In Project Miata, the approach to speed is uncommon. Conventional racing lines and textbook driving are merely suggestions muddied by the car's unique abilities. Going faster means dialing in more throttle, more opposite lock and more plumes of white smoke. Driving clean lines is hopeless.
Instead, time is gained (or lost) through the ability to rapidly rotate the car around its front tires and eventually guide it laterally between cones. Despite the tire-smoking insanity, It was still more than a second faster than the Mazdaspeed car, at 53.63 seconds.
The Mazdaspeed car is a brilliantly balanced cone-threading machine straight from the factory. It retains the neutral balance we've come to expect from Miatas but heightens the experience. It is masterfully receptive to mid-corner throttle lifts during skidpad testing, where it responds with a tidy rotation, giving the car a second-place finish of .90g.
The commanding view that the high seating position provides is an asset in all of our tests, allowing drivers to place the car precisely around the 12-inch cones that make up our autocross course. Disappointingly, the Mazdaspeed Miata splits the slalom cones at 69.1 mph-slower than both of its adversaries.
Numbers aside, this car is a kick-in-the-pants to throw around an autocross course. The balance is easily changed, and the eventual breakaway is smooth and predictable. On the other hand, its engine, while better than all Miatas before it, is far from ideal. Its glacial boost response is a consistent disappointment every time the skinny pedal hits the floor.
In the autocross it plays a constant tug-of-war with the MX-5, ending up quicker in four of eight sections, and only marginally ahead at the end. The key to its eventual victory over the MX-5 was adjustability through section seven and quick rotation in section eight.
In section seven, the Mazdaspeed Miata really shined; having the same throttle adjustability as our project car but without the massive wheelspin, which resulted in a 1.06g peak corner that ironically won back the same .69 seconds lost to that car in section five. Section eight was truly a test of poise-the momentum carried from the long corner before needed to change heading in an instant for the brutal 90-degree left before the finish. It's important to note that, before this corner, the Mazdaspeed Miata had a total time of 49.10 seconds, which was just barely behind the MX-5's 49.09-second elapsed time. The last two turns were where the Mazdaspeed car delivered and left the MX-5 behind.
The Mazdaspeed car was second only to Project Miata in the autocross at 54.81 seconds. Bottom line? Mazdaspeed did an impressive job tuning Mazda's "zoom-zoom" icon. But it's got an O.E. demeanor that keeps it from being as focused and fun as Project Miata.
The '06 MX-5 feels unreceptive to changes in throttle position relative to the other cars in this test. No matter how hard it's pushed, nothing short of a momentum-induced flick gets the car to rotate-it understeers its way to a .88g skidpad figure.
Through the slalom, the same understeer that is a plague on the skidpad is an asset. The car is more stable than the other two, and its stability in the slalom's transitions inspires confidence. It edges out the Mazdaspeed car for a second-place finish (70.7 mph). We imagine the MX-5 could have done even better if it were a little easier to place. The high waistline combined with the low seating position makes it harder to see exactly where the front wheels are than in the older Miatas.
Running through the gears is satisfying with the new MX-5's improved torque delivery, but it still manages to feel heavier and less tossable around the autocross than the older cars. It lacks traditional Miata handling dynamics, characterized by a neat tuck of the nose when the throttle is lifted. It feels like the front tires are doing everything, and a look at their beaten carcasses at the end of the day confirms this. Despite the understeer, it was leading the Mazdaspeed car in elapsed time until section eight, where it gave up an astounding .27 seconds, and another .65 to Project Miata.
In sections four and six, where heavy braking was required, the MX-5 pulled ahead of the Mazdaspeed car, and it even edged out Project Miata in the hardest braking zone of the course, section four, by .05 seconds. By the numbers, the MX-5 was only .25 seconds (55.06 seconds) slower than the Mazdaspeed car in total, making it a very close third. After our test we discovered that our MX-5 had less-than-optimal alignment settings (still within Mazda's specs) that likely affected its handling balance and, ultimately, its skidpad and slalom scores.
The Tally
Each of the three cars in our test is a driver's car built around focusing the experience down to its fundamentals, but their differences, while subtle, are key to the character and performance of each.
The 2006 MX-5, with its improved ergonomics, torquey engine and liveable suspension, makes for an excellent street cruiser. The steering wheel-mounted stereo controls and all-weather tires make it a great car to use for a long coastal cruise. The fact that it's faster than the Mazdaspeed Miata through the slalom and nearly its equal in the autocross speaks highly for its potential in the aftermarket and with the gurus at Mazdaspeed. It is, admittedly, not designed to be as focused on going fast as the other two Miatas in this test.
Our Project Miata is out of its element in any test where it can't take advantage of its power with sticky rubber. It's a road-course car, and asking it to dance around cones in a parking lot is an exercise in tire-spinning futility. Ironically, it's still an amazing experience on the street.
The Mazdaspeed Miata bridges the gap between these two extremes, filling the void between all-out terror and quick, comfortable street car.
So which is best? That's in the eye of the beholder. And with a formula this good, does it really matter?
Editor's Choice: Mazdaspeed Miata
I don't live in gearhead utopia where intensely modified cars never compromise everyday civility. And I don't own cars that my mom would look good driving. I say never mind sweating bucketfuls while watching the temperature gauge in the older car, and forget about the rental-car understeer in the new car.
The Mazdaspeed Miata can bus you around town in air-conditioned comfort and be driven right onto the track the same day, where it feels right at home-it's truly able to sit on both sides of the fence.
Yeah, you can take the MX-5 to the track. So? You could take a Daewoo Lagonza to the track if you wanted to. And yeah, you can drive the project car on the street. Or you can drive a sand rail. They seem equally comfortable. Really, where better to start modifying than a factory turbocharged car? Sure, it has boost management issues, but could there be anything easier to fix? - James Tate