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When I tell you that driving a 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Club on the winding roads laced across the Santa Monica Mountains is like experiencing a street legal go-kart, I’m not talking about the slow-poke versions putt-putting around a “track” at the local mini golf. Don’t think of Disneyland’s stinky Autopia ride, either, as your car careens off the concrete center dividers thanks to the steering feel and responsiveness of a lawn tractor.
I’m thinking of indoor electric karts that go fast, provide a thrill, and pose a risk. The legendary Miata is like a life-size version of those, and, in my opinion, is one of the greatest pure sports cars in history.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
The last time JD Power published a review of the MX-5 Miata RF was in 2022, and Mazda had just added Kinematic Posture Control (KPC) technology to the car. The result was a palpable improvement in the Miata’s balance and handling. In 2024, the RF received minor styling updates, a new Mazda Connect infotainment system with an 8.8-inch display offering touchscreen operation of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, USB-C ports, and updated driver-assistance technology.
More significantly, Mazda re-tuned the Miata’s steering, added a new asymmetrical limited-slip differential to all versions of the car equipped with a manual transmission, and installed a new Track mode for the stability control system, giving a talented driver more control at the handling limit. Collectively, the modifications in 2024 were just as transformative as 2019’s engine overhaul.
The RF is the retractable fastback version of the Miata. It has a targa-style roof that powers out of the way and a rear window that lowers for a proper flow-through feel. The rakish flying buttresses that give the car a coupe-like appearance remain in place, whether the roof panel is on or off. The functional benefits of the RF include improved security compared to the fabric roof on the MX-5 roadster and a more weather-tight cabin that is a little quieter inside. But the looks sell the car, too.
Mazda offers the MX-5 Miata RF in Grand Touring and Club trim levels. Both are loaded with equipment, and the Club includes a mandatory package that equips the car with forged aluminum BBS wheels, Brembo brakes with red-painted calipers, and Recaro performance seats with significant added bolstering. Base prices are $38,785 (Grand Touring) and $42,085 (Club), including the $1,235 destination charge.
For this 2025 MX-5 Miata RF review, Mazda provided a test vehicle equipped with Club trim and extra-cost Snowflake White Pearl paint. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) was $42,535, including the $1,235 destination charge to ship the car to your local dealership from the Hiroshima, Japan, assembly plant.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Mazda made three significant mechanical changes to the 2024 Miata, and they carry over for the 2025 model year.
First, the Club and Grand Touring have an asymmetric rear limited-slip differential that improves handling stability while reducing tendencies to oversteer or understeer, depending on the situation. Second, Mazda replaced the steering rack, revised the electric steering software, and reduced the amount of friction in the column. Now, the steering feels smoother, more precise, and more secure on center when you’re driving on the highway.
Those improvements, in combination with the KPC upgrade in 2022, result in a Miata that simply and effortlessly sticks in curves and corners. Toss it down a set of esses, and the car’s overall predictability is stunningly good. The body remains snugged down tight to the road, the rear end behaves itself as you drive near the limit of adhesion, and the steering has heft where once there was a slightly disconnected lightness.
If it sounds like Mazda made the Miata too predictable and boring, don’t worry. There is a third change you need to know about. A new DSC Track driving mode allows a talented driver to play around with the Miata before the dynamic stability control system kicks in. Obviously, you want to use that feature on a racetrack, not a public road.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
In 2024, the MX-5 Miata RF added a new Mazda Connect infotainment system with an 8.8-inch display. It boasts modern graphics, enhanced features, USB-C data and charging ports, and an Alexa digital voice assistant. Wireless Android Auto is new for 2025, joining the already available wireless Apple CarPlay.
When using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the display operates as a touchscreen. That’s a game changer. Before 2024, you had to use the large knob on the center console to navigate those platforms, which was distracting and a genuine hassle.
During my test drive, I paired an iPhone to the system, poked my fingers at the CarPlay interface, and streamed music through Pandora and Apple Music. It sounded good flowing through the Bose premium sound system with speakers built into the head restraints. Still, you really need to crank the volume up when the roof panel is stowed and the windows are down.
In another change for the 2025 model year, the MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring is available with Dark Crystal Blue paint. Previously, Mazda reserved it for the RF Club. Better yet, the Sport Tan Nappa leather interior is available with the dark blue paint color, and the combination looks terrific.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
My test car did not have premium Nappa leather or the Grand Touring’s more comfortable seats. Instead, stoutly bolstered Recaro seats wrapped in leather and artificial suede awaited with rigid bolsters that can dig into your thighs. That does get painful, so consider yourself warned.
Still, the narrow seats were not about to discourage me from driving the Snowflake White RF Club anywhere and everywhere I could. I took it on a morning commute to Koreatown and the Larchmont area. I took it on a leisurely drive across Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and up the Pacific Coast Highway. I took it on my favorite back roads to Santa Barbara. And I threaded it down every great driving road in the Santa Monica Mountains west of Corral Canyon.
Simply put, the 2025 Mazda MX-5 RF Club is a sheer blast to drive. It communicates every nuance of the road and every change in its behavior, but without raising its voice. You can run it in second and third gear between 10 mph and 80 mph, and the engine is nothing but silky and smooth. Even when you’re not going very fast, it feels like you are, which is a part of the car’s charm.
Additionally, this sports car is affordable. For example, compared to a Porsche 718 Cayman, the RF Club is almost half the price, but nowhere near half the fun. It’s surprisingly thrifty with gas, too. The official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy rating is 29 mpg in combined driving, and I averaged 28.8 mpg.
Trust me. My test car spent plenty of time revving to its lofty 7,000 rpm redline, so I wasn’t going easy on it to meet the EPA estimate. After all, the Mazda MX-5 Miata exists solely for driving pleasure, and it delivers on that promise exponentially.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Look, this sports car isn’t for everybody. Tall and/or wide people will want to try it on for size. There isn’t a back seat, storage space is in short supply, and the RF’s 4.5-cubic-foot trunk is tiny. The Miata is purpose-built for driving pleasure at an affordable price; everything else is secondary to that mission. And this Mazda absolutely understands the assignment.
There are alternatives. For example, the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 sport coupes have rabid fan bases of their own and are similarly fun to drive. There are larger and more practical vehicles available, too, like the Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai Elantra N, Subaru WRX, Toyota GR Corolla, and Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R. These vehicles offer more room for people and cargo while still providing a thrill.
But if the Miata’s impracticality isn’t a problem, you’re on a budget, and outright fun is the goal, there is only one answer. Miata. Always.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran automotive journalist with 30 years of experience in the field and has held automotive editorial leadership positions at Edmunds, JD Power, and The New York Daily News. Today, Chris owns a content agency called Speedy Daddy Media, and in addition to JDPower.com, his work appears on Capital One Auto Navigator, CarGurus, and Edmunds.
