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2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
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Fast Facts
Fuel Economy
Crash Test Scores
Base Price: $21,180
Price as Tested: $30,650
Why We Drove It: The Mazda MX-5 Miata received the highest ranking from consumers within the Compact Sporty Car class in the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Initial Quality Study, and has trended exceptionally well in our firm's Vehicle Dependability Study since 2000.
Did you know…
• The hood and many suspension components are made of aluminum to save weight, making the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata the lightest car in its class.
• The MX-5 Miata features a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 166 horsepower when mated to the 6-speed manual transmission.
• The optional Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) folds in 12 seconds.
• The PRHT doesn’t sacrifice any trunk space with the top up or down.
• The Mazda MX-5 Miata features 4-wheel disc brakes, with 11.4-inch ventilated discs in the front and 11-inch discs in the rear – all with single piston brake calipers.
• The “gram strategy” is applied by Mazda to the MX-5 Miata, where every single component is weighed and even the slightest amount of weight is shaved off. Using this strategy, the rear view mirror was redesigned to trim 84 grams.
• The driving position is situated so that, when seated, the driver actually provides the weight necessary to create a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution in the MX-5 Miata.
• When designing the MX-5 Miata, engineers actually hung the prototype from a chain to determine the car’s perfect center point for the best possible balanced driving experience.
• The available 6-speed automatic transmission in the MX-5 Miata can be controlled by both the shift lever and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
• The MX-5 Miata Touring and Grand Touring models feature a limited-slip differential for increased grip.
• The MX-5 Miata’s A-pillars are placed out of the driver’s line of sight to ensure the widest possible field of vision.
• The MX-5 Miata features a steering wheel with a custom rim shape that is the result of biosensor tests that measured muscle tension during enthusiastic driving.
• In the event of a rollover, structural bars behind the headrests can support 2 times the MX-5 Miata’s weight and the windshield header can support 2.7 times the car’s weight.
• The front suspension of the MX-5 Miata features a mono-tube shock absorber design. That, combined with double aluminum wishbone construction, results in very low amounts of unsprung weight.
More information on the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
More photos of the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Ratings for the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
• The hood and many suspension components are made of aluminum to save weight, making the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata the lightest car in its class.
• The MX-5 Miata features a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 166 horsepower when mated to the 6-speed manual transmission.
• The optional Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) folds in 12 seconds.
• The PRHT doesn’t sacrifice any trunk space with the top up or down.
• The Mazda MX-5 Miata features 4-wheel disc brakes, with 11.4-inch ventilated discs in the front and 11-inch discs in the rear – all with single piston brake calipers.
• The “gram strategy” is applied by Mazda to the MX-5 Miata, where every single component is weighed and even the slightest amount of weight is shaved off. Using this strategy, the rear view mirror was redesigned to trim 84 grams.
• The driving position is situated so that, when seated, the driver actually provides the weight necessary to create a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution in the MX-5 Miata.
• When designing the MX-5 Miata, engineers actually hung the prototype from a chain to determine the car’s perfect center point for the best possible balanced driving experience.
• The available 6-speed automatic transmission in the MX-5 Miata can be controlled by both the shift lever and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
• The MX-5 Miata Touring and Grand Touring models feature a limited-slip differential for increased grip.
• The MX-5 Miata’s A-pillars are placed out of the driver’s line of sight to ensure the widest possible field of vision.
• The MX-5 Miata features a steering wheel with a custom rim shape that is the result of biosensor tests that measured muscle tension during enthusiastic driving.
• In the event of a rollover, structural bars behind the headrests can support 2 times the MX-5 Miata’s weight and the windshield header can support 2.7 times the car’s weight.
• The front suspension of the MX-5 Miata features a mono-tube shock absorber design. That, combined with double aluminum wishbone construction, results in very low amounts of unsprung weight.
More information on the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
More photos of the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Ratings for the 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
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