“Miata is always the answer” is the answer you’ll get when asking the internet what’s a good starting track car. When we got the 2020 Mazda Miata MX-5, we had high expectations for it. The Soul Red Crystal color really stood out and immediately thought it would be a cop magnet. 

The black appearance package added black lower pieces all around. It added a nice contrast and we always welcome a good red and black color combination. This Miata was also equipped with the BBS forged 17” dark alloys. If you’re planning on keeping the Miata unmodified, this wheel combination is the way you’ll want to go. If you plan changing the wheels, I would recommend not including them and getting the standard wheels. Unfortunately the exclusion of the BBS wheels would mean you don’t get the heated Recaro sports seats or the Brembo front brakes since they are part of a package.

With it being such a low car, be prepared to do the super car slide to get in. Once you’re seated, you’ll see that there’s not much to the Miata’s interior and that’s not a bad thing! The gauge cluster is simple analog gauges that get to the point of what you need and void of what you don’t need. The infotainment is simple and easy to navigate with the built in Apple CarPlay.

Once you push the start button, the 2.0L SKYACTIV inline 4 fires up with a surprising rumble. Even though the power peaks at 181 horsepower, the power delivery is extremely smooth and linear. We came to the conclusion that the Miata feels as if you’re going 20mph more than you actually are. That makes it a great formula to give you smiles and still be under the speed limit!

Overall we enjoyed the the 2020 Mazda Miata MX-5 and now see why “Miata is always the answer”