2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata Review - Driving Distilled


They’re coming for our cars. It may not be tomorrow, but indicators point toward a future where personal transportation options may be severely restricted. Gleaming alloy air-cars two lanes wide may be our transportation solution going forward.


From my stringback-gloved hands, I proclaim. While I’ll take the train should my commute dictate, I still find both solace and pleasure in engaging with a genuine driver’s car. A car that doesn’t need a “SPORT MODE” button conspicuously glaring next to the CVT drive selector knob. In the 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata, the start button IS the sport mode.

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  • 28-Cars-Later Zerohedge reported something similar in Belgium with the reasoning being the Chinese are flooding Europe with EVs in the early innings of a trade war. For Tesla any guess is a good one but my money is on BEV saturation has been reached.
  • MacTassos Bagpipes. And loud ones at that.Bagpipes for back up warning sounds.Bagpipes for horns.Bagpipes for yellow light warning alert and louder bagpipes for red light warnings.Bagpipes for drowsy driver alerts.Bagpipes for using your phone while driving.Bagpipes for following too close.Bagpipes for drifting out of your lane.Bagpipes for turning without signaling.Bagpipes for warning your lights are off when driving at night.Bagpipes for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign.Bagpipes for seat belts not buckled.Bagpipes for leaving the iron on when going on vacation. I’ll ne’er make that mistake agin’.
  • TheEndlessEnigma I would mandate the elimination of all autonomous driving tech in automobiles. And specifically for GM....sorry....gm....I would mandate On Star be offered as an option only.Not quite the question you asked but.....you asked.
  • MaintenanceCosts There's not a lot of meat to this (or to an argument in the opposite direction) without some data comparing the respective frequency of "good" activations that prevent a collision and false alarms. The studies I see show between 25% and 40% reduction in rear-end crashes where AEB is installed, so we have one side of that equation, but there doesn't seem to be much if any data out there on the frequency of false activations, especially false activations that cause a collision.
  • Zerocred Automatic emergency braking scared the hell out of me. I was coming up on a line of stopped cars that the Jeep (Grand Cherokee) thought was too fast and it blared out an incredibly loud warbling sound while applying the brakes. I had the car under control and wasn’t in danger of hitting anything. It was one of those ‘wtf just happened’ moments.I like adaptive cruise control, the backup camera and the warning about approaching emergency vehicles. I’m ambivalent  about rear cross traffic alert and all the different tones if it thinks I’m too close to anything. I turned off lane keep assist, auto start-stop, emergency backup stop. The Jeep also has automatic parking (parallel and back in), which I’ve never used.