaging crap that completely incenses me about the automotive industry. They take completely unrelated parts and make Option 2 require Package A, even though there is no apparent connection at all. I assume it has to do with limiting the number of configurations, or the number of type certifications they need to go through for export. Acura did it with the TSX wagon - automatic only, even though the sedan was mechanically identical under the skin.

That being said, 2 points:

1) I've heard from numerous sources that the later NC and ND cars are actually still tons of fun to drive with an automatic. Much better than the NA/NB version.

2) If I buy one of these, it will be for DW anyway, and she's not a manual fan. Can't wait to see what they're asking for them in a year or two.

Automatics serve a very important function to the enthusiast: When these guys are 10-15 years old and our cheap asses start actually buying them, the automatics will have been treated less harshly than the manuals and will be ideal candidates for a manual swap

Some of the fancy official photos appear to show the roof up while the rear glass is down or otherwise missing, somehow. Other photos show the roof up with the glass in place (you can see the rear defrost lines). Are the roof-up-glass-down photos doctored, or can you lower the rear glass while the roof is in place?

Keith Tanner wrote:

Snrub wrote: ^ According to MT, the additional weight will be more than 170lbs, less than 200lbs. http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-mazda-mx-5-rf-debuts-new-york-power-targa-roof/

And cnet says 110, which I find a much more plausible number. The PRHT added 80 lbs to the NC. As always, we'll have to wait for info from credible sources.

Ahhh, 80lbs added on the old PRHT, not 40. My bad. That falls right in line with the 200lb quoted weight if the last PRHT weight 170.

Duke wrote:

NickD wrote:

Feedyurhed wrote: A post on the Miata forum states that in the press package it indicates it will be automatic only in some markets. Please tell me that's not true in the States! It will be a deal breaker for me after getting my hopes up!

Ugh, that'd be awful. Who in their right mind would even buy an automatic Miata anyways?

A) This is the kind of beancounter-driven option-packaging crap that completely incenses me about the automotive industry. They take completely unrelated parts and make Option 2 *require* Package A, even though there is no apparent connection at all. I assume it has to do with limiting the number of configurations, or the number of type certifications they need to go through for export. Acura did it with the TSX wagon - automatic only, even though the sedan was mechanically *identical* under the skin. That being said, 2 points: 1) I've heard from numerous sources that the later NC and ND cars are actually still tons of fun to drive with an automatic. Much better than the NA/NB version. 2) If I buy one of these, it will be for DW anyway, and she's not a manual fan. Can't wait to see what they're asking for them in a year or two.

I've driven a NC equipped with an automatic and I enjoyed it. Double clutch style downshifts via the steering wheel buttons or the shifter, gear changes were held until redline or until you punched the button for the next gear. 6 real gears so highway cruising and in town acceleration was great. The ability to crawl along in traffic without constantly abusing the clutch? Priceless.

Oh and did I mention the torque multiplication and the ability to essentially power brake the car at center of the corner to really launch it at corner exit? No? Yeah that's pretty nice for autocross.

Case in point: My old Auto-equipped Sundance Turbo was a much better autocross car compared to my manual equipped CSX. Both were essentially the same cars underneath. My Uncle built a DSP Omni with an automatic and a very tall final drive and did quite well with it and those only had 3 gears and no lockup (he only used 1st most of the time to avoid shifts and help keep the boost up). The trade off with the Sundance was that it didn't have enough gearing for the highway so it droned. Badly. If it had a more modern automatic then it would have been a much better all around car.

Don't believe me? Go drive an automatic NC or ND. Really drive one.

That said, for attacking a mountain road with no traffic? A manual is still damned nice, but those situations are so few and far between in the modern world that it is hard to justify compromising the car for 90% of its use.

The more I look at it, under current life circumstances, this is the new top pick for next DD. I'm sure it would be fine in snow with proper tires.

Not to mention automatics are good for people who can't drive manuals any longer.

Again, look at the source. A post on Miata.net. Their source? A placard that gives the specs of the car on display.

Mazda hasn't released any info about option packages or transmission options. The PRHT came as a stick. As the Club package, it was quite popular. So it would amaze me if the ND was any different.

JamesMcD wrote: Some of the fancy official photos appear to show the roof up while the rear glass is down or otherwise missing, somehow. Other photos show the roof up with the glass in place (you can see the rear defrost lines). Are the roof-up-glass-down photos doctored, or can you lower the rear glass while the roof is in place?

Multiple posts seem to indicate that the rear window can be lowered while keeping the top up. I believe I even saw something from Mazda stating that fact but now I can't find it. This is the internet though. Can anybody jump in here and confirm??

Keith Tanner wrote:

Snrub wrote: ^ According to MT, the additional weight will be more than 170lbs, less than 200lbs. http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-mazda-mx-5-rf-debuts-new-york-power-targa-roof/

And cnet says 110, which I find a much more plausible number. The PRHT added 80 lbs to the NC. As always, we'll have to wait for info from credible sources.

Re-reading the MT article they don't refer to additional weight, they're referring to total weight. That might mean the additional weight is 170-200 minus whatever the soft top weighs. The big car mags usually have fairly credible info on near release products. IMO it's phrased like they were pushing someone from mazda for an answer and they received a rough, not 100% specific answer.