engifineer

There were two of them at Nationals last week. One in CS and one in STR (although not completely STR legal due to a few missing parts... but nothing that would really help much). They ran them as exhibition runs. From what I recall, they were in trophy range with them being driven by a couple of very good regular autocrossers in STR. Didnt look at the CS results really.

The STR ones I think would have taken most of the STX field (aka lots of FRS/BRZ's). The times I saw would have put them equal to about 6th place in STX out of 58 drivers. So they did better in relation to STX than they did in STR, but strong in both. Again, very good drivers, but also their first drives in that car as well.

They do finally look like a car I actually want to look at, more aggressive looking than the older ones. Looks like they will be strong autox cars as the past ones were, as long as their final official classing is right. It was cool to see them and talk to the Mazda guys about them as well.

Gotpepsi

Really? I think the s2000 has a pretty good balance of power and handling... If the s2000 outperforms the new 2016 Miata's than i'm not really interested. Perhaps if the Miata matched the performance of the s2000; that'll be great!

I driven a 300hp car (the STI) and the power delivery is more enjoyable than the s2000.

I also drove a 550hp Shelby GT500. That thing had globs of power and it was probably the most fun I had in a car. I remember the car burning out through second gear, . Maybe more power is better after all.

POOOWWWWER!!

CMK

I kept forgetting I wanted to test drive an ND on a nice day. Beautiful weather all week, so I went ahead and checked my local dealers. Two NDs at two dealers, both automatics.

CosmosMpower

The only ND's i've seen in the wild were the red and tan launch editions driven by middle aged women. I guess that would explain the automatics.

The Raptor

That's a big reason why I traded up to a C7 Stingray.

Chris Stack

I'm interested in testing the "Fiata" if it comes with significantly more power than the ND. I can't see going DOWN in power from the S2000. Even across would be a tough sell.

hirev

I enjoy these Miata threads. I had a 1990 for five years and a 2001 for three years. Both brand new. The build quality and reliability on the 1990 was excellent and the 2001 was far worse... but it had more power and at least they gave you a loaner when it went in for a whole new engine, gas tank, 3 clutches and two sets of brakes during warranty.

I graduated to the S2000 as it does most all of what a Miata does but better and faster. In 2004 the build quality of the S was better and so was all the features offered with the Honda. Now I had no regrets then and still feel like I "graduated" into the Honda from the Mazda.

the miata is a great car, rewarding to drive as it just makes you feel like you are going faster than you are in every turn of the road. It's easy to drive and there is no drama or over steer to cope with.

Lots of fun, good gearbox, nice looks, now very nice features available, the new one is beautiful all over. If it had a bit more room, more power, well it would be a S2000 then wouldn't it?

I like these cars and would recommend them to anyone, lots of bang for the buck. They don't need more power to enjoy, I would want more power to enjoy it fully and there is no going back given the current setup, for me.

engifineer

Depends on the application. For autox style driving, the top STR times and top STS miata times are pretty darned close. Same with BS S2000's and ES S2000's. An S2000 will not hands down autox better than a miata.. maybe on par, but not hands down better. On a track, where HP can much more easily mask bad cornering by the driver or the car, the S will shine of course. But when you get down the nitty gritty of handling, it is not a big difference, if a difference at all if you had equal drivers. The East course this year at Nats probably favored the S since it had a lot more long acceleration zones (aka more power was a bigger advantage).

The miata has an easier to use power band IMO. Most miata drivers laugh when they try to launch the S. They simply cannot get over having to do a 6500 rpm clutch drop to get the 255's spinning for a good launch. They have a similar scenario, but the ones I have driven can still make a softer launch without falling on their face. The S takes a lot more effort to master in that area.

And if you put both in the hands of a less experienced driver, I would exect the Miata to win every time. In my experience, which admittedly is limited in a miata, the Miata is easier to drive at the limit than the S. hence it does some things better than the S.

Both are great cars, and I love most everything about the S. I never got into Miata's much but respect their abilities for sure.

Chris Stack

I always get that the Miata is not about power, but I just can't get excited about a car that doesn't give me at least a little excitement when I hit it off the line or goose it when executing a pass, on an on-ramp, etc. Even the S2000 doesn't really thrill me in this area anymore, so I can't imagine going down 85hp would make things better, even with the 300-400lb weight loss.

s2000Junky

Out of the box, the S2000 is a real sports car. The Miata is a "sporty car". Both happen to be convertibles.

You can make any rwd, front engine car with a short wheel base with a handful of performance mods do some pretty incredible things at low to moderate speeds in the right hands. Im not sure how that relates to what the s2000 vs Miata is and was designed to be from the factory however. I know that the s2000 not only still looks better (though the Miata has improved) but also has a more favorable size/wheel base and width dimensions to be more well rounded in more track environments (certainly high triple digit speeds) vs the tiny Miata. The s2k takes less modifications to get it to a high performing level as well as the ultimate performance ceiling being higher given the modifications. The Miata no matter what it looks like, will likely always be a sporty car first and foremost, which has nothing to do with performance ability, but more of what it mimics for the broader everyday person as a fun little DD or weekend car. I don’t hold these cars in the same light, so comparing them seems a bit arbitrary. With that I never understood the interest someone might have in owning both, since the s2000 offers everything the Miata does but better. If I had both, the Miata would never get driven.