Interesting times, these, particularly regarding the state of the new car market. Even more particularly: the small sliver of it that is the enthusiast segment. The goalposts of professional and consumer opinion have shifted quite a bit here: when a fun-to-drive sports car is below 3,800 pounds—or drives as if it is—we applaud the automaker for doing so, and even occasionally throw in some version of “which isn’t bad for 2025” when discussing what the figure actually is.
Thankfully, this hasn’t completely become the norm just yet, because there’s one rear-wheel drive two-seater on the market that subtly reminds us what the true, ideal sports car formula is. Something that avoids weight at all costs, doesn’t need big power to be fun, and has just enough day-to-day functionality squeezed into its dimensions to not be too much of a sacrifice. I’m talking about the venerable Mazda MX-5 Miata, which in its latest, 2025 RF Club form, is one of the badge’s best-ever versions. Especially at its $42,535 price tag.
In (Hard) Top Form
The 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata—or simply Miata—represents the third update of the car’s ND generation—now known as the ND3 among enthusiasts—which replaced the NC in 2016. The overall shape and design hasn’t really changed since then, but it’s received an updated powertrain, some reliability fixes here and there, some styling refinements, as well as a smattering of other tweaks over these nine years. The main highlights of the ND3 are revised differential and steering tuning that offer a more confidence-inspiring driving experience, particularly when driven with vigor on-track or on a road with some twist to it.
The RF is the Miata’s retractable hardtop variant, which instead of becoming a full-on convertible when cracked open, reaches a middle-ground targa setup. Besides being quite nice to look at, this ensures the roof doesn’t cut too much into the trunk’s 5 cubic feet of cargo space, which, by the way, is shaped surprisingly well for a hearty grocery haul or short two-person road trip. The RF’s been in the lineup since the 2017 model year, but seeing one cruising down the road never gets old. Additionally, it’s the most hardtop Lotus Elan-resembling Miata, ever—truly win-win.
The RF has a lot going for it in interior functionality, too. There’s a hair less head room (pun slightly intended) than in the soft top variant, but besides some light creaking over bumps while cornering, it makes for a quieter environment on the highway. Then, following the car’s overall theme of simplicity, its infotainment user experience is quite no-frills and easy-to-use. The modest-sized screen’s software is easy to navigate via a center console toggle (similar to BMW’s iDrive) and a couple of physical buttons, though it gets a bit laggy at times. Otherwise, HVAC and volume controls are easy-to-use knobs and buttons; no annoying haptic BS, here.
Driving the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Club
At six-foot-three, getting comfortable in the Miata RF took some sacrifice. I couldn’t push the seat back far enough as I would’ve liked, in fact, extensive finagling was needed in order to find the ideal mix of seat pushback and recline to not just be comfortable, but prevent my noggin from getting squished against the roof, too. I settled on a more reclined, almost formula car-like seating position. More uncomfortable than I’d prefer for longer drives, but otherwise, the ‘25 ND3 was absolutely worth contorting for.
Its naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-six makes 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque, which is enough to push its blessedly svelte 2,450-pound curb weight to 60 mph in just five-and-a-half seconds. Despite the lion’s share of power not coming on until the upper RPMs, it jumped off the line with vigor thanks to short and wonderfully spaced gearing. Rowing through its gears was a treat, too; notchy, but still smooth and with excellent spring. It was hard to not want to rev out first-through-third every chance I got during my week of driving it around Los Angeles. My only gripe was its muted-slash-buzzy engine and exhaust soundtrack, which thankfully turned into a nice tenor growl high in the tach—again, more reason to rev it out as much as possible.
Around-town motoring in the latest Miata was like any hot hatch. I was inspired, no, willed into diving into intersections just before green arrows ended, and it felt uncouth not to exceed advisory on- and off-ramp speed limits when conditions allowed. Slotting into traffic was a breeze thanks to its truly tiny size—the lil’ fella is just 154 inches long and 68 inches wide—which, when you think of it, makes for courteous merges and tight lane-changes. When the good people of Los Angeles are used to being cut off by Range Rovers and G-Wagens, a quick juke left or right (with signal, naturally) in this tiny thing allowed plenty of space between bumpers by comparison. Its ride quality was quite good, too, and its minimal overhang past the wheel wells helped it completely avoid any danger of scraping a piece of bodywork on steep driveways.
The diminutive roadster’s true colors really shined on Southern California’s squiggly bits of road. That same comfy ride quality translated to more body roll than pretty much every other sports car on the market, but it still felt well-stuck to the tarmac. Chassis communication, particularly while transferring weight across each corner, was simply excellent, and the revised differential tuning over the ND2 was noticeable under hard braking, as the rear-end felt nicely planted. My RF Club sported upgraded Brembo brakes and decent Bridgestone summer tires, the former always felt up-to-task while ripping through twisty roads at a spirited clip. If I were to call one my own, I’d probably invest in a stiffer suspension setup for track work, but the factory equipment was great for daily and spirited street duty.
Finally, its steering was a real treat. Not only was response wonderfully direct and ratio perfect, but the Miata sports one of the most feedback-rich electric racks on the market, only bested by Porsche’s hardware and tuning. It’s never too light or too heavy—a relaxed, two-to-three finger grasp is all that’s necessary for daily commute driving. Overall, the 2025 Miata is so freaking fun-to-drive.
Still the Best New Sports Car Value
The 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Club is tremendously fun-to-drive, and brilliantly follows the traditional sports car formula of small size, low weight, great gearing, and just-enough output. It’s frankly impressive that it’s still around in light of our era of big curb weights and dimensions in just about everything else in the enthusiast market. And I’m really glad it is, as it’s not only a good palate cleanser, but also a solid reminder that we don’t need much to achieve deep vehicular joy. The kind that’s worth contorting one’s body to fit into, no less.