The car community has a little something for everyone. You’ve got muscle car people, JDM fanatics, truck folk, and thousands of other little groups. Eventually, you find your people. But I wasn’t aware of the Miata crowd and their game until I reviewed my first Miata a few years ago. Technically, this 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring is my third Miata review, which makes it the model I’ve reviewed more than any other in my career. Crazy, right?
I digress. I always knew Miata people; I hung out with Miata people, but I didn’t understand the Miata itself until our first week together. My mind was blown! How could something so cheap and so simple be so much fun? But that’s the entire point of the Miata: inexpensive, lightweight, and fun. And even though the platform has evolved, the RF Grand Touring still holds tight to that original premise, with a few more elevated features.
First Impressions And Exterior Design:
2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring
The Miata entered its fourth generation, chassis code ND, back in 2015. Since then, the Miata hasn’t changed much, looks-wise. It’s a bit lighter than the last generation and four inches shorter, but the general theme remains. One change was the introduction of the RF. Previously, Mazda offered a Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT), a similar concept to the RF, which stands for Retractable Fastback. Essentially, a rigid roof and rear buttresses give it a sleeker, more coupe-like profile than the soft-top convertible. I know this is a controversial opinion to Miata purists, but I like the RF. More on that later. Unlike the soft top, which you have to raise and lower yourself, the RF does all the work for you. Just press a button, and the roof folds away. It’s a little luxury that I really appreciate.
It’s impossible not to smile when you look at the Miata. It was pouring rain, overcast, and disgustingly humid out when it landed in my driveway, but I couldn’t wait to go for a ride. I hopped in, immediately stalled it, and then headed off. I never claimed to be a pro.
For 2026, the Miata RF Grand Touring starts at $38,750, while the RF Club starts at $42,200. Neither price includes Mazda’s $1,315 Delivery, Processing, and Handling fee. Here’s how pricing stacks up across the entire Miata lineup.
| ST Sport | $30,730 |
| ST Club | $34,230 |
| ST Grand Touring | $36,030 |
| RF Grand Touring | $38,750 |
| RF Club | $42,200 |
Our test vehicle was priced as such; please note that the base price and delivery/processing fees have been updated since we took delivery.
- Base MSRP: $38,450
- Snowflake White & Tan Nappa Leather: $895
- Delivery, Processing, and Handling fee: $1,235
- Total: $40,580
What It’s Like To Drive
There is no way to describe how much fun the Miata is to drive. Mazda uses a Japanese philosophy called Jinba Ittai, which translates roughly to “horse and rider as one.” This idea is central to the Miata experience, but it makes much more sense once you actually drive the car. Everything feels connected, from the steering to the way the car responds when you turn into a corner.
There is some interesting engineering behind all of this, too. Mazda’s Kinematic Posture Control uses the brakes to apply a little pressure to the inside rear wheel when cornering, helping reduce body roll and keep everything stable. The Asymmetric Limited Slip Differential, found on manual Miatas, also helps with stability and handling. You may not feel either system working, but you can absolutely feel the results. You also get Bilstein dampers, a front shock tower brace, and other performance hardware shared with the Club. The Miata is easy to control, goes exactly where you want it to go, and makes even a pretty boring drive more entertaining.
Mazda gives our little guy a SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. That might not sound like much, especially in a world of 1,000-horsepower electric vehicles, but the Miata doesn’t need more power to be fun. It’s small, lightweight, and rear-wheel drive. That’s all you really need.
And I really love the six-speed manual transmission. I don’t drive manual cars much, but the Miata is pretty approachable, even for someone like me. The clutch is easy to use, the shifter feels great, and the whole experience is pretty forgiving. You don’t have to be a manual transmission expert to enjoy driving this thing, which I appreciate. It’s engaging and fun without being scary.
