It's hard to beat a 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata for sheer, unadulterated driving enjoyment. With the top down, your favorite music playing through the available Bose premium sound system, and a winding ribbon of road ahead, this classic rear-wheel-drive sports car is a blast to drive whether you're exploring its maximum performance and handling potential or simply cruising along a coast at a relaxed pace. And now the car is better than ever.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
JD Power has published three MX-5 Miata reviews in the past, each one covering the RF model (retractable fastback):
This time, our test car came in traditional roadster form with a fabric, manually folding roof. Since the most recent review in 2022, Mazda has made several updates to its sports car. For example, in 2023, a new Zircon Sand paint color became available, replacing Polymetal Gray.
Mazda made no other changes in 2023, but for the 2024 model year, the Miata received numerous updates:
The 2024 MX-5 Miata is available in convertible and RF body styles with a manual or automatic transmission. The convertible comes in Sport, Club, and Grand Touring trim levels, while the RF is available in Club and Grand Touring trim. Furthermore, the Club convertible's optional Brembo/BBS Recaro option package is standard on the RF Club, making it the most expensive version of the car. Prices range from $30,170 to $41,395, including the destination charge.
For this 2024 Miata review, Mazda provided a convertible equipped with Grand Touring trim, Aero Gray paint, and a Tan Nappa leather interior. The test vehicle's price was $36,220, including the $1,185 destination charge to ship the sports car from the Hiroshima, Japan, assembly plant to your local dealership.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Mazda hasn't redesigned the Miata since 2016. However, the automaker has given the car numerous updates since then, adding more power, improving the handling, enhancing the technology, and revising the design details.
New headlights with integrated LED running lights debut this year, and the Miata adopts LED taillights. In addition, a new 17-inch multi-spoke wheel design debuts on the Club and Grand Touring, with a black or machined-face finish. The new Aero Gray paint color is a warm, faintly metallic hue.
Inside, Mazda made subtle changes to the gauges to make them easier to read, and the center console has more padding than before. With Club trim, the fabric seats add simulated suede inserts. Tan premium Nappa leather replaces last year's Terracotta leather option on the Grand Touring models.
As a longtime Miata enthusiast and no fan of black wheels, I'll say these changes are only partly welcome. The taillights get a thumbs up, I'm glad to see the return of the Tan interior, and the new 17-inch wheels have an attractive design if not finish.
Unfortunately, you can get the Tan interior only with Snowflake White Pearl Mica or Aero Gray paint, and it doesn't look right with the gray. Mazda should offer it with every exterior color except Aero Gray and Zircon Sand, and it would be nice if Deep Crystal Blue Mica returned to the Grand Touring lineup (it comes only with Club trim).
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
If the 2024 Miata's barely noticeable styling changes aren't convincing enough to buy a new one instead of a used one, perhaps the new 8.8-inch Mazda Connect infotainment system will do the trick.
It uses the latest version of the company's software, includes touchscreen operation for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and has a new Alexa digital voice assistant. With Club and Grand Touring trim, wireless Apple CarPlay is standard. Android users still need to plug in via the USB data port.
Unfortunately, when I tried to use the test car's Alexa voice recognition system, the infotainment screen said: "Network Error. Alexa requires internet access to work. Please check your network connection and try again."
I've used Mazda Connect's new Alexa technology in the 2025 Mazda CX-70, and it works well. However, considering how good Apple Siri and Google Assistant are, I recommend running Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and forgetting about Alexa and the required Wi-Fi subscription to make it work. Also, since the MX-5 Miata doesn't offer a wireless charging pad, you'll still want to plug your iPhone in to keep it charged on longer trips.
Overall, the new Mazda Connect infotainment system is an improvement over the previous technology. For example, the graphics are more appealing, and the touchscreen operation for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is helpful. I had no trouble pairing my iPhone 15 and streaming music via Pandora and Apple Music, and the Bose premium sound system remained audible at freeway speeds with the car's top down.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
If there are good reasons to choose a brand-new 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata over a lightly used one, they're rooted in the new steering and limited-slip rear differential.
I've driven plenty of fourth-generation Miatas since the 2016 redesign, and this iteration of the car has long been my favorite. But I've always found the steering a little too light on-center and the car's rear end a little loose in certain driving situations. After Mazda introduced Kinematic Posture Control (KPC) to the car in 2022, a brake-based technology adding stability when cornering, the Miata felt more secure when driving it hard. The 2024 Miata builds on that benefit.
Mazda says the new steering rack and recalibrated electric assist software improve the on-center feel, especially at higher speeds. In addition, the automaker says the steering is more precise when enthusiastically tackling corners and curves.
A new asymmetric limited-slip rear differential also debuts for 2024, to add stability and resist understeer and oversteer when cornering. It is standard with Club and Grand Touring trim levels when equipped with a manual transmission and works with KPC to settle the Miata's rear end.
In addition, the Club and Grand Touring boast a new DSC-Track setting for the traction and stability control systems. Mazda says the feature allows drivers to hone their track-driving skills while retaining a safety net when things start going sideways.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Since I had no access to a track, I did not try the DSC-Track driving mode. However, I could access the great driving roads in the Santa Monica Mountains and a sunny, warm weekday afternoon to sample the 2024 MX-5 Miata. Mazda's iconic sports car is truly better than ever.
The steering represents the most significant improvement for 2024. It no longer feels too light in your hands, and Mazda has successfully dialed in an extra degree of precision when driving in various environments. For example, when you encounter a large oncoming truck appearing from around a blind upcoming corner, the Miata's new steering adds an extra layer of confidence.
That happened several times during my drive, and thanks to the Miata's small size, nimble handling, added precision, and improved feel at the wheel, you can quickly, confidently, and accurately alter the car's trajectory to avoid doom. Similarly, the steering enhancements help a driver to avoid rocks and other debris on the road and, on my test-driving day, a driver in a Honda S2000 who was exceeding their talent level, understeering the high-revving roadster around a curve with the front tires howling in discontent.
Speaking of understeer, the Miata's new torque-sensing limited-slip rear differential and the KPC technology effectively limit that trait. Mazda's sports car feels more settled than ever, and in my driving, I determined I could accelerate harder and sooner out of curves than before. If you're on a track, that translates into quicker lap times.
The changes to the 2024 Miata leave me without any dynamic complaints. The 181-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sings as it zings its way to its lofty 7,500 redline, and you can run every road in the Malibu area using second and third gear. The short-throw six-speed manual gearbox is a model of perfection, snicking from gear to gear and offering pedals placed for perfect heel-and-toe downshift rev-matching.
Furthermore, the brakes withstand heavy repeated use, and you can get even stouter Brembos on the Club trim level. The grip from the 205/45R17 Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires seems endless, and they rarely squeal. This car doesn't beat you up either, offering good ride compliance without filtering information from the road surface.
Regarding fuel economy, the EPA says the Miata should get 29 mpg in combined driving. When driven enthusiastically, with the top down, almost exclusively on twisty mountain roads, the test car returned 24.1 mpg. On my usual testing loop, when driven normally, I averaged 28.7 mpg.
The 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata embodies what makes this automaker's cars and SUVs special. From its upscale design and detailing to its driving dynamics, the Miata keeps Mazda grounded in Jinba Ittai, which describes the feeling of a horse and its rider as one.
Thanks to the small but impactful changes to the 2024 Miata, it embodies Jinba Ittai more than ever. There simply isn't anything else like it, especially for the price. And while pop culture repeatedly dismisses the MX-5 as a true sports car, roadsters simply don't get more elemental and singularly focused on the joy of driving than a Miata.
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.
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