First new car I've ever bought. I am pleased.
First new car I've ever bought. I am pleased.
That's pretty.
Yes it is. Love that burgundy on the rf
The RF does seem like a car that would be hard not to love!
Nice!! The answer!
Nifty.
The RF is really the perfect obtainable halo car.
So a little more detail: it's a 2021 Grand Touring 6MT, which it turns out means that it has all the goodies, including the performance stuff that used to be part of a separate option package - Bilsteins, limited-slip, and front stress bar. There's also a bunch of electronic wizardry I haven't investigated yet (except to turn off the infernal beeping of the various nannies); I got really spoiled with rain-sensing wipers in my BMW, so I'm very pleased to find them here. Also curious about how well the adaptive headlights work - seems like they could be useful.
I haven't driven it much, but it's really pleasant. Ride is very, very good, and the steering is pleasantly direct (I do find the steering wheel rim a bit thin for my taste). It definitely rolls in the corners, but nothing terrible; it's still very composed. The shocks do not exhibit the jiggling so common in aftermarket Bilsteins. Power seems good (I haven't pushed it anywhere near the redline yet), and it shifts easily and precisely. It's a surprisingly good package right out of the box.
The top mechanism is fully automatic and takes 12 seconds to open or close. With it open there's definitely some buffeting at speed, but putting the windows up helps a lot. Top up it's quite civilized for being what it is. I know the RF is a sort of compromise convertible, but I've never really been a convertible guy, so it's nice to have the option, but I suspect the top will be up more often than not.
It's a great little car. I'm looking forward to getting to know it better.
Congrats! You also picked the best color. My buddy's 2020 Club that I'm trying to buy is Polymetal Grey. It's an interesting color but not my first (or second, or third) choice of color but he's cutting me a good deal and it has some mods already done to it, so I'll not worry too much about the color.
In my short experience driving an ND, putting a nice aftermarket exhaust increases the driving satisfaction by about 1000%. The car I'm trying to buy has a muffler delete which is too droney for my tastes. As soon as the car is in my possession, it's getting a Goodwin Racing RoadsterSport Race Muffler. It sounds great (IMHO) and cuts down on the drone.
That's damned sexy. Good buy.
That's nice.
You mentioned the steering wheel, I just changed the steering wheel in my NC to one made by Guardian. It is awesome. Really made a big difference. The air bag and all the controls switch over so you lose nothing but the rim is so much better.
On the color, while I don't dislike most of the other options, the red was my preference. Second probably would have been the pearl white. The dealership I bought from had a blue one with a white interior that looked really good, but 1) my GF has a blue Mazda 3, and 2) the thought of trying to keep the white leather in good shape was unnerving.
The exhaust is pretty subdued, but I think I'm going to keep this stock for now. I have other cars with sportier exhausts.
The Guardian steering wheels look great, but having just spent Actual Money (TM) on this, I don't see myself dropping that sort of change on accessories just yet.
Oh, and I bought using the Mazda S-Plan employee pricing deal available as an SCCA member. Super simple, and the dealership accepted without question. Knocked two grand off the price. Highly recommended.
In reply to 02Pilot :
i highly suggest popping out the shifter surround and wrapping or painting it. it takes away 90% of the glare, the rest is the wheel badge and infotainment surround, best interior mod i did to mine.
In reply to MrChaos :
I haven't noticed significant glare from the shifter surround, but then I've only driven a couple hundred miles so far. I'll certainly consider wrapping it if it becomes an issue. Is it difficult to remove?
02Pilot said:In reply to MrChaos :
I haven't noticed significant glare from the shifter surround, but then I've only driven a couple hundred miles so far. I'll certainly consider wrapping it if it becomes an issue. Is it difficult to remove?
no you just grab it at the shifter boot and give it a yank. then you unsnap the shifter boot from it. it just snaps into the console.
Jellous. Awesome color on it.
Awesome car! Keep us updated.
Congrats!
Very cool--much congratulations.
MrChaos said:In reply to 02Pilot :
i highly suggest popping out the shifter surround and wrapping or painting it. it takes away 90% of the glare, the rest is the wheel badge and infotainment surround, best interior mod i did to mine.
The GT also has some extra "glare" in the form of shiny rings around the HVAC knobs. I've always felt it was a little better balanced than the Club interior. I've never had a problem with glare from the shifter surround personally.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Yeah, I just looked at mine. It's sort of a satin finish - doesn't seem like it will be too awful. Certainly not as reflective as the chrome my parents had in a couple of early-2000s VWs or the high-gloss wood in my E39, both of which were pretty bad.
BlindPirate said:You mentioned the steering wheel, I just changed the steering wheel in my NC to one made by Guardian. It is awesome.
My 16 y/o daughter and I were on Mazda's website yesterday checking out the Miata's and I commented that the steering wheel (and several other controls / displays) appeared to be identical to those in my 2019 CX-3. I'm super happy with my CX-3 but yep, I could see wanting something sportier in a Miata.
Nice score 02Pilot and thanks for the SCCA tip. I got $500 off my last new Mazda purchase in customer loyalty by showing the registration on my 1983 RX-7....next time, I'll go for the SCCA discount.
In reply to RX Reven' :
The discount varies by model - here's the most up-to-date list that Mazda has on their site. Mine was actually discounted a bit more than shown for the 2020 model. I believe the loyalty discount stacks with S-Plan, so you could save quite a bit.
I like that colour and I like the general looks of this latest iteration of the Miata, although I haven't quite come to terms with the rather slitty eyed headlights (I'll probably get used to them in time). For me it is the best looking Miata yet.
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