Okay, now that I've "slammed" the Miata is a couple of posts, I think I should
come to its defense after reading your last comments.
I agree that the aesthetic value of the Miata is lacking in many areas... but
not that much visually... remember they used one of the most beautiful cars of
all times, the Lotus Elan, as the basis for their styling. The Miata does look
a bit "overweight", but then again it's not a copy but a modern "rendition" of
the Elan, which looks much "cleaner", "lighter" and more "fragile" in
comparison.
The "tinny" engine sounds do hamper the driving experience (for me). Its
high-reving 16-valver simply does not have the aural appeal of small bore, long
stroke British engines. Not really _bad_ but very different.
Still, mostly a matter of taste... but both comments support my earlier
assertions that the two audiences are different in both their expectations and
definitions of "class" and "style".
However, I can find no fault with the Miata's engineering. I have seen (and
driven) several examples in excess of 100,000 miles with no appreciable
degradation... mechanically or cosmetically. Some of those cars had led hard
lives on the track and autocross course, some with an add-on turbo! Any time
you can simply strap on a turbo to an otherwise stock engine and drive it hard
for 100,000 miles, you know the engineering is rock-solid (and a real
improvement over the rather fragile RX7).
IMHO, the Miata has taken excellent advantage of the automotive advances of
the last couple of decades and is a reasonable alternative to the otherwise
generic crop of modern cars. (But I still don't want one. :-) )
Bill Elliott
Lake Mills, WI
|