I’ve spent a lot of time in high-horsepower supercars and sports cars, but the Miata has some kind of magic that those just don’t possess. It doesn’t need 800 horsepower, and to be fair, I think that would ruin the whole thing. You can feel exactly what the car is doing beneath you, and even the smallest steering inputs make a difference. With the top down, a nice stretch of road, and nowhere in particular to be, there just isn’t much that can compete with that feeling. Don’t underestimate a nice drive to Target to pick up cat food, though. You don’t need a nice road to enjoy this Mazda.
| Category | Spec |
|---|---|
| Engine / Powertrain | SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter four-cylinder |
| Horsepower | 181 HP |
| Torque | 151 LB-FT |
| Transmission | 6-speed manual |
| Curb Weight | 2,467 LBS |
| MPG | 26/34/29 MPG (City/highway/combined) |
| Starting Price | $30,730 |
| As-Tested Price | $40,580 |
Interior, Tech, And Daily Usability
Mazda keeps things simple with the Miata. Let’s start with the overall interior. Our Grand Touring has Tan Nappa Leather, which gives it a more grown-up feel inside. You get two seats, which are comfortable, but as you might expect, not the biggest seats in the world. As an average 5’6″ woman, I fit just fine. My partner is 6’3″, and he also fits, but less comfortably. Thankfully, the seats move around enough that he can find a comfortable spot. I like the RF because the cabin is a little quieter, which makes phone calls and listening to music a little easier.
Getting into the Miata is one thing. Getting out of it is another, especially if you’re wearing heels. I just find the whole thing comical, but it’s only okay for ME to make fun of ME getting in and out of the car. Also worth noting, you get a beautiful cup holder for holding your beverages. I would not trust it. There’s usually a second cup holder hiding somewhere; behind me near the center storage compartment. I would just bring drinks with a lid, ok?
The tech in the Miata is pretty simple. You have a small infotainment screen, controlled by the famous rotary dial. You can enable touch functionality with Apple CarPlay, but otherwise you’ll need to use the dial. I, personally, love it. Mazda’s menus and settings are easy to scroll through to find what you need, and the simplicity only adds to the charm.
Mazda also includes the i-Activsense suite of safety features, which includes:
- Blind Spot Monitoring
- Adaptive Front Lighting System
- High Beam Control
- Lane Departure Warning System
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Smart Brake Support – Forward
- Traffic Sign Recognition System
And on the automatic trims, you get Mazda Radar Cruise Control. So even though the Miata is small, it still has all the safety systems you might look for in a daily driver.
As far as daily usability goes, that’s probably pretty limited for some folks. As a Floridian, I could drive the Miata 365 days a year (save for hurricanes; we’d probably blow away. Think the cow in Twister). But the rest of it is a different story. There isn’t much room for things: your groceries will fit in the back, and maybe a carry-on suitcase, but that’s about it. You can fit some items in the passenger seat, but that means no passenger. It also wasn’t my favorite to drive on the highway. However, my cat, Chuy, loved it.
Being in such a small car on the highway was just an interesting experience. Pretty much every vehicle around you is bigger, and there’s nothing like being tailgated by a lifted truck whose headlights go over your roofline. However, I didn’t feel unsafe by any means. Just intimidated. At the end of the day, the Miata’s benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Is the Miata my first choice for a long highway trip? Absolutely not. But for pretty much everything else, I’d happily grab the keys.
Final Verdict: Would I Actually Recommend It?
There’s no world in which I wouldn’t recommend the Miata. Is it the most practical car you can buy? Absolutely not. Is it comfortable for long highway drives? Not particularly. And you’re going to have to get creative if you want to bring home anything larger than a few bags of groceries.
But that’s not really why you buy a Miata, is it?
| Category | Score (Out Of 10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Driving Experience | 10/10 | Performance, ride quality, steering, handling, acceleration, confidence |
| Daily Livability | 8/10 | Comfort, visibility, cargo, passenger space, practicality |
| Interior & Tech | 9/10 | Materials, screens, controls, sound system, usability |
| Design & Presence | 9/10 | Styling, stance, wheels, road presence, uniqueness |
| Value For The Money | 9/10 | Price vs features, competitors, overall experience |
| Total Score | 45/50 | 9/10 |
This is my third time reviewing one, and somehow, I still find myself looking for excuses to drive it. I ran every errand I could think of during our week together. I love that Mazda hasn’t tried to turn the Miata into something it’s not. It’s still small, relatively affordable, and a ridiculous amount of fun. The RF Grand Touring adds just enough comfort and convenience to make the experience a little more refined, without losing what makes the Miata so special.
Can I be part of the Miata people? I think I’d make a great addition to the group.
