Called the most popular two-seat convertible sports car in history by “The Guinness Book of Records,” the Mazda MX-5 Miata gets 20 candles on its birthday cake this year. A lightweight roadster designed for simplicity and the pure joy of driving, the Mazda Miata was last redesigned for the 2006 model year and upgraded for 2009. Changes for 2010 are understandably minimal, though it’s possible that a special anniversary edition may be announced in February at the Chicago Auto Show, or in April at the New York Auto Show. Mazda has already revealed a special run of red, white, and blue MX-5s – the colors offered on the original 1990 model – to debut in March at the Geneva Auto Show for sale in Europe, but at this time it is unknown if these vehicles, or an alternative, will be offered to U.S. buyers. We decided to include a review of the 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata not to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this elemental sports car, but because in addition to being fun to drive, it has proven itself dependable in the J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study.

Highlights of the 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata include:

• Basic SV soft-top model is cancelled
• Sport model no longer offered with power retractable hardtop
• Marble White paint choice is eliminated, along with the Havana Brown leather that was available with it
• Competition Yellow paint choice, seen in the photo gallery, dropped after first half of the year

Model Lineup

The 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata is sold in Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring trim levels, the latter two offered with an optional power retractable hardtop that can open or close in about 12 seconds. Standard equipment for the Sport model includes 16-inch alloy wheels with performance tires, a glass rear window with a defogger, power mirrors, power windows, air conditioning, a tilt steering wheel, a driver’s seat height adjuster, cloth upholstery, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary input jack.

The Miata Touring adds a six-speed manual transmission in place of the five-speed stick, a shock tower brace under the aluminum hood, and 17-inch alloy wheels with lower profile performance tires. A chrome grille surround, fog lights, and silver seatback bar trim help set the Touring model apart. Inside, there’s a leather-wrapped shift knob, cruise control, power door locks, remote keyless entry, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a Homelink programmable transmitter. The Touring also includes a trip computer, a six-disc CD changer, steering wheel controls for the audio system, and one-touch down operation for both front windows.

The Miata Grand Touring is outfitted with leather upholstery, a cloth rather than vinyl convertible top, a Bose AudioPilot premium audio system, automatic climate control, and heated seats with five temperature settings.

Options are dependent on the trim or package selected. The Miata Sport is available with a Convenience Package including cruise control, fog lights, silver seatback bar trim, a trip computer, power locks with remote keyless entry, audio controls on the steering wheel, and one-touch down operation of both front windows. An Appearance Package adds a front air dam, side sills, and a rear skirt to the body. Touring models can be equipped with the same Appearance Package offered on the Sport, as well as a Suspension Package including Bilstein shocks, a sport suspension, and a limited slip differential. Grand Touring models can have the Appearance and Suspension Packages, along with a Premium Package containing Bluetooth, Sirius satellite radio, an Advanced Keyless Entry system, Xenon headlights, and a Dynamic Stability Control system.

Mazda offers several individual options for the Miata, in addition to a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters and a power retractable hardtop. These include a six-disc CD changer (Sport), Sirius satellite radio (Sport and Touring), a perimeter shock sensor alarm (Sport and Touring), front and rear splash guards, a rear spoiler, a cargo net (Sport and Touring), wheel locks, all-weather floor mats, door edge guards, and a chrome-finish aluminum fuel door. Equipped with every option box checked, a Miata Grand Touring can run just over $33,000.

Under the Hood

The 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata is equipped with a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels through a five-speed manual, a six-speed manual, or a six-speed automatic transmission. With one of the manual transmissions, the engine is rated to generate 167 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 140 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm. With the optional automatic transmission, the engine makes 158 horsepower at 6,700 rpm and 140 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm. According to the EPA, the MX-5 Miata is rated to return between 21 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, regardless of transmission choice.

Our review vehicle, equipped with a six-speed manual, averaged 23.5 mpg during a week of mixed, energetic driving. Combined with the car’s 12.7-gallon fuel tank, this actual fuel economy figure results in an approximate 295-mile range between fill-ups. While the MX-5 Miata is designed to run on regular unleaded, Mazda recommends using premium instead.

Safety Features

Standard safety equipment on the 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata includes dual front airbags and side impact airbags for both occupants. Notably, the front passenger airbags can be deactivated in the event a small child is being carried in the front seat. Four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution are also standard, and a stability and traction control system is optional.

The Competition

J.D. Power and Associates says the 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata competes against other compact sporty cars such as the Scion tC and Volkswagen GTI. But now that the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky have been cancelled by General Motors, the Miata really is in a class by itself.

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Note: This review was published on February 4, 2010. It may not reflect data that has become available for this vehicle since that date.