Tuesday, June 21, 2011

2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport snowy


The 2011 MX-5 Miata is a 2-door, 2-passenger convertible sports car, available in 6 trims, ranging from the Sport to the Special Edition Power Retractable HT.

Upon introduction, the Sport is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 167-horsepower engine that achieves 22-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard. The Special Edition Power Retractable HT is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 167-horsepower engine that achieves 21-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2011 MX-5 Miata is a carryover from 2010. 

  • Stability control only offered in priciest model, and only with an expensive option bundle
  • Automatic transmission adds significantly to the price
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The Mazda MX-5 Miata was the car that kicked off the modern-day roadster craze back in 1989, and it remains one of my favorite two-seaters. New for 2007 is an optional power-operated retractable hardtop. Does the metal roof make the Miata any more (or less) loveable? We took the Miata on a long trip through New York State to find out, with Mother Nature giving us ample opportunity to find out just how weatherproof the hardtop Miata really is. Base price $21,280, price as tested $29,795, EPA fuel economy 22-25 MPG city, 30 MPG highway.
"We've certainly put this little car through hell, haven't we?" my wife Robin said as we drove through the suburbs of Manhattan. "Sailed" might be a better description; New York was getting one of the heaviest rainstorms on record and the Hudson Parkway, known for flooding, was starting to look more like the Hudson River. We were nearing the end of a 10-day 1,500-mile trip through New York State in the MX-5 Miata. Less than 50 of those miles were driven with the top down; most of our trip was cold, rainy and snowy It turned out to be a lousy trip for a convertible but a great test of the Miata's power retractable hardtop roof, a new-for-2007 $1,870 option. Despite the almost uniformly crappy weather, the Mazda MX-5 Miata proved itself, once again, to be the ideal touring companion -- even with the top up.